WAR STORIES FROM PARADISE You have traveled back to 1998!
Entries
are
posted by the year the writer arrived, so be sure
to check either side of the yearyou're looking for to
find your old buddies, shipmates, and
sweethearts! I'll update this page as I
receive your warstory! No anoymous reports
-only if you're
willing to put yourself up to the ridicule of
the world will you be entered into this
Guestbook! Also, please note that the
email addresses listed are those at the me the
entry was received - some of them from
1997! Sorry if they don't work now...
Send in YOUR
Story
NOW using the convenient fill-in-the-blanks
form!
VT_of_a_Swallow = African or
European sawallow? Coconut
laden?
My_Warstory = I absolutely loved
DG! Hard work, hard
partying - though it could be a bit of a Peyton Place
with everyone crammed
"Downtown."My
favorite
pastimes were sailing, sandlot softball, and beach
volleyball.
Perhaps my "funniest moment" was
when, as
someone who was older than most at age 35, I was at
the Brit Club trying to fit
in with the younger, hipper crowd. I decided I would
dance with a group of
friends as a really cool song came on with this very
tribal beat that almost
runs through your veins as you hear it. I had a few
drinks in me so I was
really feeling it... As the song progresses I start
singing along and miming
the chorus: "Snap your picture!"This was a really long song and each time the
chorus came up, I would
pose as if I was taking a picture of the young ladies
I was dancing with. In
other words, I was a cool cat for an old guy.... That
is until a year or two
later I heard the song again and found out it was
"Smack My Bitch Up"
by Prodigy...
1998
Bye, Edward S CTR USA OSD P&R IM BAH [mailto:edward.bye.ctr@osd.pentagon.mil]
Read your great site o DGAR. I was the OIC at the
clinic 98 - 99 and I loved every minute. Do you know
or have you heard ANYTHING about a Connie Day who works
Air Ops? I retired from the Navy in
2005 after 32 years (12 E/20 O)...DGAR was, by far, my
best assignment.
Edward S. Bye
CDR MSC USN (RET)
Associate
Booz | Allen | Hamilton
1998-99
Name = Kimberly (Alford) Vogan =
kimmiesvogan@gmail.com
Citizenship = USA
Service = USN
Outfit = NAVPACMETOC DET
My_Quest = Finding old friends
VT_of_a_Swallow = The point it hits the pavement
My_Warstory = Wow - talk about blast to the
past!! Got to the island as my first duty
station at age 18....Love the British drinking age
being 18!! Love the island, everything from
deep sea fishing to snorkling to living it up at
the Brit Club and the Expat with make your own
pizzas!! Best memories were the beach
parties playing volleyball and being goofey.
Got engaged while un the island and made it 6
years before eventually getting divorced. I
vaguely remember something said about island
love....LOL Would love to hear from any one
that was with the Weather Office during that time
- or anyone else I partied with!!!
1998-1999
Dave Ricks <beeah27@yahoo.com> I was
stationed on the base back in
'98-99 with
NMCB1 we were there to
rebuild all of the see
huts I had many long
nights at the club drinking
w mango,danny boy and alot of
others. i was wondering if you
might have any contact info for anyone
that was there in that time
frame i am horribal
with names but have lots of memoies of
the 7 degree band and several others
that played i
used to run with a guy there that played
base for on of the band
jimmy and drank and swapped
the shit with mango and all of the
other
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
Dates_Aboard =
September 1998 - November 1999
Christioher Harrell navyabhc86@aol.com
Citizenship = USA
Service = USN
Outfit = NSFDG
My_Quest = Get as many Full Moon Plt T Shirts as I
could
My_Warstory = My Job = being the only ABH on the
island, it was my job to QA the flight line, this
was the best of both world. I got to
drive way above the speed limit every week
completing runway check. “Tower request to
check the runway” and the reply I waited for was
“you are clear without delay” lol. Also I got
to work closely with the King of DG, George.
