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 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 year
you're looking for to find your old buddies, shipmates, and sweethearts!

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.