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May-September 1997
Paul Sime = paul.sime@manxutilities.im
Citizenship = UK; Service = Brit fishery patrol; Outfit = MV Northern Desire
My_Quest = A shrubbery
VT_of_a_Swallow = African or European ?
My_Warstory = Not exciting really just thought I'd see if any names looked vaguely familiar and see if anyone remembered me , I was the young long haired geordie engineer aboard the fishery patrol vessel , we'd do either a 12 or 5 day patrol depending on whether we were dropping the RM off on one of their ops on the other little islands . Loved my time out there out there, drank many beers ate many teryaki burgers and racks of ribs , made a few mates tried and failed miserably to chat up the lovely lass in the C&W building despite her loving my broad Geordie accent and me giving her a crash course in Geordie.
     I thought I was fairly fit and healthy and good at drinking til I met some of the crowd out there especially when I was invited along to join in a game of footy one weekend , I was still sweating out most of the previous nights beer despite having done my watch aboard the boat that morning then proceeded to watch everyone else on the pitch running around all sprightly and full of energy , apologies again to the little Mauritian guy playing on the wing who I accidentally flattened due to my hangover induced slowness. Had some cracking nights on the beer with the other Brits out there generally ending up with me in a crumpled heap half asleep in the corner or tormenting the DJ in the Brit Club to play some metal . Cheers to whoever it was that gave me a lift back to the docks when I woke up under some tree after an alien themed party . Great times indeed . I'll try and dig out some photos to chuck into the archives Cheers !

1997
AT3 Frank Cirillo = fccirillo@hotmail.com
Citizenship = USA; Service = USN; Outfit = VP40
My_Quest = To meat and bang as many Thai chicks as possible.
VT_of_a_Swallow = I dont know?
My_Warstory = Loved Dodge. That was the real Navy. Navy Chiefs are all arrogant pontificating premadonnas.

october 1996 -sept.2001
Name = Ronaldo L Mangalino
submit_by = bhaywolf69@yahoo.com
Citizenship = Filipino
Other_Country =
Service = Contractor
Other_Service =
Outfit = annex 9 trans. dept.
My_Quest = annex o9 transportation mechanic
VT_of_a_Swallow =
My_Warstory =   hey this is a real story, i have my record in B.I.O.T. police station. i was put in jail damn it was soooo cold during my inprisonment thats the time the jail was renovated. it was also the time when timmy was put to sleep. he is a military dog.i still remember R.O.P.Os name like ROPO 5 Haydee Dunn ROPO 10 Andy Varah, ROPO 6 David Mcaffrey, ROPO 11 Ollie Olsen. most of the british military have become my friends especially andy varah, he visited me in philippines twice. hey who can forget the fullmoon platoon and island wide picnic. gosh i miss the place its a unique paradise. Anyway i lost my temper which led to my imrisonment and lost my good job. too much opportunity have lost. now i am working in saudi arabia but given a chance i want to work in D.G. again. by the way my purpose for posting my story is to have a communication to any of the brit military who took care of me. i was not treated as a prisoner i became trustee right away. guys im ronnie contanct me in my e- mail ad. bhaywolf 69@yahoo.com ronaldo mangalino. thx

Dates_Aboard = 1997_1999
David Dempsey dempseydavid@yahoo.com
Citizenship = USA
Service = USN
Outfit = AIMD
My_Quest = To Prove Navy Chiefs can't find a mountain in the Philippines
VT_of_a_Swallow = When I'm done
My_Warstory = I dealt with the cowerdly AIMD lead by LTT Hammond, During the time of Capt Cunningham and LCDR Jagonitch "or someting like that". She destroyed the first class association by removing the first classes from a place they got permission to build on and they also made a place that was there own. LCDR decided she wanted a coffee shop she could only use an existing structure so she took the Hash House for her New York dream. She ruined the first class association and only thought of herself I was ouspoken and I ruined my career. I hope shes happy it was a sad time.  Diego Garcia

DEC 97 - DEC 98
NAME = Brendan  Smith
MY QUEST = to find the perfect Whiskey, oh yeah and my old roomate RM1? RMC? Rodney Sowders VT of a SWALLOW = ...is it an African Swallow or European swallow?
E-MAIL = brendan_j_smith@yahoo.com
NATIONALITY = American
SERVICE = NAVY
UNIT = NAVSECGRUDET
RANK/RATE/JOB = CTRSN, CTR2 left Navy in 03
MY INTEREST IN DG IS = Want to Drink A Lot, Cheap
MY WARSTORY = So, My friend is getting married and I hurry back to the barracks from "C" site. In the time I change out of my uniform and into civies a monsoon starts. By the time I can walk from barracks 13 to the 61 club the pitiful drainage on DG is flooded and there is a moat around the damn "E" club. I am completely drenched as I go inside and the AC is so cold you could hang meat at the bar. I need a drink in the worst way. After I pound back 1, 4, 6, 10...who knows. The groom comes by with the camcorder. I say, "Hey, by the time I catch up to you guys in Hawaii, you're son we'll be born." My buddy replies "Thanks dude, our parents don't know she's pregnant yet!" To that I reply, "Well folks, let me be the first to congratulate you on your new Grandson, and now I need another drink to put out these flames  'cuz I just crashed and burned!"
 

96-98
NAME = Conrad Matt
MY QUEST = To realize my physical Mojo limit.
VT of a SWALLOW = Depends on the viscosity of the fluid swallowed.
E-MAIL = seematt@yahoo.com
NATIONALITY = amarikin
SERVICE = Army, but that was an earlier story
UNIT = BJS Mis-Manager
RANK/RATE/JOB =
MY INTEREST IN DG IS = Want to Return When the First REAL Club Med Opens
SUBJECT OF MY STORY: = There I Was, Passed Out in the Club
MY WARSTORY = One night at the Yacht Club Social the mojo was really weak....I had 8 and didn't feel a think.  Next Yacht club social someone else made it and I woke up in the sand at the Brit Club and someone was throwing pebbles at me...I tried to squint and find the culprit, but found I couldn't move....around 1 am or so a corpsman came over and asked if I wanted to go the infirmary...I told him 'Where were you 2 hours ago...'  I made it to the drunk van, crawled out and passed out on the lawn near the ROPO office...a ROPO i knew was kind enough to drop me at my door.  I went to the Next AA meeting, thinking 'Oh, shit.  I have a drinking problem.'  But after a few 'hello, my name is Mark, and I'm an alcoholic'   Hello Mark!  rounds, and hearing their stories, I realized that I was not an alcoholic, but a sometime binge drinker, so I just had to take it slower.
     Hiya April Herald if you read this   (she was a Cutie!!).  Many fond memories of 'Spider night' at the Voodoo Lounge, Ray Weaver's wake (anyone know where he's buried?  I'll pay my respects).  Bongski where are you?  Did you ever learn to rollerblade?  CDR Hillery trying to drown me that one race during a squall when the laser capsized in the channel!!  A drunken bike ride to get more booze which ended up face down in the coral (ouch!) thanks to the Filipinos at the Pool.  Thanks to Mandy and Erwin for saving me from myself.  The other cool Mauritians, and anyone who caught any of all the wonderful fish I ate there....Those Navy Lieutenants who made life interesting, and the ever so sexy CMDR Winters...Dino and Willie from the IT shop.  Barry Tallant ....hey Barry let's go sailing!  Whatever happened to Tom who used to run the sailing program at MWR?

