Sometime in1969 I received orders for the Philippines. Then they got cancelled, then I got them back, then they got cancelled then I got them back. In fact that happened so many time folks started calling me “On Again Off Again Everman”. I did finally get the orders and actually went there.
That summer I went TDY to the jungle school at Howard Air Force Base, Panama. It was a good school and I learned a lot there but I thought that if conditions were the same in the PI (Philippines), I didn’t want to go. Everything in the jungle cut or stabbed you. There was black palm that had spines that stabbed you and broke off causing and infection if you didn't get it out, there was broom palm that was similar to black palm. Then it seemed most of the vines were serrated. I’m getting ahead of myself, let’s back up. I flew in to Panama City Panama and was to take a cab to the base. Imagine this, I’m 19 years old, had never been out of the US and everyone looked different. I got my luggage and stepped outside the terminal in to the evening. Humid and hot, those were the two words that instantly came to mind. There were a long line of cabs along the curb and I use the word “cab” loosely. I selected a cab whose driver didn’t look too mean. Off we went after I told him where I wanted to go. Howard AFB was a fair distance from the air port and through the country. The road was lined on each side by tall grasses that looked like sugar cane. It was getting dark and I though “holy cow I’m dead”. He did in fact take me to Howard AFB and all was good.
Class started the next day and they taught us all the basic survival skills as they relate to the jungle. I don’t remember how many were in my class but after a couple of days we headed for the jungle.
We established a static camp, had demonstration performances by the instructor on shelters, fire craft, water procurement etc. When we went to bed that night and all the rest of the nights in the jungle we used mosquito nets to sleep under. When darkness fell the mosquitoes came out. They sounded like a squadron of B-17’s flying over head all night. I did get some sleep though. Sometime during the night my bare arm laid against the mosquito netting. I must have gotten a thousand mosquito bites.
I crawled out on a mango tree over the river and picked a mango. That was my first taste of green mango. It’s like eating a granny smith apple.
We also had ethnic familiarization in the jungle. We traveled a couple of miles through the jungle to a Choco Indian village. Their homes are four feet off the ground to keep wild animals and snakes from coming in. They are made of poles and the roofs are palm fronds. The women had made us a meal like they eat. I was pretty good, rice, palm heart and other wild jungle vegetables and iguana.
We went back to the base and spent the night. Then headed for the airport. Most of us got on one flight and the rest had to wait for the next flight. We got one the airplane and it taxied to the end of the runway and we sat there for a long time. No one ever told us why. I found out later that there was some sort of political problems and when we finally took off we were the last plane to leave for awhile.
I left Fairchild for Clark Air Base The Republic of the Philippines In October of 1969. My first stop after leaving Fairchild was Travis Air Force Base. That’s where military contract overseas flights originated from. The air terminal was bustling. Everyone on their way to South East Asia was going through there, Army, Marines, Air Force and some Navy. Military contract flights were civilian airlines that were contracted by the military. My flight stopped in Hawaii. We didn’t get off the plane. Our next stop was Wake Island. There was a big battle there in WWII. I looked out the window and thought “holy cow we’ll never be able to stop on that runway”. The island is just a corral island and the runway and associated buildings took up the whole island and there wasn’t much runway. From there we landed at Clark Air Base.
When I stepped off the plane I was pleasantly surprised. It was warm but not so humid like Panama. Someone from the survival school was there in a military Jeep. It had a canvas top like on the MASH tv show. Anyway he took me to the PACAF Jungle Survival School. PACAF means pacific air force. I did all the regular things that you do when you arrive at a new station, in processing, getting a place to live for the next 15 months and meeting new people and people that you already know.
My home was a “hooch”. It had plywood sides and a screen all the way around it about four feet high. It slept four people. My bed was on the left side of the door when you came in. Actually it was divided in half by a wall across the middle. I can’t remember who I shared the hooch with right now. All the hooches had a house boy. He shined our boots and shoes, took our dirty clothes to the laundry, made our beds and cleaned our hooch. Before I was to leave the PI I realized that he was more than a house boy, he was a friend. His name was Nick Padicio. More on him later. There was a dog that stayed at the school. She was nobody’s dog. She just stayed at the school and we fed her. More on her later if I remember. I’ll post more pictures later about my PI experiences.