George was one of the leading contractors at the
airfield and he was a permanent fixture on the
island. George and his band 7 Degrees South
were local superstars, lucky me……After returning
from leave I was also given a opportunity to be the
Command Career Counselor for NSF, Hell, If I did not
make Chief the next year I would have converted.
The fun = Parties at the 61
club, the Brit Club, the Short Pier Chief Murphy
taking us out on an Ocean Master and calling it
seamanship training. The Bar B Ques, the fish
fry’s, parties for no reason other than to remove
alcohol for the package store. There were too
many good times to mention, if you were there you
know what I mean.
The saddest = While I was
on leave the First Class Association held its annual
vote for its officers, to my surprise I was voted in
as the president of the First Class Mess. It
was a great honor and I held the job until I left
the Island. The reason this a sad time was
that I was the last president to reside in the Hash
House, our XO at the time wanted it to be a coffee
house. It was her prerogative and after a
futile fight we lost the Hash House and gained a
room in the 61 club That’s how it ended….Now
you know the rest of the story.
In closing, you had
to have been there to understand it. I hated
the separation from my loved ones more than anything
the island through at me but it left me with
memories that would last a life time. I’m sure
I left a lot out, it was ten years ago, and I’m
getting old. Lol. So either you hated or
loved it, it will be with you for the rest of your
life. Enjoy your memories of Dodge and remain
island happy.
1998-1999 NAME = Brande (Barlow) Ogden MY QUEST = To say hello to old friends! VT of a SWALLOW = Umm...I don't care! E-MAIL = brandeogden@yahoo.com NATIONALITY = American SERVICE = Navy UNIT = NCTS RANK/RATE/JOB = Was CTO3 MY INTEREST IN DG IS = Stroll Down Memory Lane SUBJECT OF MY STORY: = Actually, I Have a Real
Story To Tell MY WARSTORY = Hey guys! I wanted to tell my story
of true DG love....Say it isn't so!! Sorry Guys!
It's true. I got there in Paradise and fell in love
with the island. I loved the friendships, the
DRINKING, the Cable and Wireless Races, Exterra
races...running the full moon platoons, going to the
gym at midnight, *Turtle Cove*, sailing around the
lagoon, eating chilli and rice at the Seamans and
drinking Mojo! But what I fell in love with the most
was the Brit Marine I met! His name was Ron Ogden,
but everyone called him Oggie...We were married in
2002 and have 2 boys (Finn and Connor) We now live
in Georgia where I work as a Certified Occupational
Therapy Asst. and he as ROV Pilot Tech. I would love
to hear from some of our old friends! So if you
remember us-drop us an email! (or go to myspace and
look me up)
1998-1999 NAME = Mike Walkusky MY QUEST = Looking for an ET2 Liz Thompson that
worked at the ASCOM DET E-MAIL = mwalkusky@myway.com NATIONALITY = USA SERVICE = USN UNIT = NCTS DG RANK/RATE/JOB = CWO4. Worked out at the R-Site and
taught sailing lessons while I was there. SUBJECT OF MY STORY: = This is a No-Shit Sailing
Story MY WARSTORY = I taught sailing lessons on the
weekends and won most of the DGYC regattas while I
was there. I gave lessons to a young
ET3/2 by the name of Liz Thompson and we developed a
nice friendship. I think about her from time to
time...she is one of the great memories from my time
as a sailor. It would be great to find her and be
able to tell her how much she did mean to me.