1997-1998
NAME = Erwin Steinlein aka "AFHIPPIE"
MY QUEST = No worries... be happy...
VT of a SWALLOW = 1 gulp or 2?
E-MAIL = afhippie@hotmail.com
NATIONALITY = US
SERVICE = Air Force
UNIT = USAF/PACAF
RANK/RATE/JOB = Retired (22-1/2 years)USAF.
MY INTEREST IN DG IS = Stroll Down Memory Lane
SUBJECT OF MY STORY: = Actually, I Have a Real Story To Tell
MY WARSTORY = Where to begin? Let?s just say I had the best of all worlds on DG during my 3rd visit. The Chiefs mess, Officers Club, Seaman?s Club, Yacht Club, Brit Club, EXPAT Club, all the Village hang outs, and of course the Hash House. Did I miss any? After a long weeks work there was nothing like being invited to a Beach Ops Sunday. Or spending a recuperating Sunday morning with brunch at the O-club with friends. Although I was not well known, friends like Radar, April, Tony, George, Barry, Christina, Dave, Jack, Margaret, and many more made life enjoyable. Of course like many, some of the good times are still a bit hazy, must have been all the MoJo. Would I return for a 4th tour? Probably not because I don't think I'd be able to survive.
 

January 1988 To  1999
NAME = Jean Pierre Ramen "ROBIN"
MY QUEST = keeping in touch with people who mean a great deal to me, DG Familly
VT of a SWALLOW = jeanpierre.ramen@parabolemaurice.com
E-MAIL = jpr1369@yahoo.com.au
NATIONALITY = Mauritian
SERVICE = civillian
UNIT = Annex 20 Ac/r department  bos contractor
RANK/RATE/JOB = Senior Sales Executive
MY INTEREST IN DG IS = Stroll Down Memory Lane
SUBJECT OF MY STORY: = Actually, I Have a Real Story To Tell
MY WARSTORY = 1988, there i was landing on Dg 20 00 pm, still young 18 years old going on a journey looking for adventure, first night pax terminal to the
barracks 09 sea breeze village, still cool first time abroad meeting new people had couple of beers and got to sleep for my first day tomorrow, 05.30 am my
nightmare began, walk out to the shower room, man what a shock, surrounded with coconuts trees  with white sands you could barely looked at i say to myself 'where the hell i am ?  second day visit to ADMIN, Downtown, Shipstore, Community bank, and back to Admin, telling my story seems like it was like yesterday, one thing ive learn on DG is to be patience and very understanding, and my patience made me stay 10 long years there, I dont believe it myself, if i have to be grateful its because of people like MR Bob Streegan, where i started to work at tyhe TCN Galley, Mr Faye Parks he was like a dad to me and if im where i am today  its many thanks to Faye Parks, Mr James Billman transportation Director, and volley ball coach even his team always loses to our mauritian team, just kidding, Mr Harry Johnson, Mr Bruce Norris, Jim Pfiefer, William Marioka, BOB Butt,and so many more to all those people i say thanks to all of them, unfortunately we've all gone our seperate ways but i hope that one day if we could all be in an island wide picnic it will be a dream come true, sometimes we do speak about paradise, but dg is paradise for people who know they will tell that hell yes paradise of footprint of freedom white beaches, deep sea fishing like nowhwre else, my biggest catch a yellow fin 95 lbs, almost 35 mins fight with a damn shark tailling, party at the BRIT Club, SOUL Night at the 61 Club, Country night at the turner club, mojo at the beach house and not forgetting those mongolian bbqs at the peace keeper Inn, and last but not least those delicious Pizza at sea breeze village,
i would like to say a few words for CHARLY of the seamens club, we cant go to the seamens club without saying hi to charly.
To all the people ive met on DG, NAVY, MARINES, AIR FORCES, EXPAT, BRITS, PHILIPINOS, Hats off, those were the time now im back home and would like very much to keep in touch  with people who was there and who remember me,
my name is Robin
Mauritian volley ball team captain
AC / R  Dept
Annex 20
my email is  jpr1369@yahoo.com.au
 

1996-2001
     NAME = Richard Chase
     MY QUEST = Telephone company
     VT of a SWALLOW = Aleph null
     E-MAIL = rchaseio@yahoo.com
     NATIONALITY = USA
     UNIT = BJS-DG21
     RANK/RATE/JOB = Public Works Director
     MY INTEREST IN DG IS = Want to Drink A Lot, Cheap
     SUBJECT OF MY STORY: = Other
     MY WARSTORY = I noticed new stories by George Laughlin and Harry Johnson, so I thought I'd chime in. Here is my first day in DG, September 1996:
     I had been traveling for days to get there. Anyone who has been there can remember the ever-infamous Paya Lebar rerun, where you show up at the airfiled day after day to get a seat. All I can say is, "Thanks Helen Lee for making all my Singapore stays bearable!" So I finally get a seat on KC-10 (AKA indoor rainstorm). I was dead tired and thrashed from the travelling. I did find a spare pint of Tanduay from PI that got me through the flight.
     When I landed, I went through the standard Brit customs drill, "No bongs, knives, or explosives. ANY video tapes will be confiscated and viewed for pornography!"
     My boss picked me up and drove me to BEQ-8, where the contractors stayed. It was Tuesday night. I noticed that there was a huge party out front of the BEQ.  There was comely Filipina bartende (Helen from Seamen's Club) who kept forcing me to drink. And drink I did. It turned out that BJS used to have a weekly shindig each Tuesday.
     That was my first exposure to DG. I met Harry Swartout, Conrad Matt, Ray Weaver, George Laughlin, and many others that night. I stayed for 6 years and ended up in the local island band. Great memories.

May 1989 thru Sep 1999, 2001, thru 2003
NAME = George M. Laughlin (YA-HOO)
MY QUEST = Citizenship from some place
VT of a SWALLOW = Below sea level or above??
E-MAIL = bubblincrude@hotmail.com
NATIONALITY = USA
SERVICE = USN RET
UNIT = IPAC and BJS until 1999, NFCU fm 2001 to 2003
MY INTEREST IN DG IS = Stroll Down Memory Lane
SUBJECT OF MY STORY: = Actually, I Have a Real Story To Tell
MY WARSTORY =  One of my fondest years on Dg was back when Capt. Check (CO) and CDR Bob Collard(SUPO), would call me and my buddy, Flightline Freddie to the O Club so we could drink for free all night coz the O's could not play Hosre Collar. That was fun, even when the Marine XO would climb into the rafters and pour beer on us. Another grand time was getting with Jack and the gang and building the Golf Course, then playng it. There was the two years that BJS golfers would play the Brit Party every Tuesday. It started out being a fun once a month deal, for beer and build your own at the Expac afterward, but with the wipping that we (BJS) gave the Brits the first time. The Brit Rep. CDR Gram Niven changed the program to weekly. We even had a trophy at the Club House with the weekly score posted. I'd have to say the we (BJS) won 98% of the time. Grand times at the course. If anyone wants to complain at not having a good time on the island for several years I was the one who brought the EAP Charter to the island and you missed out. Even though the EAP turned into the Dave Burges Fan Club. More stories to come. YA-HOO
 

