Date: 03/19/2001 12:09:14 PM Pacific Standard Time
To: Wetemp@aol.corn
Hi Ed - am sending you copies of pics - b/w and color of Bamberg/Aftefeld the originals were starting to get faded and by copying brought back a good contrast. color also looks pretty accurate have also included copies of pics taken at Aftefeld in 7/98. By the way, was looking at the history of the 332nd in particular the COs I thought Riley was a Major, not a Capt, and his successor W.W. Smith was Riley's Exec and a Capt not a Major - If my recollection is correct, Riley's replacement was a Col from outside whose name escapes me but not his activities - He's the one who kept the tricks on the xmas/newyears configuration for over 90 days then had everybody go into the auditorium for what was supposed to be a lecture on security but turned out to be a re-up lecture by him - Work seemed to go to hell in a handbasket and he threatened to courtmartial everybody until the IG from Washington showed up a few days later and engineered a shakeup of the command. I left for Heilbronn/Aftefeld shortly thereafter. Were you still in the Company or had you Xfrd to Altefeld by then
Ciao Don
From Don Giorgi
Date: 03/2012001 5:24:40 PM Pacific Standard Time
To: Wetemp@aol.com
Hi Ed - Riley left the 332nd in 12/54 and the Colonel replaced him. His replacement was the one that caused so much trouble and eventually got relieved of duty sometime in April. The security lecture that turned in a reup presentation was the straw that broke the camels back so to speak - Were you on a trick shift or working days ? We had been frozen for over 90 days - no passes , nothing after new years. Some of us ran into the Ops CO (a Capt) in the PX sometime in Feb -March and asked him if he could do something about the frozen tricks. He was off on sick leave with the mumps but said he tried talking to the Colonel, but was told to mind his own business. The colonel's reup lecture ended in disaster - there were 2 tricks in the auditorium - mids & swings - a lot of guys got really upset and started screaming at him and ended up pelting him with paper wads etc - He beat a hasty retreat and the Capt who had given the security lecture came back in and calmed people down. About 4days later the Agency IG - a Bird Colonel was in town to hold hearings. I left for training in Heilbronn about the middle of April along with 9 others from the 332 and 10 from the 302 - After training , we were split into 5 man teams and sent up to the border listening posts. Bob Lackney was our fearless leader along with me, Dick Bosse, Dick Butler and I card remember the name of the 5th. Got there sometime in May, I think. You and Slade were already there. Lt Foster was the CO, replaced by a Mustang 2nd Lt Kost, who was replace by a ROTC2nd Lt Bell out of either U of N or S Carolina. By the way when we lost our cooks - The army said we really weren't entitled to have them - we hired the wife of our German maintenance man who lived across the street - she was Austrian and a great cook I guess thats when Sgt Harry Bacon became the "house Sgt"
C4ao Don
Date: Wed, 21 Mar 2001 12:37:58 EST
To: wetemple@yahoo.com
I was in the 334th C/R company in 1953/54. Permanent base was at Funari Kaserne in Mannheim-Kafertal, but we spent most of our time in field, at Bad Hersfeld, Altefeld, and Eschwege. At Altefeld, we operated out of an old wooden barn outside of town (I was trick chief there for a while), on past the tile barn in your photos, and lived in squad tents in an adjoining Woods. We were joined there shortly before I went on TDY to a different operation by either the 332nd or the 331st. While my mos was for voice (Russian), I also was fluent in German, and got pulled out of the company regularly for other duty activities. We moved to the old fighter base (flughafen) in Eschwege shortly before I left to return to the states. The Gasthaus zum Goldene Loewen in Altefeld was run by Gustav Staub. The gasthaus in Eschwege near the base was run by Willi Eichorn. His nephew was a H.S. Exchange student and looked me up in Arlington, VA in the summer of 1955. W. E. "Bill" Kent.
To: <wetemple@yahoo.com>
Date: Tue,20 Mar 2001 23:26:36 -0500
Hello - I am a former member of the US Army Signal Corps, having operated a DF in WWII with the 3257 Signal Service Co. from the Battle of the Bulge to the war's end, The 3257 was deactivated in August of 1945 and I was transferred to the 116 SRI in Scheyern. I found your web site after receiving a copy of the Alpiner. It also referred me to a site focused on DF. Both are very interesting. 2 years ago I organized a reunion of the 3257 and we had 12 or 13 in attendance. Our TO was 122 men as I recall. Apparently there are only about 25 of us still alive. I am sorry to say that my memory is not as good as some of you but do have many recollections of the 10 months I spent in Scheyern. We might have some pictures of the place immediately after war's end if you would be interested. I am retired in Florida. Where are you? Look forward to hearing from you. Regards, Fred
Date: 7/7/2001 9:48:15 AM Eastern Daylight Time
To: Wetemp@aol.com
Hello Ed,
On june 20th, my wife and I went to the Grove City Mall to do some shopping and to celebrate her birthday. On the way home I decided to try and relocate Ken, as mentioned before, I couldn't locate him in the phone book, but I had been at his house once before about 9 or 10 years ago. I had a rough idea where his house was located, but I wasn't sure which house that it was.
