I am trying to locate someone who worked with my deceased uncle, Donald
Diehl in the 1950's. He passed away in 1955 and I do not know very much
about his life or his work. Any assistance would be very helpful.
Thanks in advance,
Kim
Diehl
kim@womensfundmiami.org
Posted: 10/09/2007
What happened to the 169th Signal Company?
I'm trying to contact any of the troops that served with the 169th Signal
Co. in 1951. I know quite a few pictures were taken of the barracks and mess
hall and I would like to get a copy of them. There was also a picture taken
of the company marching in the 1951, 4th of July parade in Las Cruces that
would be nice to have. If anyone has some pictures they would like to share
or just reminisce about the hundreds of poles we climbed in those 100 degree
days please contact me by e-mail or phone.
Charles Schneider
3514 NW 11th Ave.
Gainesville, FL
32605
352-376-8945
achas2@juno.com
Did You Know GMT-1 Charles (Chuck) Johnson?
My husband, GMT-1 Charles (Chuck) Johnson, was stationed at WSMR from
1967
to 1969 and I would like to get in touch with some of the friends we made
while living there. Chuck passed away in 1989 at the age of 43, but our son
was born on base and I have many wonderful memories of the two years we were
there and the friends we made. I would like to find anyone who worked with
my husband, as I am writing a book for our two sons and thought it would be
good to include as much as possible about their father. Chuck was very
tall, (6' 5") slim, blond, blue eyes. He was Navy whose shore duty brought
him to WSMR where he worked with the missiles (NASA).
Some of these friends were Pat and Tom Kelly (they had 9 children),
Jo Adams
Administrator, Corporate Communications
Crowley Maritime Corporation
Phone: (904)727-2274
Fax: (904)727-2172
jo.adams@crowley.com
Did You Know Master Sergeant James H. Stanley?
My father, Master Sergeant James H. Stanley, U. S. Army, was stationed at
White Sands Missile Range from 1950 to 1966. He died 10 years ago and I am
interested in learning more about his work at White Sands. If anyone
remembers him, please contact me by e-mail, snail mail, or phone:
Tina Stanley
934 Gaydee Court
Sebastopol, CA 95472
707-823-9320
tgstanley@sbcglobal.net
WHERE ARE THE SIGNAL CORPS TROOPS FROM OSCURA RANGE
CAMP,
WHITE SANDS PROVING GROUNDS, 1953?
Thus far I have the names of Stanley, Belladona, and Crockett but I do not
know where you are? And how about the others? Who could forget the many
adventures we had at the Camp?
Remember the wave of locusts that took over for several days and no matter
where we went they were there: in the mess hall, in our food, in our beds,
and crunching under our feet as we walked in the barracks and outside.
Finally, in an act of desperation, we filled fifty gallon drums of fuel and
ignited them after sundown. Then we sat back as if it were the Fourth of
July, watching the fireworks some five hundred yards away with the drums
full of flames lighting up the night sky and attracting thousands upon
thousands of locusts as they dove into the flames and the sounds of
sizzling, crackling insects resounded everywhere.
Remember the morning we walked down to the latrine and when we opened the
doors we found tarantulas everywhere: they covered the several mirrors
attached to the walls, they were all over the toilets, and they covered like
wallpaper most of the inside. Of course, the latrine was off limits for two
or three days, and as suddenly as the spiders had appeared they just as
silently disappeared.
Who can forget our medic who used his ambulance as a roving bedroom, taking
his dates out in his fancy wheels and having the best of privacy anywhere?
Remember the trips we took to Gran Quivira, prospecting for Indian
arrowheads and imagining the days long ago when native Americans were the
only inhabitants in that part of the world?
And who can forget the drives down to the main post one hundred miles away
to pick up mail and food and doing eighty-five or ninety miles an hour on a
mostly unoccupied open desert highway? Or returning and being caught by a
sandstorm, lucky to come out of it alive, however, noting that the newly
applied brown paint on the military vehicle was missing as though it had
been peeled straight away?
Remember the coyote we found as a pup and tried to raise it like a common
dog?
How about the trip up to Oscura Peak, over 8,000 feet elevation, to bring
mail and supplies to the men living in that camp, all the while going up and
down that perilous, winding mountain road that you swore was constructed by
the goats who lived in the valley below.
There is much more we shared, especially our visits to Carrizozo and Joe's
Yucca Bar, where you could borrow spending money until next pay day. We
could dance the two-step to the great western singers belting out songs that
were at the top of the charts, like Your Cheaten Heart. And don't forget
those fantastic clear nights at the Camp; the neighborhood planetarium paled
beside the enormous, starry sky, brilliant in its natural majesty, as though
held aloft by the immense mountain ranges encircling the valley.
Of course, there is more, for Oscura Camp was a special place where we did
our jobs tracking the missiles and sending the information along in
professional and responsible ways. Remember our CO, Thomas G. Marshall Jr.
Where are you, Lt.,? You were absolutely the best! Remember Richard W.
Steele, our civilian Chief of the Radio Branch? Where is Mr. Steele today?
Let's hear from all of the vets of Oscura Range Camp, 1953!
The photo was taken in 1953 and the Sig Corps men are Schwendinger, Stanley,
Belladona, and Crockett on the porch of our illustrious mess hall.
Bob Schwendinger
MOS 1419 (Microwave Radio Repairman)
bschwend@prodigy.net
Straight Family has WSMR and NASA ties
My name is Kyle Straight. My father worked at the Ballistics Research
Laboratory at Aberdeen Proving Grounds in the 40's and 50's. He went out to
White Sands on many occasions and was there for the first Bumperlaunch in
1950. He worked in the ordnance field at that time.
My mother was one of the first women that worked on the computers for
that launch and in Aberdeen, Md. My father in 1962 relocated to Satellite
Beach, Florida, where he was a safety engineer for NASA and his boss was a
Mr. Paul King.
My father passed away in December 1999 at the age of 78. My mother,
Rachel Straight, is still with us and very alert at the age of 80. If anyone
possibly remembers my father or mother I would very much appreciate a
message. My e-mail address is " straightk189@webtv.net." My home address is:
- 189 S.E. First Street
- Satellite Beach, Fl. 32937-2161
Oral History Program
The Space Center at Alamorgordo, N.M. is currently conducting an Oral
History Program. This program involves interviewing individuals, military
and civilian, who worked at White Sands Proving Ground (WSPG), now White
Sands Missile Range (WSMR), or Holloman Air Force Base (HAFB) at any period
since they were created.
The International Space Hall of Fame Foundation has funded the collection
of oral histories and this program is on-going. They are trying to preserve
the first-hand knowledge of the space and missile programs that were
conducted in the Tularosa Basin. To prevent the loss of this knowledge, the
Space Center would like to interview as many people as possible. The
interview will be recorded on audio tape and video tape and then transcribed
to a printed copy. The person being interviewed controls the editorial use
of the data obtained during the interview and received a printed copy of the
transcript.
To participate, contact the Space Center at (575) 437-2840 or
1-800-545-4021.
