25 Years Ago Part VIII
That Monday initiated the mundane tasks associated with temporary duty at Yongsan. Up every morning at six without an alarm clock. My view was that wimps used alarm clock and anyone with an ounce of discipline could roll out of bed at the right time everyday. Wish that worked today says the old man with the alarm clock set on the opposite side of the room. Upon waking I would visit the toilet, put on my fatigues (we did not wear BDUs or battle dress uniform yet) and work shoes and out the door.
Then I would catch the elevator down to the lobby. I was usually the first one downstairs from the team. It would still be dark outside as the mountains blocked the sun from Itaewon for a few moments more. The gift shop was open this early in the morning and I would visit Kim Kyong-Ock and chat. Maybe I would learn a phrase and practice. Her bright eyes were always pleasing to see in the morning and it seemed like she was always present.
Once Sarge and the Spec 5 arrived we would hail a cab. We almost always took the cab to the snack bar where we would get out breakfast. I was not a big coffee drinker yet, but with the cold weather I either purchased some java or hot chocolate. Some days we split a half dozen glazed donuts or we might buy an omelet if we felt really hungry.
After breakfast we would go to the communications center and get to work. We were doing installation for the now obsolete and replaced Operation Fastback communication system for the Army. This system would and did run from the DMZ all the way back to Camp Humphries and maybe down to Taegu and Pusan. Before all was said and done I would work all along the line. But this trip my work was limited to installing equipment for Yongsan’s communications center.
The days were spent anchoring patch panels to the floor, pulling cable and soldering main frames. I used to really hate working in the crypto room the most. Every time something happened we would have to stop what we doing and leave. Then they would do whatever they had to do, usually changing crypto codes. Once they were done we would come back in and continue with our work. They were inconvenienced by us too. They had to cover a lot of the gear and teletypewriters so we would not read any confidential information. I found the situation to be funny. And when they kicked us out it gave me a reason to take a smoke break, so at times I hoped they would kick me out. Sarge and the Spec 5 did not smoke so they were unsympathetic to my bad habit.
Lunch would find us back at the snack bar. I usually bought a cheeseburger and fries, unless the daily special was appetizing. I would wolf my food down so I could visit the bookstore. The first day I found the bookstore open I went wild. I bought James Clavell’s Shogun, a pocket Korean-English Dictionary, a Korean language guide, and three books on Korean history and culture, one of which discussed the challenges of the modern Korean woman trying to break free of the mold created in the Yi Dynasty. These books would form the foundation of my Asian knowledge. It was a thirst that would not be slackened soon either. I still have all of these books in my library today.
By the end of the week I had convinced Sarge that I was a total idiot. The Vapors had just put out a song titled Turning Japanese and I took it as my theme. With each passing day I became convinced that I was turning Japanese. Sarge would point out the fact that most westerners always ignore. That Japanese are Japanese, Koreans are Koreans, Chinese are Chinese and that I was wrong to lump them into one convenient cultural ball. Of course Sarge knew better having a Taiwanese wife and he spent time in Taiwan, Korea, and Viet Nam. He had several years in Asia compared to my handful days. But I was 22 and prone to ignore truths that were presented to me.
The afternoons saw us return to work. We drove on with work until five to six in the evening. Then we would catch a cab or walk back to the Hotel Crown. Once there we changed clothes quickly after an even quicker shower. Next we would go out to eat. The NCO Club, Snack Bar, and the ville provided us with a lot of choices in Seoul and the Army gave us sufficient per diem to fill our bellies. Monday night I went to bed. The first day of real work tired me out. So I remained in my room, reading my new books and created an Asian fantasy. Tuesday and Wednesday we shopped in the evening. Tennis shoes for under $5 were really attractive at the time as well as blankets made of mink and silk.
Life seemed to have settled down. Miss Park was becoming a memory. Thursday came and with the proximity of the weekend came the desire to down some suds. Practice drinking for the weekend. So we headed to the New York Club. Little did I know how much trouble I would find there. All five foot (152 cm) of her.