1988 May to Jan 17 2000
NAME = Harry Johnson
MY QUEST = To say Hi to all my old friends still there
VT of a SWALLOW = Who cares
E-MAIL = fuelman808@yahoo.com
NATIONALITY = American
UNIT = Fuels Manager for Febroe, IPAC, BJS, DG21LLC
RANK/RATE/JOB = I'm Ret. Navy E-8 Aviation Boatswan Mate. Worked with a lot of good people on DG both Military and Civilian.
MY INTEREST IN DG IS = Stroll Down Memory Lane
SUBJECT OF MY STORY: = Other
MY WARSTORY = All the years I was there I was happy and content. I met and fell in love with a very lovely lady I hired in 1989 and married her in 2000 Feb. 14. We both worked for the Contractors and she left in 2001 May. I had a heart attack there in DG. But the great folks at the NSF Clinic put me on a plane to Singapore and while in route after take off I Died but the Flight Nurse and Flight Sergeon brought me back so after three months of extensive care at Singapore I was allowed to travel to my home in PI and from there to the US to continue my care at NNMC Bethesda Hosp. My wife and I are living in the States now and hope All is well in DG. Other than Bob Butts I was the second Old timer still on the Island from the Febroe Days. That's my story gang and believe me if I could return to DG doing the same job as I was doing I would No question about it. Good Luck to all of you over there. We still have relatives working on the Island so we are still in contact.

1997-98
NAME = Ron Day
MY QUEST = To Find Old Friends that were there
VT of a SWALLOW = How fast one can finish off a Quart of JD
E-MAIL = hammerjack105@neandertech.com
NATIONALITY = Caucasian
SERVICE = U.S. Navy
UNIT = Harbor Operations
RANK/RATE/JOB = E-6.  Retired in 2000.
MY INTEREST IN DG IS = Stroll Down Memory Lane
SUBJECT OF MY STORY: = Actually, I Have a Real Story To Tell
MY WARSTORY = Actually after all that the water that has passed under the bridge since I left and had the chance to think about what I did in that 1 short year I was there, I wish I could go back and do a few things differently.  For instance, instead of spending all my time drinking and drinking more, I should have done more on the island, like take more pictures and had more fun.  It's not to say I didn't have fun, but it got to the point where I wasn't having any fun for awhile there.  I should have got more involved with the things to do on the island.  I had a blast on the Full Moon Platoons, movies at night, dart competitions, and hanging out with my pal Dale Trippler.  Me and that guy got into more arguments than anyone I know.  One guy thought we were brothers, Bert C. said that one time.  We drank alot and shared many great times raising hell with each other as well as anyone else that came along.
What I do miss most of all is the sunsets, some of the people I met while I was there and just the solitude.  I hope that anyone reading this can understand some of it.  I just wanted to share some of my thoughts on that wonderful island of Diego Garcia.

Thanks for listening.

Jul 1997- Jul 1998
     NAME = Kerensa Stoneburner
     MY QUEST = To Return to the Island of paradise
     VT of a SWALLOW = An African Swallow???
     E-MAIL = gjstoneburner@hotmail.com
     NATIONALITY = American; SERVICE = Navy; UNIT = "C" site; RANK/RATE/JOB = Then a CTO3, Now an all-powerful CTO1
     MY INTEREST IN DG IS = Want to Return When the First REAL Club Med Opens
     SUBJECT OF MY STORY: = Actually, I Have a Real Story To Tell
     MY WARSTORY = I got to the island, just broken up with my boyfriend stateside, and had decided that I was going to have nothing to do with men for a while.  BOY did I go to the wrong place!!!!  Needless to say, that declaration worked out for a whole month.   I also need to explain that prior to me coming to DG, I was the poster child for the "Good-Girl"; Never was late to work, never drank too much, NEVER got into trouble.  Good Old Diego changed all that for me.  6 weeks after arriving at DG, I was invited to go on a camping trip out to the RNR site.  Sounded like a good idea, right?  Well, before going, we had talked to one of the BIOT officers about having a camp fire.  He told us that as long as it wasn't out of control and we didn't start it until after 10pm, we'd be good to go.  So at about 9:30, we start getting our pit ready. First we dug a 5ft wide pit in the sand about 8ft from the waterline. Started our fire, not a problem.  Unfortunately, one of the guys decided that he wanted to see the fire flare-up, so he starts throwing lighter fluid on the fire, repeatedly.  Didn't really think much of it, just having fun.  Well the watchers were out on the runway tower.  Wouldn't ya know it that the next thing we heard were sirens and seeing lights flashing???
     Obviously, BIOT wasn't happy and had us put the fire out.  Took us a whole 30secs, just covered it with sand and dumped the ice from one of the coolers. Well, he ordered us to leave the campsite, but all of us had been drinking and wasn't about to be getting a DUI.  So BIOT took one of the guys to main base, who called Tsite, while the drunk stayed at Tsite(great idea huh?), the sober/duty guy drove the rest of us back to main base.  Needless to say, BIOT was unhappy.  We all were banned from all alcoholic premises for 30days (I had to put in a chit to play softball, swearing that I wouldn't drink) and give a  safety lecture on the dangers of fire.  And that was the start of my wonderful 365 days exactly on DG.  Oh by the way, the guy that I met on DG and dated (Dallas Stoneburner), he's now my husband and we have 2 wonderful kids!!!!
      A DG love that lasted.....
 

June 1997 - July 1998
NAME = Sandy Knowland
MY QUEST = In search for the truth
E-MAIL = sknow2000@aol.com
SERVICE = USN
UNIT = NSG Dept, NCTS
RANK/RATE/JOB = Found a parallel universe and am pursuing my quest
MY INTEREST IN DG IS = Professional Adventurer Looking For The Ultimate Get Away
MY WARSTORY = Actually, I had a great time.  I kind of figured that the Navy used me for 24 years, and it was time that I had a year of payback before I moved on to a parallel universe.  The friends I made in the "Pit" will always be remembered and well respected, and the others, well, they have their memories.  The beaches were the best, the fishing fine, and the full moon platoons were out of this world.  It truly was a one year vacation and I will always have fond memories of them.  I wish you all well.

Apr 97 -Apr 99
NAME = ITC Herbert Allen (Then DP1/RM1)
MY QUEST = Find those three bottles of Morgan Buried near the Former Hash House
VT of a SWALLOW = Don't know - Ran into a tree trying to clock it.
E-MAIL = RadarDG@Hotmail.com
NATIONALITY = American; SERVICE = USN; UNIT = NCTS Operations
RANK/RATE/JOB = Still going on a differnet island - But with a much clearer head. Didn't kill all them brain cells!
MY INTEREST IN DG IS = Stroll Down Memory Lane
SUBJECT OF MY STORY: = There I Was, Passed Out on The Beach
MY WARSTORY = Plan to Become one of three things while on DGAR: Really fit, really drunk, or a really fit drunk! I started out with the first one in mind and ended up as the final. It's all your fault Jose (You know who you are.) DG really is what you make of it. I made the most of two years there. I'll never forget it. That is, What I remember of it. If you have heard a story it is probably true. Midnight Au Naturel swim runs, Passing the party, Passing out here, there, or the convenient place of the moment, and the resulting infamous "Walk of Shame". Nothing a like a Full Moon Drunken Platoon to the Tip-to-Tip-Oh Shit I won't be able to sit for the next week trip. Long live the memories of "Beach Ops Sunday", The Elephant Patrol (Anyone been trampled by a Pachyderm yet? No. Guess we did our Job!), Brit Party blowouts, Snorkeling with a hangover (Cool fresh sea water does wonders), and just relaxing on the beach.
     The Hash House shall forever live on in my mind and heart. I could rant and rave, but what is done is done. It went out with Style! Few will ever forget that final Island wide Open Luau Blowout!
     You'll make friends like no others. If anyone who knows me please write. I wish I had collected more E-mails before leaving.
     Do I regret any of it? Hell No! Diego should be a mid-career incentive tour.
     Would I do it again? Hard to say, it probably would never be the same again, at least for myself.
     LONG LIVE NAKED MAN! (Not my proudest moment, but kept a large group of Diegans entertained for months.)

