A site for personnel stationed in and near Fushimi
Momoyama, Japan. in the years 1945 to 1954 and
beyond including these personnel as they were
sent to Korea and returned to the 8610.
Camp Stafford and the 8610 camp were the main military sites.
The camps were just a short tram ride from Kyoto, Japan
Service people never ran out of things to see and do.
The Korean War started and more stories were made.
Check out the sites below.
http://www.veteransmuseum.org/
Thanks to Laura's MIDI Heaven
"Lullaby of Old Japan"
music. http://www.laurasmidiheaven.com
Latest News 5/3/07
The Webmaster has decided to continue this Web site. Please disregard the previous note. The request for stories is still on the
front burner. Lets hear some of those stories
possibly exchanged at the ASA reunions from those reflecting their stays at the 126th and 8610. Time is fleeting for all of us.
Welcome
We older guys salute our
troops in Afghanistan and
Iraq. God bless you all.
Our prayers for you all as
you perform formidable
tasks.
This will be many stories from and about
the GIs in their leisure hours. Camp Stafford
had the largest group in Momoyama, in the earlier years. It had been a training camp for Japanese Naval personnel during WW2. We will leave it there, for this site will not deal with camp military functions but will cover the personal times of the inhabitants.
Camp Stafford was special as there were waitresses in the mess hall, maids for the barracks and papasahns who mopped the floors. The food wasn't bad either.
Anyone walking into town shortly after leaving the main gate, was greeted loudly by prostitutes in a house about half a block to the right. "Hey GI, you come up and have nice time with nice woman." or "Ahh, good lookin, you come in, I special. " They also had their own unique gestures. Then the giggles. Word got around to stay away from those places as Doc Soo didn't always get to all cases of VD. He was a different kind of Inspector General.
A little further down the street was an elevated railway and beyond that the tram station. Across the tram tracks was the town proper. A walk down main street put one close to open markets of squid, octopus, fish varieties and roasted chestnuts. Aromas there stayed with one and could be nauseous.
Why "TRAUMA?" It is pretty descriptive of story content which will be evident as you read on. Seven to eight guys were caught coming over the wall at Camp Stafford after curfew. Lieutenant Narcis, the O.D. at the time wrote them up for hard labor. The next day all the guys were outside the Orderly Room, shovels in hand. They had to dig a huge hole and fill it back up again. Hardly anyone in Camp Stafford got a bad mark added to their records. They just had to work up a sweat.
Asahi beer was the staple for most guys. Cabarets did a good business. Some were off limits but that didn't stop some Joes. The canal that passed by camp and through Kyoto often had dead bodies floating by from suicides and murders. In Kyoto, local kids swam in the stream. One night, a Sergeant from camp was found floating face up and singing, of course drunk. The cleaners must have had a great time with his clothes.
Any GIs formerly with the 126th Signal Service Co. at Camp Stafford, later at the 8610 or the 326th and 327th, whatever, are invited to submit stories to this site by e-mail to the web master. Don't worry about writing skills. Put your stories in your own words. The web master will do his best to whip the story up for the site. Most of you ended up in Korea so pictures and stories from there are also welcomed. If requested, person's real names will not be used on the web.
Just a reminder, grandkids may read the stories. The web master reserves the right to reject any story content deemed objectionable by him.
Browser settings on this web are for Internet Explorer and Netscape 4.0, 5.0 and later. For e-mail, AOL users should have graphic compression OFF. For help on this ( type in AOL graphics problems in your search window. ) e-mailed Photos should be in jpeg or gif format.
You might want to enter: Army Security Agency in your search window for other ASA sites.
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Kabuki Playhouse in Kyoto
Camp Stafford waitresses
ASAer seeking any other ASAers previously stationed at Paeng Yang-Do, an island off the West coast of Korea, about at the 38th parallel. Dave Johnson was stationed there in 1954 and 1955 and has a portion of his web site specifically for P-Y-Do ASA guys. Check it out. http://www.Minnesooota.com
Scroll to the Paeng Yang-Do listing.
e-mail your material to the web master
Harlan Yates at:
No snail mail Please and when
e-mailing, please put ASA126 in the
subject line.
Site team associates:
Fred Roth phred@rcn.com
Dick Molitor amolitor@aol.com
Does anyone know who drew this?
We want to give credit where it is due.
Ah so, grapevine has it that ASA guy
Ron Taylor is the artist.
Kudos to him.