"If ever there was a desolate place, this island was it! We were billeted with an Air Force unit (I believe their mission was ELINT). There was some ROK Marines and Rok Air Force also on the island. ROK Air Force also had a DF site, and we were always having to help them out with technical assistance. We went into their hut, but would not allow them into our hut". -Neil Peircey, March 2008 email.
Note: One spelling for the Island's name appears to be Paeng Yang-do
Following Extracted from email received from Neil Piercey March 2008:
I was at Camp Humphries on the mainland for a few months in 1962. We had a site there that was located at the end of the base runway. The base was primarily for an Army Transportation unit that had the big banana shaped helicopters and the large choppers with retractable wheels. Their mission was transporting large supplies and equipment. I was then assigned to Det A, P-Y-Do, Korea.
If ever there was a desolate place, this island was it! We were billeted with an Air Force unit (I believe their mission was ELINT). There was some ROK Marines and Rok Air Force also on the island. ROK Air Force also had a DF site, and we were always having to help them out with technical assistance. We went into their hut, but would not allow them into our hut.
There was supposed to be a full contingent of 12 of us on the island, However, most of the time we were short handed. We had our DF Ops, 1 electronic maintenance, John Cook, and an NCOIC, Sgt Miller.
We were supplied once per month via an LST. This boat brought in our heavy supplies, also our beer and booze stock for the Club. Once per week, a C-47 would come in and land on the beach with mail, light supplies and personnel. During the winter, ice floes would be on the beach and we would miss supply runs during those weeks. In addition to being desolate, this place was very cold during the winter!
There was another island about 5 miles north of us, which was North Korea. During calibration, we could look at that island through the transit and see the guns that seemed to be pointed right at our hut.
One night we got a message to go on Red Alert, not a drill. Our SOP was full battle gear, ammo on person, not loaded. Since we could not receive AFN, we had no idea what was going on for a day or so, but was eventually notified that President.Kennedy was facing the Soviets down because of missiles in Cuba. Since we had already been told that we were expendable, these were some anxious days.
Click either image or here to go to Neil Piercey's excellent photo album of P-Y-do.
There was no better duty in the Army than being an 056 in an outstation. We were away from the company and the officers, no chicken stuff. Sometimes we lived off of the economy. Almost always a small detachment with few other GIs around. We got to know the local people, some language (maybe), a little about their culture. We wore civvies at any time we were not on duty and usually became very close to the people that we were serving with, with some notable exceptions. I hope you can use some of these photos.
Keep up good work
Neil Piercey"
For more about the DF Detachment Dave Johnson's page about the detachment and Island in the mid-fifties is very good.