There were over a thousand men on the base. I was in the Headquarters and Service Company which provided food, clothing, shelter, recreation, and administration for all the men, Major William Russell commanding (a good man who saved me once or twice-from myself and from another major.).

It was a large company, with over 300 men. We also had a platoon of Military Police, who provided security. I was mess officer and had 22 additional assigned duties, among which were: postal officer, recreation officer, safety officer, special servicesofficer, theater officer, craft shop and library officer. But Judy was the real LIBRARY DIRECTOR and was employed by the Department of Defense to run our library at Torii Station, which was the name of our base.

That is Colonel Gant between Judy and me. My, how we puffed away in those days. Sometimes we were expected to wear dress blues, sometimes dress whites, but since I had no dress whites, and because I was a reservist, I was excused and wore a dinner jacket.

This is Jim Davidson, a second lieutenant like me. We socialized a lot. At one Hail and Farewell Jim stood up in the banquet hall with 500 people present and proposed a toast: "THE ARMY EATS IT ON A BUN!" Fortunately, the crowd was noisy and only we lieutenants heard him. We bundled him out of there and back to his BOQ (batchelor officers' quarters). Jim had to choose a Harvard or a Yale law school scholarship. We never heard what he finally decided because we left quite suddenly.

When Captain Herb Decker was ordered to a new asignment, he was given his own farewell party. He is at the far right. He was a much liked man. I am at the far left and I can't remember the names of the two fellows in the middle.