Mike
From:
Michael Littleford
<michael.littleford@navy.mil> Date: 7 Dec 2007 Good Morning El Presidente, I was
stationed on the island two separate times, May 1998
to Oct 1999 and May 2000 to July 2001. The
first time that I went to the island was awesome and
I became the President of the Patwing One Drinking
Team, a much needed job for the folks at PW-1 Det
Diego Garcia. This tour also was the major
cause of my divorce upon returning to the
states. One my second tour, the very first day
I was back on the island. I met my wife of now
5 years sitting at one of the tables outside the
internet café (aka the old first class mess
shack). So the first time there caused me to
get rid of the devil riding my back all the time and
the second caused me to find the angel I so
desperately needed in my life. My wife and me
are waiting for me to finally retire and we will be
looking into trying to get back to the island as
civilians. With that said I wish to be
established as the "Minister of Love and Lifetime
President of the Patron Wing One Det Diego Garcia
Drinking Team". See Ya back on the island someday, Mike "Minister
of Love and Lifetime President of the Patron Wing
One Det Diego Garcia Drinking Team" Littleford
From: Alan
Saltonstall <saltyfbc@hotmail.com> Date: 7 Sep 2007 I was facinated to
visit the site and find and old shipmate of mine
Tony Pallace reciting the adventure of our days
fishing. I can confirm and authentictate Tonys
tale as I am the one in the red shorts on the
boat. The other lads were Jim Laden, Ray
Bateman, Pusser Hill, Vince and me, Salty
Saltonstall. I am sorry if I missed anyone
out. The times in 79 - 80 were fantastic and
we had a rather eccentric Brit xo called Bernie "the
beast" Bruen. He was an excellent boxer and
never lost a golden gloves contest during his
time. I did enter the golden gloves and my
first three fights were TKOs then I won one.
We had a great time working at the power plant with
our US comrades and some of their stories I relate
to. There were some great times at the Ship
Inn. Hello Ginge Howard, Screwy Driver,
Fletch, Jed Stone, Bamber Gascoigne and all. I
did return as the Senior Customs and Immigration
Officer in 1998-99 and thoroughly enjoyed my tour
but this time it was too commercialised and the BIOT
and Britrep (big chip on little shoulders)
went out of their way to disrupt the pleasure of
making full use of Diego Garcia as a fun place to
be. This tour was different but I met some great
people Nick Wakem who remains a great friend and Big
Murph - came from New York to my wedding in 2001 - a
great guy. We were the ones who built and
constructed the new Brit club to completion and I
hope you all enjoy the beers on the beach. Any person who relates
to this story are more than happy to contact
me. Thanks and bye.
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
April
1998 - May 1999 NAME =
Shawna Washabaugh (McDonell) MY QUEST
= To find the Knights who say "NEE" VT of a
SWALLOW = Depends if it is an African Swallow... E-MAIL =
ny_ynks_girl@yahoo.com NATIONALITY
= White American SERVICE
= NAVY UNIT =
Air Ops, Air Traffic Control RANK/RATE/JOB
= E2/E3 then. Got out in 2002 as E5. MY
INTEREST IN DG IS = Stroll Down Memory Lane SUBJECT
OF MY STORY: = I'd Like to Share Precious Memories
of Drinking/Fishing/Snorkeling/Sailing on Diego
Garcia MY
WARSTORY = Hey I saw Todd Bray on here, and wanted
to say Hi!! He got there a couple months
after I left, but we were stationed in Jax
together. Anyway, DG was...well there's not
even a word to describe DG. People who've
never been there before always give a sympathetic
look when I tell them that's where my first duty
station was. But they just don't know.
I got there on my 19th birthday, and partied until
the day I left. Met some great people..Hello
to Rusty, Rhonda, Matt, Tina, JD, Kenny and many
more!! If anyone was in DG the month I left,
they remember me and Rusty's farewell party, it
was legend!! The whole island turned up at
the Yacht Club for our TOGA party!! The
creativeness of togas will forever go down in
history. How could anyone forget that night,
free alcohol and all night partying!! I
would love to hear from anyone who went to that
party. I won Miss Toga...yes, most important
moment of my life...lol.
98,99,2000,2001,2002,2003......
NAME
= Dean
MY
QUEST = To get that Diego tan
VT
of a SWALLOW = 3MPH
E-MAIL
= deanainsworth@hotmail.com
NATIONALITY
= USA
SERVICE
= USAF
UNIT
= KC-10 Boom Operator
RANK/RATE/JOB
= TSGT
MY
INTEREST IN DG IS = Stroll Down Memory Lane
SUBJECT
OF MY STORY: = I'd Like to Share Precious Memories
of Drinking/Fishing/Snorkeling/Sailing on Diego
Garcia
MY
WARSTORY = I had told the other guys on my crew
about the wonders of "Nair" hair removal cream for
getting hair off of all those hard to reach areas.
