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75th/600th ASA Company
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John Perkins' Det B, 600th ASA Company after it's move to San Vito Italy Air Force FLR-9 site in 1965

Lecce Detachment Stories - The First IG

First IG (Annual Inspector General Inspection)

The only building at the old base that I got into was the remains of the comm center. There were some names on the wall and I looked all over for them and couldn't find out anything about them.

We did a little Deuce and1/2 drag racing on the old runways. Oh yes the reason I wasn't around the site much longer than I was was this: The night before our first IG visit there blew up a horrible sand and mud storm from across the Med Sea and just ripped the hell out of our nice command tent and blew down a few antennae. Well I as Det. Cdr went into Brindisi and met them at the plane and when we got to the site I exercised an NCO's prerogative and reported as not ready for inspection due to the storm. I also requested that the IG re-schedule his inspection so-as-to give us time to clean up the mess.

The IG graciously accepted and flew back to Verona to re-inspect in seven days. Well when our CO at the time, Major Shellace T (jump in the xxxxxx) Calhoun heard that he went bananas and replaced me with John Cummings and I was X-fered back to Vicenza.

What I found most gratifying was that Col. Robert C Schucraft (Chief, USASAE) also knew about it and Calhoun was replaced by Major Raymond C Young and I was immediately promoted to SSG E-6, same as Benny Sutton and I rotated to CONUS a couple or three months later. Quite a tale Huh?
Regards Ted (Rhuark - First Lecce Site Chief)

Yep, thats about the way I remember it! I don't think that mud ever came completely off stuff. It was a mess.

I remember the first time we had a ice storm on the runway and I had just arrived at the site with a 2 1/2 ton & the diesel tanker loaded to the gills with diesel, I decided to take the rig out on the runway and cut some figure 8's . I was having a ball until Cummings arrived and caught me. He gave me Hell for a few minutes and told me to find something to do.

I remember Major Young when he returned, seemed like a o.k. guy. He asked me if I needed some more bailing wire and bubble gum to help fix up the site.
(Mac (McKusick - Site Maintenance Man)