Nov97-Dec98
NAME = Bert Cavazos
E-MAIL = syp_40@msn.com
SERVICE = Navy; UNIT = ASD (aviation supply); RANK/RATE/JOB = then-AKAA, got out as an AK2 (Jan 01)
MY WARSTORY = Just wondering what happend to all the people that  i hung out with.  I still remember the old farts like Ron Day and Dale Triplett, drinking all my liquor.  I also remember the Brits begging for a ride back from the brit club when the supply van would come and pick us up.  All i remember is drinking and...........well thats about it so if anyone
remembers me please drop me a line

Janaury 97 to September 97
NAME = Carol
MY QUEST = Wondering why I miss DG
VT of a SWALLOW = You tell me?
E-MAIL = ICUbutCanUCMe@aol.com
NATIONALITY = American; SERVICE = Navy; UNIT = Um..don't remember...; RANK/RATE/JOB = I was a SKSR when I got there.  Then I became a SKSA..then a SK....and then went back to a SKSR..Me got into trouble
MY INTEREST IN DG IS = My Time There is Lost in an Alcoholic Haze, Help Me Remember!
MY WARSTORY = Okay here it goes.  I was on DG for some short time compared to everyone else.  Got there a day or to before my 19th birthday.  I was not a drinker until....well until I got there.  I drank more then the average alcoholic in the states.  I had a variety of guys to date..and let me tell you I took that to the fullest.  I liked a few but most of the time it was for the beer and other things that I was able to con the guys out of.  It wasn't that hard.  I stayed drunk throught out my time there except when I was at work.  I really did want to stay in but when I went in front of the CO I sort of just turned the tables...For a quick second I decided I didn't want to be there anymore.  I got hell for that decision.  It went down hill from there.  But anyways.  I met alot of cool peeople there.  A variety of people that I wouldn't meet at home (Mississippi).  I wish I could go back there.  There are a few people there today that were there when I was there.  Anyone that remembers me or thinks they remember me let me know.

1997-1998
BRAD MASON <Brad.Mason@cnet.navy.mil>
Ted,
     Thought I'd add my own "warstory" to your AWESOME collection of DG memories, stories, and pictures. I just spent the last 2 1/2 hours surfing your site, and never even got close to finishing or seeing everything. Seems there's more people than just me who went to DG and haven't quite been able to get the place out of our blood despite being back in "the world" with friends, family, and normal stores/restaurants. I had been to Diego Garcia back in 1986 with VP-47. We deployed there in the first half of the year. Being from Miami, I was used to the tropics, but Diego Garcia was exactly the view I had of a Navy deployment having  seen the Rogers & Hammerstein musical "South Pacific". My BOQ room opened right onto the beach, and one of the best snorkeling reefs was right off that beach about 75 yards or so off shore. I subsequently detted to Somalia (the positive worst shithole on the face of the Earth); Masirah, Oman (Moonbase Alpha); Sri Lanka; Karachi, Pakistan; Cocos Island (believe it or not has even better snorkeling than DG); and Mombasa, Kenya in the I.O. We also detted to the P.I. for some of its fabled pleasures and Kadena, Okinawa. I always thought that DG would be a nice place to be based, but shortly after arriving back in the states was married, had a family, and stayed on a more traditional career route for a P-3 pilot.
     As a shore tour in the Training Command (teaching Driver's Ed. in airplanes) drew to a close, the VP detailer called on me to return to the 20-plus hour workdays of life on a CV or Deployed CVBG Staffer. I had that T-shirt, so declined. I had also become somewhat attached to the Pensacola area, as had my kids. So I began scanning the "Perspective" (NMPC's listing of poicy, and possible jobs for O's). The only thing I could come up with was a tour as OPS O for ADMINSUPU, Antarctica and OPS O for NSF DG. "I've been to DG," I thought, "and it's not a bad place. In fact I rather liked it." So I called my detailer and pulled the string. Seems he was having a hard time filling the billet, which had been a fill for the HS Deatilers, but had shifted to the VP shop. I cut a deal with him. Pencil me in for some aspect of
Pensacola on the backside, and I'd take your DG OPS O Billet for a year.  "Done!" He said. And like that, I was headed back.
     My tour there was nice. The Island was pretty civilized when I there with VP-47, but was even more improved by the time I got there in the Summer of 1997. I made some good friends. I am a graduate of the Univ. of Florida, and a die-hard Gators fan. Turns out that my two next-door neighbors were also Gators, so we had the southwest corner of BOQ-7 painted Gator orange and blue. We arranged the lawn furniture around the barbie out there, so we could muster outside our rooms after work, and enjoy some beers while we bar-be-qued our tuna (You couldn't have a meal on DG without a fish course).  That area came to  be known as "The Swamp" after the Gators' home stadium.  We had a "Drinking Flag" which was the forth substitute flag appropriated from the Harbor Signal Tower with a beer bottle stenciled on it. When the drinking flag went up, the Swamp was open for beer, cigars, freshly opened coconuts, grilled tuna, and conversation. All the "zeros" of DG knew that the Swamp was where all the world's problems could be solved, or at least argued, and if not, enough beer or "Jack & Cokes" could be consumed that it no longer mattered.
     The night of the 1997 Florida-Florida State Game, we pulled our trucks into the quad between BOQ's 6 & 7 and tailgated from 8PM to the 2 AM kickoff. The game was carried live on AFARTS, and was probably the best memory of the
island. It had national championship implications as the Florida/FSU game always seems to nowadays. The lead changed 7 times, and when the Gators finally won with a last-minute touchdown and interception, I think we woke up half the island.
     I enjoyed the "Full Moon Platoon" 5K's that MWR put on every night of a full moon. I won 7 of the 12 that I ran in when I was on the island. The race started every full moon at 8PM behind the gym. On check-in each runner got a chem-light to lace into their shoes. There were always about 300 or so runners and walkers, everyone from the contract Filipino & Mauritian laborors to Sailors, Brit Marines (who in one Full Moon Platoon pushed one of their land rovers over the whole course). At the end of the run was a free T-shirt designed by the command or department that had sponsored that particular month's run. The course went behind the Gym and past the Softball fields and through the darkness of the jungle behind the Marines' Obstacle Course. It then went by the R-Site entrance past Security to the jogging trail on DG-1. From there runners looped around Splendidville, and back to the Gym through Downtown.
     I never got the opportunity to try the coconut crab. My Yeoman had, though, and she said it was delicious. The Asst. PWO & I did eat our share of the Queen's lobsters, though. Since I was the OPS O, I had the keys to the Airfield Gate on DG-2 (the dirt road that parallelled DG-1 on the oceanside of the runway). We'd go down there on Sundays after church and snorkel the oceanside on the coral shelf. The CB's had dynamited the coral and dug out numerous rectangular-shaped pits in the coral. They were deep and calm amongst the churning breakers of the rest of the coral shelf, but had wicked currents. (I can see why diving the oceanside is forbidden -- If I hadn't cut my teeth snorkeling in Miami's Haulover Inlet, it would have been easy to get pushed into rocks and hurt/swept away) Anyway, the coral is starting to come back in those pools, and diving them is like swimming in someone's gigantic saltwater aquarium with all manner of fish and sealife. We first went there out of curiosity (and to thumb our noses at the Brits -- How dare
they tell us where we can swim or not swim!). Shortly after entering the water, however, I saw a familar sight sticking out from under a rock, two long lobster antenna waving in the current. A native South Floridian, I had spent years hunting the Spiny lobster, "Lagostino" or "Florida Lobster".  They have no claws, but use their long, spine-covered antennas like swords, along with their ability to shimmy back into the deepest crevices in the rocks to escape. Some people claim that Maine lobsters are better, but I know better, and since I was missing a whole deer season back in the states, I figured that I needed to hunt something with eyes. So Sparkey and I became the great lobster hunters. Every Sunday after Chapel we would head up DG-2 and ease the lobster population burden in those pools of a couple of
lobsters.
Brad Mason,
LCDR, NSF OPS-O July 1997-July 1998