I told them not to put it on their, well,
genitals? Yeah, genitals. The next day, 4 bottles
appeared (courtesy of the co-pilot)and since the
pilot and co always walked around naked, the
engineer and I could see that they had been at the
bottles (they were academy grads) and were staring
with rapt facination at each other's privates. We
were going home the next day and they could not
wait to show their wives. The next day we are
packing up and these two are in tears because of
the burns they received from the Nair, academy
grads or no, they can read...Luckily, it all
cleared up by the time we got home.
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.
desert
thunder, november, 98 [i think]
NAME
= Frank Boisvert
MY
QUEST = beer?
VT
of a SWALLOW = i think 7. maybe 9.
E-MAIL
= boisvert@freeshell.org
NATIONALITY
= US
SERVICE
= USAF
UNIT
= weapons loader with the 96BS from barksdale afb
RANK/RATE/JOB
= was probably an a1c at the time. now seperated
as of 2000.
MY
INTEREST IN DG IS = Want to Drink A Lot, Cheap
SUBJECT
OF MY STORY: = There I Was, Passed Out in the Club
MY
WARSTORY = Dont really remember too much of DG.
vauge thoughts enter my mind. the plane ride there
on a c-5 by way of travis afb, then guam where my
crew thought i was being left behind. in reality
some col. had pulled me away to do guard duty on
the c-5 we switched to.
i
remember eatin pizza and playin pool. i remember
missing thanksgiving, christmas, my birthday, and
new years away from my family. it was a
pretty shitty time in my life. if i went
back now, i sure as hell would do things alot
differently.
i
remember walkin thru the lagoon on my first day
there, looking down and seeing about 10 sharks and
stingrays. i think i only went back in the water 3
times the whole 3 months i was there. one of them
was to 'rescue' one of my crew mates, leslie
brandt, who had swum out of the lagoon, into the
ocean, and couldnt get back. i went out there to
help, or warn her that she was no longer in the
lagoon.
if
i remember right, we only worked every other day,
for about 4 hours. we never did launch, but the
squadron who replaced us [my roommate at the
time], did launch. bastards! :)
i
have a ton of pictures i will scan and send to you
later. i drank lots of beer, and got really tan!
frank
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.
Dec '98
- Dec '99 BILLIE
(Garbers) OKONSKI <g.billie@angelfire.com> MY QUEST
= one day go back VT of a
SWALLOW = i have no idea! NATIONALITY
= good old American; SERVICE = USN; UNIT =
Patreconwing One Det Diego Garcia RANK/RATE/JOB
= A lowly RMSR at the time, now a big bad
RM3...ooohhhh, aaahhhhhhhhhh! MY
INTEREST IN DG IS = My Time There is Lost in an
Alcoholic Haze, Help Me Remember! MY
WARSTORY = Dodge was my first duty station -- how
naive I was! When I got there, I was scared out of
my mind, had no clue as to what I would expect.
Everyone I met was so nice and helpful -- little
did I know that there were so few girls on the
island that everyone was treated like a goddess!
:) Can't say that I minded it either.... The first
thing that happened after I dropped off my stuff
in my room was given a beer. A sign of times to
come. :)
Now
I'm out in San Diego onboard a destroyer. How I
miss the good times of shore duty! To all the
folks stationed with me at the old TSC and
remember me seeing that OS3 and thought that we
wouldn't last once he got stateside? Well.... we
got married in September and are doing very well.
:) Our next door neighbor was also stationed with
us (OS3 Rodriguez) and we like to drink beer and
remember the good times we had there. (The beer
drinking hasn't changed at least). This site is
awesome, and I would love to hear from anyone
stationed there.
