US Air Force on Chejudo

I was stationed at Chejudo K-39 in 1961. I was in Security Police and we guarded the TACAN unit near Moseulpo. I have been unable to find anything about the Air Force ever being there. I can not believe what I read about the Island becoming a honeymoon site and a tourist attraction. When I was there, their was gust a bunch of rock houses and it took up 6 hours to go from K-39 to Cheju City. Hallason was a radar site that the ROKAF had and the americans were advisors. Any information you can send me would be deeply appreciated. Thank You

i can tell you the air force was there in 1956....we took over the compound from the army and installed a search radar set on "the hill" north of the compound....we tried to set up a radio relay station on Mt Hallason but it was too rough for us at that time...i spent 14 months on that compound taking care of the generators..( i unloaded the 2 100 KW generators for the radar set off an LST on the beach)....i have some pictures and some color slides ( i have not looked at the slides in years but have a lot of poor black and white pictures of the compound and the motor pool with the people that were there at the time.....the first of us air force numbered around 50 at that time......then more came as we got the radar set up....that's a long time ago i turned 20 years old there....will be glad to share what i have with you as i can....don't have any idea what "TACAN" is but do remember the "village" of "Moseulpo...have some pictures of the girl divers on the beaches also...the only "masonary" building i have pictures of were up in "cheju city"....i talked to a person that was born on that island a he said there's a "hilton" and intrcontinal air port there now....i have pictures of myself and another using a jeep and "a sickle mower " mowing our pasture so we could land c-47 and c-119's for supplies.....most of are fuel and heavy stuff came by LST or a smaller "landing" craft ( don't know much about the navy also).....would be nice to talk to someone from that time....let me kow if i can help......i'm 70 years old so i have a time remembering some things.......chuck fau cjfau2@yahoo.com

Looking for Air Force veterans who were stationed on Chenju-Do between 1958 & 1963 in the 6123rd AC&W Squadron who might have know my father Michael Marchetti? If so please email \>\smarchetti@tampabay.rr.c om//

My goodness gentlemen, Jeju sure has changed since you've been here! I'm a Canadian who has been living here for the last 4-5 years and it definitely is a tourism destination attracting close to 5 million visitors annually (most Korean).

I also know people here who would be eager to hear of your experiences when you were stationed in Jeju (Cheju). Myself definitely included...

I would be willing to show you recent sites related to Jeju.

Would it be possible to share any of your Cheju photos by e-mail???

Best regards...... Ken McLeod

krmcleod@gmail.com

Do you mean Cheju-Do (Now Jeju-Do)?

Marchetti wrote:

Looking for Air Force veterans who were stationed on Chenju-Do between 1958 & 1963 in the 6123rd AC&W Squadron who might have know my father Michael Marchetti? If so please email \>\smarchetti@tampabay.rr.c om//

I was stationed at K-39 from May of 1961 and returned to the US in April 1962. I was a mechanic in the 6102 AF Advisory Group. I only have a few pictures of my tour there. I agree the island was very poor and with few luxuries. As I recall, we only had a couple policemen, two TACAN operators, one tech rep for the radar site, and three officers. Sorry, I don't recognize your name.

dear sir
i was stationed at k-39 in 58-59 remember it well , mosul-po halasan ect i have many pictures that i would be happy to share. i remember the diving girls on the beach and the cow pasture for runway. please contact me at jaclouse@aol.com

thanks

jimc

also remember the quanset huts and the pot belly stoves that really didnt work that well made many a trip up radar hill

clouse

I wasn't stationed there, but I visited for a week in 1962. US Army (321st ASA) in Munsan, took a ten day leave with no particular destination in mind. Was chased out of Pusan by MP's and ended up on a freighter bound for Cheju.
Then found out about the Radar Station and traveled to the South of the Island. The Radar station also served as a hunting lodge(pheasant) during the Season. These were one of the nicest, fun-loving group of people I've ever met. Their club was great; even had roast pheasant as bar snack. Their mail plane gave us a ride back to Osan. West (clntwestwd2004@yahoo.com)

larry: you mentioned pheasant hunting....i remember when we first got the 12 gauge shot guns for the "hunters".... we used them at first for guard duty at the motor pool...(it was seperated from the compound) and we didn't want to shoot any "GI's" in the huts.....just before i left in jan of 1957 i went to the "cow pasture" air field and counted 21 stars on the c-47's that came in for a weekend of hunting.....needless to say before i left they were constructing brick buildings for the vip's...i don't know when the army came back there but have read that it must have been soon after i left.........that's a long time ago...i turned 20 there and am now 73.....

when i was stationed on the island (the year was 1956)with the air force we traveled around the island on our "time off" .....do any of you remember the caves at the base of the coastal cliffs ....or the japanese concrete hangers from WW11....or the remains of a prisoner of war camp.....or the large guns (don't know the size) in bunkers on the top of 2 hills along the coast(i can't remember where any of these were) but it had to be close to the "compound".....the pictures i took of these things were sent to japan or hawaii to be developed and i never got the pictures or the neg. back.........don't know "IF" or " WHEN" these things were removed.....please let me know....thanks (cjfau2@yahoo.com) PS......the people in the villages also told us that a large number of koreans or prisoners of war were buried in some other caves on the island a long time ago??????????

