I put up the first edition of this site on 20 March 2004 on a Comcast residential account. Since then it has moved to a somewhat more permanent commercial home.
Sad as it is to use a Web cliche from the dawn of net.time, it is still "under construction" in that I'm still sporadically scanning pictures, putting them here, cleaning up some of the images, fixing the faded colors, and trying to figure out how the structure will eventually look. There's a lot more to come, eventually.
If you find something that interests you or otherwise feel the need to communicate, I can be contacted by sending email to mdr at frisco-tx.net.
These images are scans of prints made in our primitive makeshift darkroom at CJFM on whatever paper we could scrounge -- mostly Number 5 Aero photo paper.
Unfortunately, all of the negatives were in an M-60 ammo can that was stolen from me in Independence, Missouri in 1971. I imagine that the impressive steel box was the desirable item, and the photographs, dog tags, medals and other insignificant personal trivia were something to be tossed casually into the trash. (Hi, Tony! Hope you enjoyed the spoils!)
Such is life.
Here are some broad views of Camp John F. McDermott in late 1970, including a couple of panorama shots near HQ 459th Signal Battalion.
Here are some more views of CJFM.
Here are a few shots of some mascots at the 459th, including SP5 Clyde, Bullshit the Motor Pool Dog, and the First Shirt's ducks. I kid you not.
Some fairly large images of a view of the compound at theTin-Lanh school site near Nha-Trang. I was particularly struck by the variety of unexpected persons and objects in this shot.
To the late, lamented Colonel David Hackworth I owe more than I could ever have repaid.