1998 Brian
Myrick <bmyrick@simco.com> Hey
there Ted, Surfing
the web sum time ago, I found a very cool DG
site. It is was yours. I know several
of the people listed, and just thought I would
throw in my 2 cents. I was on DG
basically all of 1998. I was vice comodore of the
yacht club, sang with 7 Degrees South, took over
the sailing program when Tom ?? (the harbor
master) left, managed to win a few races, and
escaped with a functional liver. There is
even a Yacht Club boat named after me. I'll
try to get some pics scanned and send them to
you. Laters, Brian Myrick "Mr. Clean"
April
1998 - 1 1/2 hrs, then a whole Saturday night in
August 2000! 26th, I think. Pauline
Andrews <pauline_skink@hotmail.com> MY QUEST
= To tell you what a great web site this is! VT of a
SWALLOW = European or African swallow? NATIONALITY
= British; SERVICE = Royal Air Force Auxiliary UNIT =
With Royal Air Force en route to Australia from
Nairobi RANK/RATE/JOB
= Corporal then and now! I am what the
Americans call a "Reservist". MY
WARSTORY = Myself, two other Oggies (auxiliaries)
and several regular Royal Air Force personnel
nightstopped on DG on the way from Nairobi to
Australia, in August 2000. We were flying in
a C-130 Hercules and it took 6 days to get from UK
to Oz!
It
was Saturday night, so we were invited down the
Brit Club by the resident Customs man, a hunky
marine called Jamie. I can honestly say this
is the best beach club I have ever been to -
beautiful location, beer not bad, a warm sea
breeze blowing all evening - and I can compare it
with a few, as I spent three years living in
Cyprus (RAF Akrotiri).
After
the Brit Club shut, we went to the Peacekeeper Inn
for steak and eggs. After 3 days of
in-flight rations, it was the best meal I had
eaten for a long time (and in retrospect, I think
the best meal I have had this year!)
The
next day we had to leave our accommodation block
at 0900 to take our onward flight, but there was
time to take a walk round the area and some
excellent photos of the lagoon with HMS Diligence
in the middle, and the beach the other side (and
call the Customs man back from his clay shooting
to stamp our passports!)
This
was my second visit to DG - the first time I went,
we were only on the ground long enough to pick up
some passengers, and then return to Muscat.
I would be more than happy to return any time, and
consider myself priviledged to have visited the
island, and have that stamp in my passport.
1998-2000 Mark Chandler <macatprw1@hotmail.com> Ted - Hola
amigo! I was one of the two "Black Shoes"
stationed at PATWING 1 Det DGAR from Dec 88 -
Jun 00. I would like to recommend myself for
post as the PPDRDG Minister of Alcohol
Distribution. I feel that after 16 months of trying to beat the MWR guys to the
Capt Morgan, that this is truely a necessary
function. Thank the gods for the "Village
Telegraph". Those guys were the only ones
quicker on the draw than MWR. Not only were
their prices reasonable but most of the time
they were a lot closer to the actual scene of
need!! As Minister of Alcohol I would enforce a
24 hour delay of sales to MWR allowing the
average island inhabitant plenty of time to get
his fair share and/or to borrow the money to do
so if necessary. "Fair Share" would have to be
defined of course. But I'm sure we could
come to some sort of an "agreement" over a few
drinks at the DGYC. I'm also sure that
DGYC members fair share would be more than MWR's
fair share.