P.S.  If you post this, I want to say Howdy to CAPT Miller, XO Hillery, Suppo Wheeler, LCDR MARK Sayger, LT Stan Kloss, Sparkey, Joe, Connie the OPS Secretary, Shelly Diestel, PH1 Stadleman, ET1 Watkins, Flick, & Cunningham,
Master Chief Rivera, Chief Vick Smith, Harbor Pilot Lindloff (who is back there now), Petty Officer McNelly, Petty Officer Mckendrick (who was the only SOB on the island who could blow my doors off in a footrace!) Mark, Dennis, Jim, my dive partner from BJS (who took more than his share of live shells and liked to park illegally at the water plant!), SM3 Browne, Petty Officer Dorsey, Petty Officer Tina Fiedler, Senior Chief Gregory, Chief Lewis, Senior Griffin, Chief Tony Corpus, and all the rest of the OPS Department.

P.P.S.  I was perusing your site and saw the piece on the Cane Toads which weren't there when I was deployed there in VP-47 (1986) but were practically overrunning the island in 1997-98 when I was OPS-O. The author correctly reasoned that they were introduced, but wondered how. They are South Americam Marine Toads (Bufo marinus). They were introduced in many locations in the tropics to eat bugs in sugar cane fields, hence their name "cane toads". They are very hardy, able to hibernate through periods of drought, and probably hitched to Dg on the monthly supply ship. When I was there, the monthly supply ship, the Margeret Choest was bringing in large quantities of pipes and sacks of dirt from Singapore. That would have been the logical arrival vector for the Cane Toads. They are poisonous, and secrete a milky
poison from glands on the backs of their necks. Even mouthing one can kill a dog, who often die from eating them in South Florida. They also eat everything. Not just bugs, but plant material, rotting fruit, dogfood left outside, birdseed. They're basically cold-blodded, hopping rats! I can see why they are a problem on DG.
 
 

1997-1998
NAME = Jay Mallari
MY QUEST = To find the Holy Grail
VT of a SWALLOW = African or European?
E-MAIL = flipjin@excite.com
NATIONALITY = Flip-American; SERVICE = USN; UNIT = NSGD; RANK/RATE/JOB = CTMSA-then, CTM3-end of tour, CTM2(SW)-NOW!
MY INTEREST IN DG IS = Irritated World Citizen/Communist/Religious Extremist
SUBJECT OF MY STORY: = There I Was, Passed Out in My Room
MY WARSTORY = Yeah, who am I kidding?  Alot of you interested readers and especially DG vets during my reign here on DG.  Well, that was a totally screwed-up tour yet a blessing in most ways.  The detailer felt that he should get his darts out and find my fate.  Hence, I ended up in DG along with the inaccurate predicitions of the weather my detailer shot at with his dart when he was deciding my career.  DAMN YOU ALL TO HELL!  I wasn't really a big-namer there, but I did make myself known in the Filipino community as the white Filipino.  Yeah, the American-as-an-apple-pie-boy-next-door-kid.  The Filipino community was intrigued at my presence and my existence that, like a curious native poked and touched me with wonderment.  To them, I'm like an incarnate that I was spoken to about my background and what I can do to liberate them!  Unfortunately, the wheels of fortune haven't stopped spinning for them, that I left the island without any gratitude given from them.  I was not the Messiah as I was thought to be.
     The island was my first tour in the Navy.  It's like a I was pushed out of the nest and they said, "Flap your wings you dummy!".  Being so young in my Navy career that I was scared shitless what the island is all about.  Being told that it's a British territory, I immediately thought that I'll be touring in Europe and told my clueless and envious friends.  Alas, my friends fell into disappointment that there were no German blondes or Swedes there. Heck, they knew that DG is not in Europe at all!  My neighbor wished me luck in before I left for the island in Mexico!  MEXICO??!!!  So, I learned my job there.  I ate, slept, worked and drink.  Coming from a sheltered Catholic life, I was greatly influenced by every one there.  I then became a new person when I left.  I cussed, and drank like a sailor!  I didn't find the whole island of an inconvenience at all.  Well, except for the pale and over expired Zimas and cereal.  With that, I fell into despair that I secluded behind the bottle.  Friday night pizza nights were awesome!  Drinking yourself to a stupor and singing your lungs out made my memories of the previous week into a haze.  One night I was dubbed "Mr. Tequila" during my moment of karaoke fame.  Yes, the remnants of my $12 processed pizza fell onto the floor then me.
     Here I am in Yokosuka, Japan still with the "island fever".  When I was asked where I came from, I told them Diego Garcia.  Then, I get this reaction like I'm a hero and a "Survivor".  Voted to be the only guy to stay.  I feel that if that did happen there, there are people I know there that deserves to stay.  Not in a bad way, of course.  Ones that deserve to mate, raise a family, and die there should be fully credited.  Well, I'm about to make my third transition here soon.  My tour here in Japan is about to close.  I'm now headed to Washington, DC and like Gilligan, will never look at the states the same way again.  PEACE!
 
