Memories of Jim Gannon
I was stationed at Camp King in 1970 and 1971, in the days of TRANSCOMEUR and MCA. When I arrived, I was the lowest ranking officer for what seemed like forever. There was no bachelor officer's quarters so I had to live "on the economy" with two other LTs, Steve Robeson and Bob Tate. I was assigned as OIC, Sea Container Control. Sounds impressive, doesn't it? We monitored the progress of sea containers from when they arrived in country to when they were unloaded at a depot and returned to the shipping company. I supervised about 10 or 12 guys who processed telex reports showing each container number and activity dates. Each morning, my boss, Major "Moose" Meshinsky, wouId pore over the printout and use a red pencil to circle blank spaces on the report. "Find out what's taking so long to unload, Lieutenant" (Language cleaned up to protect young readers) Same deal every day, war was hell!
The building
with the bowling alley on the second floor also had the armory on the ground floor I
believe. The only time a saw a rifle was once a month there would be a
"alert". Combat units throughout Germany would saddle up and move out to
their positions. We at CK would get a phone call about 3 or 4 am and report to
camp. We'd draw a rifle, go to our office, put the rifle in the corner, drink some
coffee, and wait for the alert to be over.
Anyway, we rented the top half of a house about 30 minutes from CK and had lots of
parties. Tate was the Club officer and I spent many hours in that building. It
had heavy wood beams and woodwork adorned with metalwork containing swastikas. We
played 'fussball" for hours, or worked the three slot machines. The fussball
games cost a nickel or two but we soon discovered that a pfenning piece worked just as
well. The club holds special memories for me since my wedding reception was
held there. Franz was the bartender, of course. A man named Fred, was the
manager I believe. Both he and Franz told us their war stories. Fred told us about
marching and guard duty at the Arch D'Triumph.
My wedding was
held in the 15th century Catholic church in Oberursel, we wore dress blues and went under
the swords, and then rode a coach with four white horses up to the club at CK. It
was all very fairytale like. To get married at that time, you had to get married by
a German judge then you could have a religious service if you wanted. Fred served as
my interpreter with the judge. He told the judge that he had done this so often with
GI's that he could recite the proceedings with no help from him!
Once married, my wife and I moved into an apartment in Frankfurt vacated by another LT who
moved to CK when married quarters became available for him. A German judge and his
wife lived on the first floor, we lived on the second, and the family's daughter, who
spoke perfect English, lived on the third floor. I bought bourbon and scotch at the
PX and traded for wine with the judge. He had been an officer in the war, was
captured and spent 7 years in a Russian POW camp and was one of the lucky ones who
returned. He and his wife were wonderful to us newlyweds.
I stayed at Camp King for about year and a half, then was transferred to Frankfurt where I
worked for a short time in the I.G. Farben building with the famous "paternoster'
elevators. I also worked at Rein Main airbase for a time. All and all an
interesting and enjoyable tour of duty. Especially so, considering the alternatives
on the other side of the world at that time.