1998-1999 BRIAN
CAMPBELL <sidewalksailor@visto.com> MY QUEST
= Find who takes all the Capt Morgan when the
shipments come in!! VT of a
SWALLOW = Is her stomach full?? NATIONALITY
= American; SERVICE = USN; UNIT = NCTS C-Site;
RANK/RATE/JOB = CTM2-Wiz Maint Baby!! MY
INTEREST IN DG IS = My Time There is Lost in an
Alcoholic Haze, Help Me Remember! SUBJECT
OF MY STORY: = This is a No-Shit Drinking Story MY
WARSTORY = As many of you may know, the USN is
kinda big on edumication. Well, following
the world's longest midwatch at C-Site, me and my
buddy (Grady Kolterman, gotta give you your props
bro) decide that we're gonna go to the library and
grab some CLEP books to study for the upcoming
CLEP tests on island. Well, on our way back
to the barracks we check the time and remember
that the Depot is about to sell alcohol so we
hussle our asses over and stock up on some brain
food (i.e. Miller Lite). Needless to say, we
looked like TRUE Diego Garcians and collegiates
(Come on now, I was wearing my University of
Kentucky shirt!) walking from the Depot carrying a
case of Lite on top of CLEP books back to BEQ 13
for some studyin'. And as many of you may
have guessed, we ended up drinking the beer in
about an hour and a half (it was a TERRIBLE
mid-watch) and NEVER cracked the books for the
exam once while they were checked out to us!
It didn't occur to me until we were half-way to
the barracks that we were truly indoc'ed to DG
life carrying studying books and beers.
Anyone going to DG having doubts about the place
should know that I would go back there in half a
heartbeat, and should be back around Nov 2003
after I'm done freezin' my ass off up here in
Maine. To the Balcony Krew (Dino Barnes,
Dave Blakesley,among others, you know who y'all
are) We need a reunion, most likely not in DG, but
let's hook up. Later... Rcvd Feb
2001: "...will
return Sep 01 MY QUEST
= To return to Margaritaville ASAP MY
WARSTORY = Well, I never thought I'd be returning
this soon after I left the first time, but lo and
behold, I just got verbal orders to return to
paradise this coming September. I hear it's
changed a bit in the year since I've left, looking
forward to getting back, and gonna do much more
than just drink this time around. OK, who am
I foolin'?! "
Sep
1998 - Apr 1999 HEATHER
LYNCH <heather78usn@hotmail.com> What is
Your Quest? To drink my body weight in Rum. Medically
retired after almost dieing on Diego Garcia!
Sick sick place.
1998 RICK
HALAS <halasfam@netzero.net> USAF
Deployed for Kosovo Crisis Rick
sent me a photo of him in front of a lake down by
the airfield, and so I asked him to explain -
here's the answer: Ted, Sorry for the late
reply, I'm sure you know why. I hope your
holiday was a good one.
That "lake" you saw isn't a lake, but a
lagoon! Remember the islands' title, saying,
motto, you know what I mean: Footprint of
Freedom. Well, the lagoon is on the southern
end of the island, right outside where the "new"
Navy Galley and shower buildings were built during
Desert Storm. I don't know when you were
there last, so I couldn't tell what was there
before those buildings were built.
I
loved it there. Sure, it was all us guys, but when
we were finally moved into the tents after 3 weeks
of living/sleeping in the Galley, (the order to
send them from HOLLOWMAN had been fought between 2
generals 3 times before they finally arrived) you
could hear the surf gently crashing into the sand
as we slept. F*%&in$ cool. At midnight,
when some of us would take our communal showers,
it would be us dudes, wearing the boxer shorts,
with our shower gear in one hand and a towel over
our shoulder, no shirt, no chill. The temp
at that time was around 80 degrees. Makes
you want to go back doesn't it?
Getting
back to the lagoon, "anything living in it?" You
bet there is. One day while I was wading
through water about 2/12 feet deep I felt many of
these little bumps into the backs of my
legs. It turned out they were a school of
tiny little minnows. I thought, " What the
hell, they swam right through my legs." Then
suddenly, I found out why: They were being
chased by a school of bigger fish, about 5 to 7
inches in length. Those fish apparently saw
my legs, and promptly swam out of my reach, maybe
3 feet away at most, then once past me, swam back
towards the direction where I was walking, mowing
down on the school of minnows. Nature in
action. It was great. Later that same
day, I almost stepped on a baby Stingray. It
was short, about 2 feet in length from head to
tail. It followed me for about 200 yards down the
beach, swimming right on the edge of the water, as
I was walking right at the edge of the beach,
walking a step or two towards shore/away from
shore, in synch with the waves, staying within 2
feet of the interesting critter.