 

1997-1998
STAN TRAVIOLI <ra23@hotmail.com>
MY QUEST = To return to my little island
VT of a SWALLOW = when it hits the back of the throat
NATIONALITY = US; SERVICE = Nav; UNIT = AFN
MY WARSTORY =    Every DG sailor knows of the Full Moon Platoons.  Usually these are ran with camel backs filled with a beverage of your choice.  Being in the festive mood we decided to hold a Full Naked Platoon on Christmas eve.  Dozens of souls volunteered but alas most chickened out.  Props go to my boy Stacy Young.  He and I stripped down to the amusement of a dozen people manning the rails.  As we left the barracks with clothes in hand, as to keep from being left naked in the street.  We ran full steam out from the center aisle of the barracks around the air conditioner unit and into a poor sap on ASF duty.  Half the fun was running from the guy, up the stairs and and diving into the first available door.  To this day I still don't remember that lovely lady's name.
        About an hour later we tried the run again.  This time the success and cheers from surounding barracks.
        I also remember hanging with the Brits most of my time on island.  We really enjoyed taking the flight attendants and pilots of the MAC flights out to drink and sun bathe.  Pretty scary thought.   Many a time we sent the stewardesses packing at the break of dawn stumbling to your flight.  One brazen night I partied with them all night long then climbed aboard for a flight home.  They actually allowed me to give the safety brief from the middle of the plane.
All the way to Bahrain we sobered up as majority of those aboard.  The written rule of drinking your body weight before flying out is one that must be observed.  I have a million stories.  Ranging from party naked parties at the plantation to skinny dipping with co-eds to cool off while at the brit club.
 
 

1997-1999
RUSSELL WILLIAMS <billypilgrim@minister.com>
Hello - I have been on Diego Garcia, British Indian Ocean Territories, for the last 708 days, when I think about that it scares me to death, should I be afraid of returning to the states, hell yes I should. For almost the past two years I have been here, able to drink when I wanted and stumble home or just sleep wherever.  All of the friends I have had have left or I will leave behind.  I look back at everything I wanted to accomplish when I first got here, none of them I have accomplished, I wanted to be tan, people still ask me if I just got here (thank god the British sub left - people thought I was British for a while), I wanted to save some money, I am $3000 in debt, I wanted to be a higher rank when I left, but standing before the Captain didn't help that any, and I swore I wasn't going to drink much, and now I should probably check into a clinic.
        I ask myself if I am in for a culture shock, oh yeah, I haven't been to the US for 371 days, and when I went to Japan I found that kids, Marines, old people, fat people, and all of those fast cars scare the shit out of me.
        In the past two years I have had the opportunity to drink with Americans, Mauritians, Filipinos, British, Australian, New Zealanders, Russian, Jamaican, and everybody from that night in Ropongi.  What have I learned from all of this is not much, other than for some unexplainable reason here recently I have had this strange predilection to expose myself, and I have met some of the best people in the world, seven degrees south of the equator in the middle of the Indian Ocean.  People ask why have I been here so long, usually I blame my ex-fiancée, but secretly it was because I am perfect for this place, I honestly think that when I get back I am going to start I support group for fellow Diego Garcians, we will eat lumpia, get horrible service from a gay Filipino man, get drunk and obnoxious, play the same Rap songs that came out three years ago, see what it takes to offend the nearest British police officer, until we are threaten with arrest. I am going to miss this place, not having to use my broken English translator everyday, not having to have a rudimentary working knowledge of three different languages just to be able to say thank you politely to the salesclerks/waiter/bartenders/general laborer. If any of this needs some explanation check out Ted's website @
http://www.zianet.com/tedmorris/index.html and sign his guestbook, if that doesn't answer any questions then just ask me I will be home on the 9th of July, but nobody tell my parents I am going to surprise them, alright talk to y'all later, I will try to make it home safely, Russell.
RUSS' UPDATE RECEIVED MARCH 30, 2000:
MY QUEST = Beer
VT of a SWALLOW = African or European
E-MAIL = billypilgrim@minister.com
NATIONALITY = US; SERVICE = Navy; UNIT = NCTS, N9 C-Site; RANK/RATE/JOB = Well i showed up on DG as a CTMSA, then they told me i was advanced to CTMSN, that December, I became CTM3, and then next november i was back to CTMSA
MY INTEREST IN DG IS = My Time There is Lost in an Alcoholic Haze, Help Me Remember!
SUBJECT OF MY STORY: = There I Was, Passed Out on The Beach
MY WARSTORY = I was on DG for 711 days, and am proud to say that "I was no whore to MWR, I never got a t-shirt for anything I did," apperntly they didn't support drinking societies.  This is my second entry, and i have been off "The Rock" for almost a year.  Everybody here thought i was crazy when i spent the first month cussing Americans.  So there was no support group to tell me that pay phones went up to 35 cents, all of the good shows I had watched only a week ago on TV, had been cancelled months ago, the Blockbuster was filled with movies i had never even heard of and the one I had were not near the New Release section.  Alcohol is so expensive over here, a night out costs me at least $200 to get anywhere close to the levels of drunkenes that we attained on school nights on DG.  The only people who think my drinking ability, is cool is Frat Rats, and I can't over the fact that the all look like the got dressed at Abercrombie & Fitch.  I felt like a real perv when all of the sudden I remembered that not every girl is not over 18.  And when did it become uncool to take your date on the bus.  Geez help Ted, you need a fly away team ready to meet anyone who might have a problem re-adjusting to the real world, or could you send me back to your magical never-never land, so that is what it is.  Diego Garcia is a combination of that Amusment Park that Pinochio went to and everybody turned into asses, and Never-Never land where kids don't have to grow up.  Please use your magic dust and send me back. Oh yeah does anyone know where i can get some decent Lumpia here in Pensacola?  Russell

Dec 97 - Dec 98
BRENDAN SMITH <shamrock91@hotmail.com>
MY QUEST = to find the holy grail at the yacht club filled with mojo!
VT of a SWALLOW = Is that an African or a European Swallow
NATIONALITY = Irish, imagine how I felt livin' with a bunch of Brits for a year. AHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!; SERVICE = US Navy; UNIT = NCTS (C-Site); RANK/RATE/JOB = CTRSN hasn't changed, I've been a Baaaddd boy!!!
MY INTEREST IN DG IS = My Time There is Lost in an Alcoholic Haze, Help Me Remember!
MY WARSTORY = So There I was passed out in the boat, and I hook into the biggest yellow fin you've ever seen. I mean if this thing was 50lbs it was 550lbs. I'm reelin' and pullin' on that rod and all of a sudden it goes slack. I reel to see an 80lb tuna head. then everyone's good friend hector the hammerhead smiles at me and flips me off swims away enjoying my lunch of lovely marinated tuna stakes( I really do have a lovely marinade) and go with a tuna head and get blitzed out of my mind. Just in the PPDRDG.
 
 

May 1997 - May 1998
ERIK WITH A "K" <kaladasa@hotmail.com>
What is Your Quest?  To find the HOLY GRAIL
What is the Terminal Velocity of a Swallow?  African or Eruopean
How did you find my page?  It was an accident I swear!!
I don't want to go back

Jun 1997 - Jun 1998
HEATHER KOVACS <Noelhk23@aol.com>
What is Your Quest?  To find true happiness
What is the Terminal Velocity of a Swallow?  Hmmm, let me get back to you on that one.
How did you find my page?  A friend showed me the way
Still in the navy with 9 months left to go. Stationed in Denver, Co. Love to party, love to have a good time. Love the mountains, miss the beach. Wish I could go back to D.G., just one more time. I swear I'd do it all differently.

