[QCWA] Ft. Monmouth, N.J.

[W7VU]

Hi Hank

It's amazing to read your email tonight about being at Ft Monmouth.

I was on the local 2 meter repeater about an hour ago and got to talking to a brand new ham Chet, KE7FXK.  
He said he was a 1971 graduate of the Microwave Radio Repair School at Ft. Monmouth.

Then another ham Jon, KO7W came on and said he was a 1967 graduate of the same school also.

Then I informed them that I was also a 1955 graduate of the microwave school.

What are the odds of three hams in the same county, who belong to the same radio club graduating from the same Army technical school?

KE7FXK ended up in Germany. Out of his class of 32 only two did not go to Viet Nam.

KO7W, went to Viet Nam.

My entire class went from Ft. Monmouth to Formosa (Taiwan) for a wonderful 18 month tour.  Although trained microwave technicians, we went there to advise the Chinese on how to repair WWII radios that they had dredged up from the ocean after the war. As I remember, my base pay was $78 per month, and the extra pay I got for being assigned to the Military Assistance Advisory Group was something like $500 a month.  With our hostel (motel) costing $30 a month, and meals costing about the same, and the happy hour drinks costing 10 cents, we were able to save quite a bit of money. I paid cash for a 1957 VW when I came back.  As I remember, the car cost $1642.00 out the door at the time.

And I, who transferred to the Air Force after my 3 years was up, ended up in Thailand in 65-66 during the Viet Nam war with an F105 fighter squadron.

I wonder how many other graduates of Ft. Monmouth are out there?

Ron W7VU
Myrtle Point Oregon
Licensed at age 15
53 years of ham radio and still going
Retired Air Force