The
water was very warm, it almost felt like bath
water. I once swam out about 300 yards from
shore, only to find out there was a sand bar which
brought the water to only about 8 inches in
depth. I remember sitting down on that sand
bar, letting the waves caress me back and forth,
taking in the whole scene and tropical
atmosphere. Ahhh. I want to go back.
Well,
that is all I have for now. I hope you
enjoyed the story as much as I had retelling
it. I love that place. And would be on a
plane in a heartbeat if they said " Who wants to
go?"
1996-1997;
1998 JAMES
"KINTATSU" MARTIN <kintatsu@aloha.net>
- see his 1996 entry
1998-1999
& 1993-1994 BRENDA
BRYAN <bjbryan@hotmail.com>
Currenlty
stationed in GTMO, Cuba. Having the time of my
life. DG was like no other site, may even think
about going back for a third time. Great site,
even though I just left there a few months ago it
brings back great memories.
1998 Subject:
DG Trip Report WALTER
BOYD <boydw0@spacecom.af.mil> Ted,
Well,
I made it to DG and back. It was the
Nightmare TDY Of The Year. To keep a long
story short, we only spent one day on the island,
and I got absolutely no photos. From what
little I saw of the island, however, it looked
interesting. Even the mutant donkeys.
I
do hope to get another chance to go there again,
next year. This time, I will keep in mind
AMC's seeming penchant for misreported flight
information, and plan a longer stay.
I
did find out that Joe Ross left about 3 years or
so ago. Bottom line: trip was largely a
bust, but I still managed to get the work done
that I went there for.
1998?-1999 RICHARD
CHASE <rchase@cwnetdg.io> Organization:
BJS
International
Associates
Yeah,
BJS is Burns and Roe is FEBROE. That is one of the
reasons BJS got the contract from IPAC 5 years
ago-prior experience. As for the next contract,
there is only one other bidder, Baker Engineering.
However, Baker is IPAC, the previous contractor,
so round and round we go……..The next contract is
completely different from any previous ones. Main
difference is material. Right now the Government
owns it all, we just maintain it. I am talking
about everything including vehicles, cranes, etc.
Next contractor will have to buy it all. Big
change.
Yeah
Annex 21 is a good annex. Always does a good job
on time.
1998-1999 JAKE
HILL <?>
I'm
the N2 (Base Communications Officer) at NCTS. I
have been on island for 8 months and have loved
the fishing, snorkeling, shelling and Sunday BBQ's
behind BOQ 6. I am originally from Honolulu,
Hawaii and that's where my family is residing
while I'm doing my tour here. After DG I will
report to Special Operations Command, Pacific back
in Hawaii. DG has been great! I only wish the
Brits would let me surf here.
1998-1999 GUSTAVO
<?> What is
Your Quest? To develop a new and improved pyramid
scam
I
entered the Witness protection and relocation
program last year and was sent to Diego
Garcia. A cool place to duck out for a few years .
But while I am here I am checking out all the
madness at the yacht club and the brit and am
trying to blend in with the Navy and Air Force
personnel. I was also the first person to organize
and hold a yard sale on Diego Garcia.
1998-Present MIKE
MASHING <n21a@nctsdg.navy.mil>
Looks
like another lazy day here on the rock the weather
has been really crazy lately windy as heck and rain
that will not stop. Think that I will have to build
a tree fort just in case there is a flood.
Some
things I guess have not changed - the Brit Club is
still the place to be on the weekends. They
are going through a renovation building a pretty
good size deck on the back, can't wait till they
have the first party out there I am sure that it
will be a blast.
They
are getting ready to bring in a new Base Contractor
which is going to happen here real soon so some of
the old worker bees that have been on the Island are
going to be replaced so the re is much apprehention
here lately. Well have to go to another useless
meeting so this is all for now.
The
picture
is of a grouper
that was caught by the POL pier the other day using
a hand line.
Want to use something from this site?
See the TERMS
OF
USE. This, and everything else I write and every
photo I produce is copyrighted by Ted A. Morris, Jr.