1997-1998; 13 long months
Traci Cole <casytroll@yahoo.com>
MY QUEST = To get a liver transplant after being in DG
SERVICE = USN, UNIT = AIMD
MY WARSTORY = DG is what you make of it.  I had a great year and made some lifelong friends. BRKS 7 in Palmsville (THE GREATEST PLACE ON EARTH) was the best place to go and get away from all of the people you saw all day at work AND live with.  I went to Abe's MASTs and came out alive..but barely standing.  I had enough MoJo to kill a large farm animal at the Socials and always had a blast on the Friday night ritual of Pizza Night to BRKS 7 to the Brit Club
always ending up with the long crazy walk back to the barracks because we never could catch that damn last bus.  Sailing, snorkeling, skiing, and always fishing kept me busy for a year.  God knows I was ready to go after that year but I wouldn't change a day.....OK maybe a couple of days.
 

1997-1998
BOB HILLERY <BobHillery@aol.com>
What is the Terminal Velocity of a Swallow?  Zero...right after impact.
       CDR USN ret (thank goodness...), I was XO of NSF 97-98. The only known guy and only warfare type anyone remembers having the job. Others have been pure admin types. Guess I REALLY ticked off my detailer!
 

1997-1998
APRIL HERALD <alherald@hotmail.com>
What is Your Quest?  To find the perfect beach.
Tell Me All About Yourself:   Not much to tell.
Comments:  Really enjoyed MOST of the time I spent on the rock, would love to go back if I could. DG has the most beautiful sunsets in the world and I miss them.

1997-1998
DENNIS DISNEY <dizmouse@aol.com>
      I'm an AFCM and was probably the only CMC that was fired in DG. Hey, I like to have a good time, what can I say.  I loved my tour in DG despite the final outcome. I'd go back anytime (if they would let me). Some day I just might too.
 

1997-1998
GREG WARNER <gdwarner@hotmail.com>
        Requested tour on DG on a whim, loved every minute of it. Did a whole year w/o leave. Had to choose new orders and picked Puerto Rico, believe me, not all islands are the same! I'm actually thinking of going back to DG for the fishing and partying! You can't beat the lifestyle there, everything people say is the truth.
        Comments:  If you don't have a family, pick orders to DG. If you do have family, lie to them and go anyways.
 

1997-1998
STACY YOUNG <PAO-JOURNALIST2@rcoh.spear.navy.mil>
     My name is Stacy Young (I'm a male) and I was stationed on D-Gar from Aug. 97 through Sep. 98.  I worked at the Armed Forces Network (AFN), or also known as the TV and radio station.  I have to agree with what I've read on this
page.  The island was paradise.  The stuff that I saw, and I did can't be done anywhere else in the world.
     Because of either location, or because I was in really good with the brits and they would take me home instead of jail for some of the antics that were pulled off on that island.   I have to give a hats off to the brits for taking this "Spam" in.  I was there
softball coach, the DJ at the brit club, and one of the only Americans that could drink for drink with them.  I want to thank them for introducing me to the game of "SPOOF".
     I would also like to thank the VP squadron for bringing in fresh female faces every 6 months (I was privy to three different squadrons), and same to the Air Force.  One of the best things on DG when I was there was the Yacht Club Social.  Nothing like getting pissed on 50 cent MOJO then stumbling over to the Brit club for a night of who knows what.
     Another quality event was a British Hail and Farewell.  These events took place usually on a Sunday about 1 P.M.  with a cookout and ended up with everybody jumping in the wagon to go back to BEQ 5 for a party at the "Stables" (The Lounge in the Brits BEQ).  I vaguely remember one Hail and Farewell where we got totally plowed and ended up on top of the building at
the marina NUDE seeing who could get the best crowd reaction.  The Navy Security didn't take to kindly to the idea. The Security really got upset when the guys on the beach emptied all the beer cans in the bed of his truck when he was trying to get us off the roof.  The shit hit the fan.
      Like many others have said, on the way out there you're hating life, but on the flight home you realize you've spent the last year on an island paradise.  I can't wait to go back.  I developed friendships that will last forever.  If you get a chance for orders to "The Rock" Take them.
 

1997-1998
MARIAN CORPUS <maidmarian_1@yahoo.com>
    I have to admit, after growing up at the beach in the mid 70's, I felt right at home on DG.  Lots of sun, lots of water, lots of men and lots of fun.  (not necessarily in that order!!)  I was on DG from Oct 97 to Oct 98.  What a fantastic year.  Do I want to go back, NO.  Did I come away from there changed, YES!
     I met my husband there, we were married April 16, 1999, in the Philippines.  Noel was a BJS contractor employee working with the transportation annex and I worked for the Air Mobility Command (Air Force).  We plan to move back to the PI once I retire from the AF.  Like I said in the DG questionnaire......warm, sun, and water.  What a fantastic combination.
     While on Diego, we tested the system, pushed the limits of what was acceptable and broke many "high-fine" laws.  If the Brits only knew (well, actually some of them did).  I wasn't on the island long when I came to the stark realization that if you wanted to do something illegal or get away with anything, you needed to have a Brit with you at all times. No place was off limits and even the tip is accessible by the 4-wheel drive jeeps that the AMC Detachment has.  Talk about a deserted beach!
     Noel is Philipino and the entire community there welcomed me with open arms.  What wonderful people.  I also has some very close Mauritian friends.  They are such nice people, very exotic and more than friendly!  Nights off of work were never dull, always some place to go and something to do.  Lots of parties down in the villages (even though the CO made them off-limits after 10pm).  Ya' just didn't tell everything ya' knew!  I can't tell you the number of times that my jeep spent the night in the village but no one ever said a word.
     I told Noel that I had found this site and we discussed what 'war-stories' we would like to share.  Would it be the one about our successful trip to the tip or would it be about hunting for coconut crabs at 3am on the road south of donkey gate?  He
said both!  We always had plenty of crab to share with friends (Philipino or American) and we were very popular on the nights that it rained 'cuz they came out on the road then.  I learned a lot from the Philipinos!
     Being outgoing, and being female, definitely had it's advantages on DG.  A woman there could get away with murder!  What fun!  I loved it there and I know how apprehensive I was before I got there.  A lot of DG is in your frame of mind, ya' know?  I kept a "It's all good" attitude and basically it was!
    I also came off of the island with a pet.  I had a couple while I was there but Miss Kitty made the trip home with me.  You probably wonder, was it expensive to bring here out?  YEP!  But she is worth it.  The dog-handler vet came from Guam and gave her the necessary shots, the Brit Rep (who I partied with at the Brit Club) gave permission for me to keep her in my room and then to take her home with me.  She was just a kitten when I got her.  Her mom was killed on the road near my dorm.
     My other pet was a hermit crab that ate anything I put in his cage.  I kept him for 8 months before he died.  Cool shell that he gave me when he moved out!!!!
 