I stopped and asked a person if they knew of Ken living in that neighborhood referred me to see the lady in the house across the street who was a long time resident. I crossed the street and talked to the lady, she said that he had lived about a mile down the road and gave me an approximate location of his house.
I couldn't seem to locate the house from her direction ( it was about 300 yards down the road from where she said) so I pulled into another drive way and knocked on a door. I told the lady that I was searching for an old Army buddy, I told her his name was Ken Kerner and that he taught school.
She gave a surprised look and said she knew him and that she had been a teacher at the same school. She then informed me that she was at the mall on the previous Saturday and had run into a fellow teacher. He informed her that Ken had died from cancer of the esophagus. She also told me that they had moved out of the state to Texas or somewhere in that area, she wasn't sure where. I left my name and address and asked if she heard any more, if she would drop me a line.
We had a new roof put on the house last month, While cleaning the attic, I came across an old photo album, it has photos of you, Ken, me and others at TSESSie Tech. I will have to scan them and send them on to you. I checked out the photos on your web site, I have many more photos (slides) of Altefeld. Will try to talk my younger brother into copying the slides.
You can post this if you desire.
Dean Slagle
check the 331st CR web site at : http://nasaa.npoint.net/users/slagle/
email me at gdslagle@hotmail.com
Subj: 332 CRC/Co"A" 302nd ASA BN
Date: 10/16/2002 9:51:12 PM Eastern Daylight Time
From: jamesbarber@charter. net (Jim Barber)
To: wetemp aol.com
Wade:
Surfing the net and found your area. My name is Jim Barber (the same one in one of Don's pictures) and I was in Bamberg from 9/54 until 9/56. The unknown Col mentioned in the e-mails was LTC Richard C. Gales. He threatened me with a court martial after my trick had a little hearing problem after one of his shenanigans. I avoided it by going on sick call and the doctor stated I was having ear problems due to an ear infection. I was even sent to spend a few days in hospital by the good doctor (A German Physician). Then the good Colonel had the balls to write me "An Letter of Appreciation" dated 15 July 1956 as he was departing our organization. His wife had "stars" in her eyes and gave him holy hell. It was her idea that the junior officers were not to fraternize with EM's off post. Lt. Ouelette (SP?) said he was a short-timer and would continue to party with his friends. I'm attaching a picture of me (on the left) and Tad Tucker waiting for the limo to pick us up to leave for Bremerhaven.
Jim Barber
Subj: Re: 332 CRC/Co. "A" 302nd ASA BN
Date: 10/1712002 11:19:43 PM Eastern Daylight Time
From: jamesbarber@charter. net (Jim Barber)
To: Wetemp@aol.com
Wade:
Thanks for the prompt response! You have my permission to use my e-mail and photos as you wish. I have lots of photos and many of them are of groups at Trick social functions and barracks nonsense. When I first arrived in Bamberg as an 18 year-old kid from South Georgia, I was assigned to a trick which resided on the remote site base. We were hauled back to the main company area for chow, etc, The DF guy on my trick was Bob Taylor and his hut was near mine and we spent time together. As a result of cross-training, I was selected to go on a little field exercise outside of Munnerstadt (?) in December 1954. Enclosed is a photo of all the others who attended. The original is small so I don't know if anyone is recognizable. I'm the one in the back row with his elbows resting on my partner's shoulders. I wish I could remember the names but maybe someone can assist in identifying the others. I think the guy kneeling on the right was our chef.
I live in Montgomery, AL. I was transferred here in 1987 and only planned to stay as long as it took me to get transferred elsewhere. But things don't always work out as we would like sometimes. My wife became attached to this place so we remained here after both of us retired.
Jim
Subj: 332nd ASAE Company
Date: 12/27/2007
From: jaropa@msn.com
To: wetemp@aol.com
Don't know if this adds anything of interest to you.