More later.
That summer I went TDY to the jungle school at Howard Air Force Base, Panama. It was a good school and I learned a lot there but I thought that if conditions were the same in the PI (Philippines), I didn’t want to go. Everything in the jungle cut or stabbed you. There was black palm that had spines that stabbed you and broke off causing and infection if you didn't get it out, there was broom palm that was similar to black palm. Then it seemed most of the vines were serrated. I’m getting ahead of myself, let’s back up. I flew in to Panama City Panama and was to take a cab to the base. Imagine this, I’m 19 years old, had never been out of the US and everyone looked different. I got my luggage and stepped outside the terminal in to the evening. Humid and hot, those were the two words that instantly came to mind. There were a long line of cabs along the curb and I use the word “cab” loosely. I selected a cab whose driver didn’t look too mean. Off we went after I told him where I wanted to go. Howard AFB was a fair distance from the air port and through the country. The road was lined on each side by tall grasses that looked like sugar cane. It was getting dark and I though “holy cow I’m dead”. He did in fact take me to Howard AFB and all was good.
Class started the next day and they taught us all the basic survival skills as they relate to the jungle. I don’t remember how many were in my class but after a couple of days we headed for the jungle.
We established a static camp, had demonstration performances by the instructor on shelters, fire craft, water procurement etc. When we went to bed that night and all the rest of the nights in the jungle we used mosquito nets to sleep under. When darkness fell the mosquitoes came out. They sounded like a squadron of B-17’s flying over head all night. I did get some sleep though. Sometime during the night my bare arm laid against the mosquito netting. I must have gotten a thousand mosquito bites.
I crawled out on a mango tree over the river and picked a mango. That was my first taste of green mango. It’s like eating a granny smith apple.
We also had ethnic familiarization in the jungle. We traveled a couple of miles through the jungle to a Choco Indian village. Their homes are four feet off the ground to keep wild animals and snakes from coming in. They are made of poles and the roofs are palm fronds. The women had made us a meal like they eat. I was pretty good, rice, palm heart and other wild jungle vegetables and iguana.
We went back to the base and spent the night. Then headed for the airport. Most of us got on one flight and the rest had to wait for the next flight. We got one the airplane and it taxied to the end of the runway and we sat there for a long time. No one ever told us why. I found out later that there was some sort of political problems and when we finally took off we were the last plane to leave for awhile.
I left Fairchild for Clark Air Base The Republic of the Philippines In October of 1969. My first stop after leaving Fairchild was Travis Air Force Base. That’s where military contract overseas flights originated from. The air terminal was bustling. Everyone on their way to South East Asia was going through there, Army, Marines, Air Force and some Navy. Military contract flights were civilian airlines that were contracted by the military. My flight stopped in Hawaii. We didn’t get off the plane. Our next stop was Wake Island. There was a big battle there in WWII. I looked out the window and thought “holy cow we’ll never be able to stop on that runway”. The island is just a corral island and the runway and associated buildings took up the whole island and there wasn’t much runway. From there we landed at Clark Air Base.
When I stepped off the plane I was pleasantly surprised. It was warm but not so humid like Panama. Someone from the survival school was there in a military Jeep. It had a canvas top like on the MASH tv show. Anyway he took me to the PACAF Jungle Survival School. PACAF means pacific air force. I did all the regular things that you do when you arrive at a new station, in processing, getting a place to live for the next 15 months and meeting new people and people that you already know.
My home was a “hooch”. It had plywood sides and a screen all the way around it about four feet high. It slept four people. My bed was on the left side of the door when you came in. Actually it was divided in half by a wall across the middle. I can’t remember who I shared the hooch with right now. All the hooches had a house boy. He shined our boots and shoes, took our dirty clothes to the laundry, made our beds and cleaned our hooch. Before I was to leave the PI I realized that he was more than a house boy, he was a friend. His name was Nick Padicio. More on him later. There was a dog that stayed at the school. She was nobody’s dog. She just stayed at the school and we fed her. More on her later if I remember. I’ll post more pictures later about my PI experiences.
More later.
1 comment:
Hi Jim,
Can you tell me if the Howard AFB has a course for civilians? I'm having trouble finding data on it. Please email me:
cherienyc@hotmail.com
Thanks so much!
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