Sorry but I will mention some countries that I just landed in, it goes with the story. My first overseas tour in the USAF was to Turkey. I flew via JFK airport NY, to Frankfort Germany, to Paris France, to Rome Italy, to Istanbul Turkey and stayed overnight there. The next day I along with two other airmen took a train halfway across Turkey to Eskisehir Turkey, and that is a whole story by its self. I spent a year there with a small detachment on a Turkish AFB. That was an adventure, the Turkish people were good and if you made a friend they would do anything for you. I was still very glad to leave at the end of my year.
My second tour overseas was to SEA, we thought we were going to Viet Nam, our orders were blank for anywhere in SEA. Fifteen of us, civil engineer type, left Wright Pat AFB, OH and went to Travis AFB, CA for a week of jungle training. We met another fifteen from Alamogordo AFB, NM and flew together leaving from San Francisco CA. We landed in Okinawa, Guam and then Viet Nam. We stayed overnight there and the next day flew to Bangkok Thailand. There we were flown to Tahkli Thai AFB. We spent three months there and built a barracks complex of 30-10 man NCO barracks complete with power, running water and sewage. We worked 12 hours a day 7 days a week with two three day passes during the 3 months.
The Thai people were very pleasant; we hired about 120 of the local people to help us build the barracks.
Coming home we took a train from Tahkli to Bangkok, they set us up in a hotel and we had a week off to sightsee and have a little rest and recuperation. From there we flew to Clark Field, Philippines. It was at night and a bus met us at the plane and took us to the NCO club where they fed us a steak dinner; we could have filet mignon or T-bone. I think the USAF did this for all people leaving SEA at that time. From there we flew to Honolulu Hawaii. It was a beautiful sunny day and we got off the plane for 20 minutes! I can always say I spent 20 minutes in Hawaii! From there we flew to San Francisco.
My wife went to Hawaii for a week after she graduated, that was before it was the 50th state. Just before we got married she went on a trip to Europe and visited six countries. Our daughter went to the University of Mexico in Cholula for a month as part of her journey to a master deg. in Spanish. We went down for the last week and she came home with us. Now this was not a resort and it was an experience! I think about the worst vacation we had but still an experience and a great memory for us.
Most all of my overseas travel was courtesy of the taxpayer! It was not all fun but a lifetime experience I would not trade for anything! Thanks to all of you! I got to see a lot of scenery and met a lot of good people! I only lack the distance between Ankara Turkey and Bangkok Thailand of being around the world; a little over 4,000 miles. I don’t think I will ever be able to complete it.
Smokin Don