In 1952 I was in the rather new 334'th CR Co, Ft Devens, MS. That year the 334th went to Funari Brks, Kafertal/Mannheim, Germany as an additional ASA Co, Europe. I was on an 11 DF Site Team made up of 5 High Spd Morse Radio Ops (1766), me); and 5 intercept Oprs, with a team NCOIC,SSG (Back then MSG was an E7, top EM grade before E8 and E9 came out around 1960. As soon as we got to Mannheim, my DF Team went TDY to Sites of the 332nd that was already performing ASA/NSA mission. My team went to a 332nd DF site at Bayreuth for a few weeks. Once qualified and trained in _______, the 334th Teams were assigned missions. In about 1954 I was transferred from the 334th, then location had moved from Mannheim to Eschwege, near Kassel. I was transferred to the 332nd at Bad Aibling. After a few days there, I was sent TDY to a 332nd DF site, Graz, Austria on the Hungarian border in the British zone (Soldiers of one occupying power (England, USSR and US) were internationally prohibited from being stationed in another countries zone - as we were doing. Therefore when we left Bad Aibling for Graz, we possessed "nothing" that could ID me as being an American soldier. Changed into civilian clothes in forests of the Alps. Civilian clothing back then was not permitted to be owned, much less worn by soldiers. Rcv'd civillian clothing allowances. I stayed at Graz several months before returning to the company at Bad Aibling. Submitted papers to marry a German national, lost Crypto endorsement to TS and transferred to the RA Signal corps (17th Sig Bn, Primasens/Karlsruhe). Duty, Germany & Austria total almost 10 years. 4 or so, ASAE.
Retired in 1978 as DAC, GS-9/9, 5th US ARMY. Retired in 1989 from USAR, MSG E8, 39+ years total svc.
Roman P Weber, 1043 Stoneshire Dr, Highlandville, MO 65669 (20 miles N of Branson)
Subj: 332nd ASAE Company
Date 5/19/2008
From jaropa@msm.com
To: wetemp@aol.com
I don't remember "Altefeld" Eschwege we lived in prefabs painted green. Heat coal burning stoves. Don't remember Kent, although he must have been in the 334th same time I was at Eschwege, unless he came in after I was transferred to the 332nd. While in 334th, my 11 man DF Team was "always" gone somewhere, usually a long way from the company at Mannheim. I believe there was one stretch when I never got to Mannheim once a year, so I never really got to know anyone outside of the 11 on my DF Team. Don't even remember names of all of those. When in 332nd same thing. Only a couple days after reporting in to the 332nd, I was sent to one of their 11 man DF sites near Gratz Austria -- Cameras and taking pictures NEVER! Not at DF Sites for certain. DF Sites were not always within the American Zone of Germany, nor in Austria. We weren't "legally" IAW international occupation agreements, USSR, England, France & US, permitted to be stationed in another countries zone. I do not remember anyone ever owning a camera at a DF site. Didn't even take pictures when off duty of castles etc that most US soldiers normally did. We never took pictures of our vehicles, site antenna fields, nor of each other. I do not have, nor ever have had any kind of pictures of anything, army or civilian countryside etc. taken during the about 4 years I was in ASAE. Maybe picture taking was permitted back at Company HQ, Mannheim, Eschwege or Bad Aibling, but I doubt it. Maybe "camera rules" changed in later 50's after I was no longer in ASAE. Trying right now to remember "names" and come up with very few. Ralph Newquist was DF Site NCOIC at several different sites (cities) where our team was located. Sometimes only a few days or maybe a week or two at most before moving on someplace else. Plus, on my team we never called each other by their "real" name. All had thought up names, so never heard real names often and may be why I don't remember even my team 11 member's names. My "called" name was always Fritz. Newquist, Nookie, others I remember were "Sunshine". "Adolf", etc about all I can recall. When we lived in German hotels, which was often, the owners may not ever have known our real names. We all gave our pay for board and room to the NCOIC and he paid for all of us, rather than each of us doing it individually. Naturally Germans would have an idea that we were some kind of "signal" unit, but I doubt if any ever heard "ASA", Comm Recon or any other words that could have figured out anything specific as to what we were doing. The fraulein that I later married didn't know what my army job was other than I was a morse radio operator. I wouldn't have dreamed of telling her or anyone else what I and my team were doing etc. Long story, but just to indicate how "tight" secutity was in the earlier ASAE days, early 50's. ASAE didn't have a shoulder patch. We wore the Flaming Sword, US Forces Europe. Didn't have brass. We wore "unassigned" (eagle) or brass of some other branch of service, Armd, Arty, Inf etc. vs today they advertise "I am in ASA" by wearing an "ASA shoulder patch".
Subj: 332nd during 53 to 55
Date: 8/24/2008 3:53:47 P. M. Eastern Daylight Time
From: acevins@hotmail.com
To: wetemp@aol.com
Hi-all,
If I encoded correctly, this may reach some of you who were with me in Coburg and Bamberg during 53 to 55. Never worked the mos for intercept but worked as clerk in operations during this period. If it rings a bell, give me message and we can talk of those days.
Al Evins
Updated 24 Aug. 08