1997-1998
JEFF NASH <TandJNash@aol.com> Master Sergeant Jeff (Red Dog) Nash, USAF, Superintendent, Air Mobility Command Detachment, Dec 97-Dec 98
      Saturday night shift, when I should be at the Brit Club throwing back a Newcastle brown ale with the lads.  Oh well, someone has to run the war [EDITOR'S NOTE:  Jeff wasn't kidding - we were bombing Iraq at the time - 21 Nov 98].
     As far as our personnel set up here.  Our boss is still a major navigator.  Our's now is Maj. John "Mac" McLaughlin.  He was at McChord before he came here.  I told you before that I'm a 1C371 (used to be 274) My true duty title is NCOIC, Command and Control Ops, but I'm also the senior ranking guy.  So I'm also the superintendent.  We also are authorized a 2T2X0 MSgt (Used to be 605X0), a 2A5X0 MSgt (Maintenance) a 1C351, and a 3A051 (admin).  The Mx guy still runs the FSP, bench stock, T/O library, and QA's the contractor Mx types  Our aerial porter still pulls his hair out with the Navy and the contractor. The Navy is the QA and they just doesn't have a clue as to QA'ing an air terminal operation.  The contractor now is a company called BJS, they're an American company based in the P.I.
      Our connectivity is great.  Pentium computers.  We have our own LAN, we have GDSS for tracking missions, a TELNET connection to the Automated Computer Flight Plan system at AMC, world-wide AUTOVON access, and commercial access.  If you look at our weekly flight schedule on our web site, it will give you a typical week of missions.  One contract flight each week, an Air Transport International DC-8 Combi.  Plus a 757 every six weeks from America Trans Air.  It takes the TCN's back and forth from Manila for their vacations.  Also brings military folks to and from the East Coast.  The next one on Dec 10th is my "freedom bird".
      I'm on my way to Colorado Springs from here, going to Headquarters, Air Force Space Command to work in the command center.  This will be my second tour in the Springs, and where I plan on retiring in Feb 2000.
     Gotta run, crew alert in 30 minutes.
     I guess the biggest memory, or at least what I remember of the memory, was in Oct 99 when I was invited to the British celebration of "Trafalgar Night" Trafalgar Night is a commemoration of the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, where the Royal Navy, commanded by Admiral Horatio Nelson, kicked the hell out of a Spanish fleet sailing for Napoleon.  This celebration is a very formal affair, with everyone dressed in Mess Dress (or Mess Kit as the Brits call it).  I considered myself privileged to be invited.  It's not a common thing for a '"spam" to be invited to this affair.  There's a formal sit-down dinner, with the usual toasts of that traditional British drink of rum.  Dinner is followed by, yep, you guessed it, more drinking!
     Now some of my best friends on the island were the Royal Marines, and of them, was a strapping young Welshman named Thomas Gorac.  "Tommo" as he is affectionately known, was a Leading Corporal and one hell of a RHIB boat driver.  It was he who invited me to celebrate with he and his mates and matettes.  Soon we were joined by some of the other RM's, and we proceeded to have a smashing good time putting down Captain Morgan and Coke's one after the other.  We called this practice "saluting the Captain."
      Well past midnight, my attempts to keep up with the RM's proved futile, so I decided to excuse myself.  Keep in mind I'm pretty well sloshed by now.  And everything that happened past this point I've only been able to gather from those who were either with me or saw me.  I exited the Turner Club, only to meet with a slight detour.  That is, to pass out on the hill surrounding the swimming pool.  I remember being awakened by my friend Dean Fisher, a Brit Customs Officer, and a girl named Amanda, both of whom wanted to get me home before the Shore Patrol or Navy Security found me.  Dean told me that he basically had to carry me over to the Billeting Office across the street, and show the desk clerk my ID card so he could learn where I lived and get me home.  This was because I could barely speak.  Upon getting me back to BEQ 16, I lived on the 3rd floor, I promptly puked in front of him outside my door.  And after that, Dean let me in the room and I went VFR direct to bed.
     So, I ended up with one hell of a hangover, a totally trashed mess dress uniform, and an experience that will be hard to forget!
[EDITOR'S NOTE:  Sounds just like my experiences at Trafalgar Night in 1987 - been there, done that, got the puke-stained T-shirt]
 

1997-1998
DOUG PEARSON <dpearson74@hotmail.com>
What is Your Quest?   To conquer the world and eliminate DG once and for all
Were you ever on Diego Garcia?  Unfortunately, From DEC 97 TO NOV 98
     I was the roomate of the infamous Frey Daddy.  I spent a great deal of time on DG drinking with a gang of PC's and Corpman on occasion.  Other than that I was watching sports and trying to forget where I was.  Now that I am a free man I am attending college.  And of course FORMULATING A PLAN OF WORLD DOMINANCE.
 

1997-1998
D.M. NOLTE <flipper88@juno.com>
     I was in DG-Hell from 1 Sep 97 - 31 Aug 98.  While there, I encountered more rude Filipinos and Mauritians, was infuriated by the ship's store and Diego depot for running out of the basics - like soda - on a frequent basis.  The base bike shop was slow, at best, and they always supplied all the important items, such as bells (more on this later), flags, and mirrors.  The assorted sundires, such as, oh, say, replacement tires and tubes, gear and brake cables, etc. were deemed unnecessary stock, and had to be special ordered.  I left six months after ordering, and still needing, a
replacement tire tube.   Have you ever encountered laws in the states that just shouldn't be enforced?  Like, it's illegal to own a stick greater than two inches in diameter to beat your spouse with?  Well, the Brits uncovered a long forgotten law, which required bells on all bicycles.  How convenient that they released this information AFTER the Brits went and bought all the bells for themselves.  If stopped, you could be issued a warning, or given a $15 fine, depending on your sex and the mood of the Brit who stopped you.
     The movies were another adventure.  When I left, we had new seats, but still had a tin roof that made the movie unhearable when it rained, which was virtually every night.  And the surround sound was incredible!  That is, if you could get over the fact that the rear channels were reversed.
     Well, I think I've vented enough for this go around, and I haven't even commented on the base services, i.e., the galley, medical, dental, etc., but that's a whole different story.  Hope you've gotten a kick or two, and brought out some old memories.  Take it easy!
Flipper
 

1997-1998
DENNIS FREY <reddkey@hotmail.com>
What is Your Quest? Promote the G Crue, and the Dungeon
Nov 97' to Nov 98'  I was HSD staff, dental tech, to be precise. I served with LCDR Suanico, who was hella cool, and the G Crue, of which I was a founding member,...also have to mention DT1 Cheeks, & DT1 Yelverton, the two finest LPO's in the USN. If I could have had those two as LPO's forever I would have been a career sailor. Unfortunatly, the Navy decided it best to cast my talents to the winds, so here I am a phat civilian, living the good life. Pearson was my roomate on DG, and he was a drunk,...that is all
 

1997-1998
BILL ADAMS <willus@aol.com>
HM1 Preventive Medicine, I did monthly health inspections at all the facilities  spoke of throughout this site from the Expat to the ballfields - the PillMau Club to all the barracks, even when they flooded from endless rain in January,  I gotta say they wouldn't make it back in the states but they fit so well on the island, the good times i had even make me think of returning one day  but...those t-shirts weren't that great.
 

1997-1998
TIM "MOLE" MULLINS <dg_gcrue@hotmail.com>
What is Your Quest? To propetiate the legend of GCrue
     I am an Independant Duty Corpsman in the Navy currently stationed with the Marines in Camp Pendleton. I am a founding member of The GCrue. Hey come visit my page and learn to GCrue!   I would like to say one thing, I noticed CMC Dennis Disney logged in earlier and would like to say that he was DGar's best alltime CMC!
 

1997-1998
JOEL BECKER <IMTAZ65@????>
What is Your Quest? To never come back
still in the navy on a ship ..... i was hoping to find out what ever happened to the hash house? is it a coffee house. or is it gone completly.   [JOEL - IF YOU READ THIS, I NEED THE REST OF YOUR ADDRESS TO ANSWER]