Kunsan Air Base, Korea
Arrival of the "New-Bee Bus" by the Recreational Center at Kunsan Air Base, Korea during a Base Exercise. New-Bee's are being met by their respective squadron sponors and taken to their squadrons and dormitorys.
Many proud Red Horse men passed under this Arch-Way on their way to work, back to the dorm, TDY to other bases, and just going down to A-Town or Kunsan City also known as the Ville.
This is a picture of SSgt Richard Watson a Administrative Technicion with Det.#1, 554th Red Horse Squadron in 1981. Rich is wearing chemical gear and has a M-16 training rifle cut out plywood. We had a lot of chemical exercises at Kunsan Air Base back in those days in which Red Horse participated with the base. To save time of issuing-out, cleaning, then turning back in our M-16 rifles the commander decided to cut plywood look-a-likes out of plywood for exercise training. Tiime saved could then be used on the many construction projects that we had going at Kunsan Air Base during this period of time.
Of course before Horsemen went down town they would have to exchange some of their green backs (dollars) for the locale Korean currency. Above is a picture of the Korean Won that is used when making purchases down town. In those days we figured about 500 Won to a dollar.
TSgt Joe Murphy, Red Horse Construction Heavy Equipment Supervisor (now a retired SMSgt and living in Hawaii) checking out his tractor trailer in the Red Horse Compound at Kunsan Air Base.
This is Red Horse's Mack Tractors with the Drop Bed Trailers lined up and ready to go "On the Road Again" (like Willy Nelson sings) at a moments notice. Picture was taken in the Red Horse Compound at Kunsan Air Base, Korea.
SSgt Johnny Evans, Red Horse Interior Electrician. During WW II Johnny was a Japanese Prisoner Of War in the Phillipines. Johnny was one of the few survivors of the Battan Death March in the Phillipines. Johnny served his country in the United States Army during World War II. It was our privliage to have had Johnny in Red Horse and to have served with him. Johnny was a real fine person and knowing him and having him in RED HORSE was an honor for all of us at Det# 1.
SMSgt Wayland Davis was our Operations Manager for Detachment#1, 554CESHR, Red Horse at Kunsan Air Base, Korea. We could never get enough done to satisfy SMSgt Davis. Even though Sgt Davis was hard to please, we did learn a lot from him that was used later on during our careers in the Air Force. SMSgt Wayland Davis made CMSgt and retired in Florida near the city of Freeport in the Panhandle of Florida.
SSgt Dave Beistel, Red Horse Engineering Assistant Technition. Dave just couldn't make TSgt and was starting to become discouraged with the Air Force. He was in a very competative career field. So one day he got to figuring up how much college credits he had and soon realized he almost had enough for a bachlors degree. So Dave submitted a request to be considered for the Boot Strap Commissioning Program. Upon being accepted he finished his college education requirements, received his bachlors degree, and was promoted in the Officer Corps. Last we heard he made it to Major. May have went higher. Good show Dave.
TSgt Jim Whitney, Red Horse Pavements Maintenance Supervisor sitting in front of the Airfields Office at Kunsan Air Base. Jim retired in the SanAntonio, Texas area. I heard that he took over his mother's bar down there.
If you had a bycycle at Kunsan to get around on---Then it isn't too bad when there is an Alert Exercise. Even with all of the war gear that you were required to wear.
Yes, this is me, MSgt Robert "Andy" Anderson sitting on a bench outside of the Red Horse Lounge. Red Horse Carpenter Shop is in the background of this picture. Taken at Kunsan Air Base, Korea.
MSgt Brian Kelling at his desk in the Red Horse Head Shed at Kunsan Air Base, Korea. Brian retired in the Panama City, Florida area from the Air Force and has also retired from civil service. Brian worked for the Base Disaster Prepardness Flight at Tyndall Air Force Base while he was in civil service.
Here we have Mr. Kim grinding a piece of metal in the Red Horse Plumbing Shop at Detachment 1, Kunsan Air Base, Korea.
SSgt Marc Berube just finishing putting a new interior door in the Airfields Office at Kunsan Air Base. Marc said, "Now that looks like a good place for a new door to our dispatcher's office", then he swung his crow bar and started tearing out the sheet rock partion to make a new entry way into the other room. Berube was known for his little escapades while at Kunsan, but he was a very good technicion and it was reflected in the projects that he supervised.
In this picture Marc Berube the one with the pony tail and gotee. Marc works for CH2M Hill Constructors Branch, an Operation and Maintenance Contactor for the 8th Civil Engineering Squadron at Kunsan Air Base, Korea. Photo was submitted by Marc Berube.
At all Red Horse Projects a sign was erected to let people know who the Project Manager and Assistant Project Manager were and what was being constructed at that sight. This is TSgt Berube's Rifle Range Project Sign at Kunsan Air Base, Korea.
This is a picture of TSgt Berube's Rifle Range Project that he was in charge of constructing at Kunsan Air Base. It was constructed in a ravein and a large burm of dirt was placed at the low end, which was the end where the targets where located at. The burm kept bullets from going out over the water which would make it hazardous for ships and fishing vessels.
This is a picture of a Red Horse Stamp that we would place in projects were we used concrete. By this you can tell that Red Horse built the Rifle Range and when we finished the project.