Was stationed at K 39 as an Air Force Radar Operator
1958-1959. Turned 18 at Osan AB just prior to
being sent to K 39. Also was at K 6 for a very short time.
Base Cmdr. was Major Green when I got there.
When I left in 59, the base Cmdr. was 2Lt Shepp
and we were just getting ready to turn the base over to ROKAF.
Petro and food were brought in monthly by I believe
an LSM 335 under civilian contract with the Air Force.
Occasional C 119 and C 47 flights came in with mail.
Grass runway.
Yeah, pot belly stoves in the huts and 1 also in
Radar Operations on radar hill.
Drove my crew up radar hill daily in a 6X.
The radar antenna was mounted on a trailer next to radar operations.
(no radome) and was in a bunker surrounded by sandbags.
Civilian tech rep. from Philco was also stationed
there with us and assisted in Radar Maintenance.
We were all issued M1 carbines and they stayed up against
a wall in the radar ops. hut.
Lots of good memories. Thanks for the opportunity
to blab.

you mentioned LSM335(landing craft) it supplied us with building materials...our fuel was brought in by LST 1400 barrels at a time that we unloaded by hand.( actually we loaded the drums (by hand) on duce and a halfs and drove to the compound then unloaded them (by hand)....all our food, mail or other supplies came by C-47 or C-119's at least one a week ( but we had 50 or 60 GI's on the compoud then) plus the "Hunters" on the wekends...we only had one "medic" (inlised man )there most of the time....a medical officer came one week end for some hunting and operated on me on a kitchen table to remove a "sist" i had in my jaw.....times were really fun then.....jan 56 to feb 57

Hello Chuck,
I have pictures that my father took of what look like giant soccer balls on the hill, maybe the radar array you installed. He would have been stationed there sometime between 1958-1962. I have some pictures of his buddies, sadly without any names.
Will be happy to email old base photos to you.:)

Chuck Fau Alvin Tx wrote:

i can tell you the air force was there in 1956....we took over the compound from the army and "installed a search radar set on "the hill" north of the compound...." chuck fau cjfau2@yahoo.com

Hi Chuck,

We stayed in those new brick buildings, the "lodge". They were very nice and since it wasn't yet the hunting season, we had the whole place.

We heard about K39 from guys in our unit(Army Security Agency) who were traveling around Korea testing equipment.

Cheju International airport was something. Totally unpaved, grass landing strip. Pilots flew us over and around Halla-san.

Nice people, the Cheju airforce guys!

Arrived to K39 right before Christmas 1956 - late 57. Reading all your entries brought back lot of memories. Was in Air Police and experienced lot of crap in Massapo!!! Remember well the trips we took in a 6 by cruising around the island. Remember the raids of the opium parlors. The medic that someone referred to in previous comment was Bill Wade. Good guy to stay in contact with. We were both from Milwaukee. Have many pictures somewhere. Some were of the mamasons beating their clothes on the rocks. From what I understand now S. Korea has a golfing tournament on this island. My email address is jimberse@hotmail.com.

larry your the first person i've heard from that knew of the "brick" buildings they were building as i left in Dec.56...and am glad the cow pasture air strip was still useable..i used a jeep and a sickle mowe to keep the grass down ( i understand now there's an "Inter National" airport up on the north side of the island....and i guess they "paved" some of the roads....Jim Berse: good to hear from someone that remembered the "Medic's name" i've often wondered about him...he put one of my fingers back together one time....good to hear from all of you Chuck Fau at cjfau2@yahoo.com.....thanks again

QUOTE FROM "Scott Marchetti"..........
would like to see the old photo's you have....unless they put "socker balls " over the unit after i left..it sounds like a newer unit....ours was mounted on a trailer...so good to hear from all you guys......your right it takes me back along time......thanks chuck fau........cjfau2@yahoo.com THANKS AGAIN BY THE WAY I TOO HAVE PICTURES FROM MY TIME THERE WOULD BE GLAD TO SHARE

Was stationed at Cheju-do August 1963 to July 1964 as 18-year old AP. Air Policeman with primary duty of guarding the TACAN site and its generators. Was fortunate to be a hunting guide for part of the Pheasant hunting season and to do "courier duty" all over Asia carrying documents and money. Once per week the Royal Thailand Air Force would fly into Cheju-Do with C-47 "Gooney Bird" to bring mail, food, and military supplies. By 1963 Troposcatter radio had been instyalled so we had telephone contact with USAF sites all over Korea. More than 20,000 pheasants were killed anually by US Military R&R hunters (and VIPS). First two weeks of hunting season was reserved for General grade officers and Ambassadors.

Other memories are of being the unofficail water ski instructor in the summertime and of building a pontoon boat from F-105 drop tanks and circumnavigating the island (150 mile trip).

Woke up early one morning to see literally hundreds of local residents standing outside our fences at the compound where we lived. They were there to express their sorrow for the loss of our president John F. Kennedy. Locals knew before we did. I answered a ringing phone and it was the Duty Officer from Osan AB telling me to get everyone up and we were on alert because it was uncertain what might happen. I hit the fire siren and everyone came running, Looking back on it, I was so young it didn't really register with me till later what had happened.

Went back to Cheju-Do in 2009 and stayed at the Shila Resort. Very upscale place, paved roads everywhere, 500,000 residents (compared to 300,000 when I was staioned there).

Cheju-Do is one of my life's greatest memories and it was great to get to go back.

The USAF is gone, replaced by an Army visitor's site for Dependents and sponsors (but anyone can stay there). Now manned by civilian workers (DOD employees). No more hunting after someone finally figured out that the Americans were depleting the island of its native birds. Apparently they have recovered pretty well.

I don't have any 1963 photos or I would post them. I cvan be contacted at tm2guy@gmail.com and would like to hear from anyone who was stationed there.