[R-390] Ft. Devens R390 training

[Flowertime01 at wmconnect.com]

Steve,

I do not know what an FLR-9 is. I just do not remember the designation.

In 71 - 73, I did not know of a big elephant cage antenna at Devens. 
These things are huge, they put whole two story operations
buildings inside them. I do not know what there military designation was.

A smaller circular antenna maybe 500 foot across and a bunch of vertical
antenna poles used for Direction finding, were pretty much mobile units.
I do not know the military designation for this one either.

They had at least one set up for the training DF operators and maintenance 
techs.
It was over in what you now call the national guard area. There would likely 
be
nothing left to identify that site. Just another open field with power lines 
to it.

There were two gates to Fort Devens from Ayer.

Between Shirley and Ayer was the main gate.
About a 1/4 mile in the gate and to the right side was a quadrant of 
buildings and a parade ground. The buildings were concrete brick. had open porches 
around the inside of the quad. The parade ground was across the street from the 
quad buildings.
These were WW I hospital buildings and considered haunted. I have heard these 
have all been torn down.

About a 1/4 mile in the gate and to the left up the road that went right 
between the school house quad and the parade field was the way to the old WW II 
barracks.
There were some brick senior NCO housing in the area.

The old wood two story buildings were the students stayed. I was down there
for a year in 68, 69. A mess hall called Connies served at least 4,000 guys
every day. It was consolidated mess #4. It was the only one left a Devens 
then.

This indicated that once upon a time there were at least 3 others serving as 
many
other guys. The barracks were whole big block. 

We use to walk over to the base fence along the rail road yards and into Ayer
from the barracks. The rail yard at Ayer was huge. All kinds of logistical 
stuff coming in and out of Devens during WW II. By the 70's it was all down 
sized.

ASA had the school house there for 05 dittiies, 98 traffic analysis and 33 
radio maintenance. We were all of course in the collection business.

About a mile up the road from the main Ayer Gate on a hill top was the new 
barracks built in the late 60's and early 70's. This road continued across post 
to Route 2  the "back gate."

Did you know Goddard launched the first liquid fuel rockets from Ft Devens.
That site was near the golf course. The gold course was considered one of the 
best in the state. Every politician and business exec that could wangle a 
base pass wanted to come out and play a few holes. If was built by the army corp. 
of engineers. There was a good size stockade on base that provided lots of 
labor to keep the greens.



What was considered the old hospital area over by Shirley is now a state 
prison.
There was a gate over there called Shirley Gate.

Do you know where the other area was off post used for Vietnam Training.
John Wayne filmed the Green Brett over there. Every one coming out of school 
had to spend a week in the "bush" over there before getting "out of school" 
and assigned to a duty station. Yes Sir, I understand a week of January at Ft 
Devens
is just like July in Viet Nam Sir. I am sure I will learn some very useful 
escape and
evasion lessons Sir. We were remfs, knew we were remfs, If things were going 
so bad in the war that us remfs were about to be captured, we were wondering 
about the leadership being taught at the 90 day OCS wonder school.