In this photo MSgt Robert "Andy" Anderson is busy teaching Red Horse personnel on how to lay concrete slabs for crator repairs on the runway and in the operation of the crator skreed machine that cuts and levels the fill material that was placed and compacted in the crator so that the top of the concrete slabs when placed in position will lay flush with the top of the runway.
SSgt Buck Austin is shown here banding material at Pad 39 on Kunsan Air Base. Pad 39 was a fenced in area on Kunsan Air Base, Korea where Red Horse kept old pre used metal buildings and revetments that we constructed throughout the base. Most of these old metal buildings and spare parts were brought to Korea from Utapao Air Base,Thailand. We dissembled buildings at Utapao and shipped them to Korea before we left Thailand.
In this photo one of our Red Horse Welders is repairing one of those old metal truss'e so we can use it on a new project that we were tasked to construct.
Red Horse is making what is called a monolithic pour of concrete. A monolithic pour is where the footer and floor slab is all poured at one time. The concrete is being placed here so that a building can be built onto it. It is located behind the Oriental House Resteraunt at Kunsan Air Base.
This is where the Airfields men (Heavy Equipment Operators and Pavements Technicians) formed up in the mornings for their daily work assignments. In Detachment# 1 of Red Horse the Airfields Shop consisted of Heavy Equipment Operators and Pavements Technicians.
These are some of the Horsemen that worked in the Airfields Section in Red Horse at Kunsan Air Base, Korea. Looks like they are wondering what they should do with the Front-End-Loader that is parked in the back ground. Sgt Elshere the short horseman on the right side seems to think he knows.
Here you can see some of the heavy equipment that the Airfields Section used on projects at Kunsan. Notice the yellow backhoe--It was borrowed from Kunsan's Civil Engineering Squadron. Red Horse and the base civil engineering squadron had a good working relationship and would often borrow one another's heavy equipoment.
SSgt Baird was one of our sharp Horseman in Detachment 1 at Kunsan Air Base, Korea.
Mr Kim was in charge of the Red Horse Carpenter Shop at Kunsan. His family lived near Kwangju City which was about a three hour trip from Kunsan. So Mr Kim only went home on weekends.
SSgt Richard Thompson was one of Red Horse's more knowledgeable Horsemen when it came to erecting pre-engineered metal buildings. We relied on SSgt Thompson heavily on his expertise in this area while he was at Kunsan.
Lietenant Udall was one of Red Horse's engineers stationed at Kunsan Air Base.
In this picture one of the Horsemen that is due to rotate back to the states gets doused with water at one of our monthly hail and fairwell parties in the Red Horse Compound at Kunsan Air Base.
This is another picture of a Red Horse Hail and Fairwell Party at Kunsan. MSgt Mandeville the Airfields Superintendent is wearing the brown western style hat. In the background CMSgt Wayland Davis is talking with the Red Horse Squadron Commander, Colonel Sims.
SSgt Larry Slack is standing on the left in this picture. Larry spent many years in Korea and in the 554th Red Horse Squadron, Detachment# 1 at Kunsan Air Base, Korea. Larry was a Pavements Maintenance Technician and was our Concrete Batch Plant Operator. Standing with Sgt Slack is TSgt Waldera who was an exceptional Heavy Equipment Operator. Sgt Waldera has also spent a considerable time in Korea.
This is a picture of a road on Kunsan Air Base. Check out the heavy snow fall. The Yellow Sea can be seen on the horizon. Photo was submitted from Marc Berube.
This is down town Kunsan City, Korea. A fairly large city that is built along the Yellow Sea on the west coast of the Korean Peninsula. Kunsan is an industrial city that manufactures plywood, steel fishing ships and many other things. It also has a deep water port and merchant ships from all over the world bring their goods into Kunsan.
One of the back roads of Kunsan City where Red Horse would go and buy tailor made jackets, suits and other types clothing. As I recall, Mr Kim's Taylor Shop was just down the road past that tall building on the right.
A small family owned and operated store in Kunsan City that is open for business with merchandise on display in front of the store.
Notice the bycyclelists manuvering around the vehicles in one of the smaller streets in Kunsan City.
In this photograph of a Kunsan Street a bycylelist is crossing the street in front of a couple of Korean cars.
In this picture you can see a person pushing a honey cart (human waste). When you see one of those coming down the road towards you, it is very wise to cut up an alley, or if the wind is right to get on the other side of the street so you don't get too strong of a whiff of it's contents.
If you were going to do a lot of shopping down town, then you would surely want some of these larger Korean WON Notes in your billfold.
Notice the church steeple in the picture. Kunsan residents, and most of the South Korean population are mostly of the Christian faith. Early Sunday mornings you can hear the church bells ringing through out the countryside inviting everyone to come and worship in their sanctuaries. Haven't heard those bells in the United States of America since I was a young person. What is wrong with this picture???
This is the Ferry that the residents of Kunsan City used to get to the other side of the Bay so that they could catch a train to other locations within Korea. The other nearest Train Station was in Iri, Korea but that was an hour and a half ride on the bus to get there. The Ferry makes it across the bay in about 15 minutes.
This is a picture of a grocery store in Kunsan City. Notice in front of the store nearest the street, the stacks of dried fish that are tied together.
In this picture you can see what it is like during the rice planting season at Kunsan City. This is on the outskirts of the city where you will find a lot of rice fields in the spring and summer months.
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