Posted on 09/16/2013 9:52:18 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Well I was there for the vulcaphoonquake and yes the place (Clark and Subic) was trashed - but as I recall the decision was already made at that point...bit fuzzy on exact dates though...I’ve got the t-shirt stashed somepleace...
We almost lost an LHA as well in Subic. All the ships were washing ash off the decks as fast as we could, but the LHA waited before commencing thinking it wouldn’t be as much as it was. By the time they commence clearing operations they were alreadying listing several degrees and straining their mooring lines. Ended up using the helo dollies as bulldozers to push it overboard as fast as they could.
We washed ash for 2 days straight in rotating crews. Electronic equipment was impaired and we continued to have issues with it for months afterward as the ash was so fine it couldn’t be properly filtered without shutting off the cooling completely - stuff was everywhere - I still have some of the larger chunks that hit me on the head.
And this all after General McArthur’s return. Ungrateful anti-colonial Marxists!
I’d rather we make PR a state, then we can exchange this democrat state (which might lean R on occasion) for a split off of Colorado or California for Republican leaning state).
You wanted the evil, belligerent, barbaric Americans out.
So we’re out.
The People’s Republic of China used armed forces to fire upon the people and shipping of the Philippines, Vietnam, and other nations who administered thse territories in accordance with international law and multilateral treaties with China for more than a third of a century. Such uses of armed forces by the PRC constitutes an invasion regardless of any outcomes from the disputes over the territories. There is an international court of law and/or the international organizations in which the disputes could be settled peacefully, meaning without military force, and China has violated its treaty obligations to do so. using armed forces to shoot its way into occupation of the disputed territories is invasion no matter how you want to look at the disputes over the territories, notwithstanding baselss denials to the contrary.
I have some bad news for you. The alligator died.
I do recall having my picture taken in front of the Christian Science Reading Room just off Magsaysay and Rizal, but I don't think anybody back home was fooled.
The idea after we were told to leave was that the Filipino contractors who ran Subic would be able to convert it into a major refit center for the Chinese ship traffic that was, at the time, doubling in size every few months. Unstated was the hope that they'd be able to charge the Chinese the same rates the U.S. was paying. The Chinese did it cheaper for themselves.
It's a great port, and it was a great shipyard (last time I was there, which was a LONG time ago now). We left some excellent and very expensive equipment - cranes, storage facilities, etc - and it could have been a gold mine, and maybe it still can, but it won't be by the Filipino Senate snapping their fingers and the U.S. Navy and Air Force coming running like pet poodles.
Is the donkey still kickin ?
I doubt it by now.
For FReepers who don't know, Clamper and I are referring to New Jolo's, which was a Disney theme park in Olongapo. Ah, many's the evening I remember watching Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Cinderella there, sipping a ginger ale and singing selections from the hymnbooks...
If our civilian leadership has the will to use the Marine Corps in the same way, we might be able achieve the same result.
Any bets on how likely that is?
The Bible class there was exceptional. Many of the hostesses were on their knees
If we invented the atom bomb today, we’d immediately turn it over to the United Nations and penalize everyone who worked on the program.
I wholly agree, the US is plain stupid to support China.
“I wholly agree, the US is plain stupid to support China.”
It makes me cynical of anything our government does; they are obviously in league with the communists (and not just under Obama; Repubs did this, too).
The base talks were in progress at the time of the eruption (June 1991) but the decision by the RP government to not renew the base agreement wasn't made until the end of the year, and by 1992 we were gone. I was in the last ARG to come to Subic while we still controlled it to backload the equipment we were keeping-BELLEAU WOOD (LHA-3), DUBUQUE (LPD-8) and SAN BERNARDINO (LST-1189).
I thought all our base are belong to them?
I was on ST LOUIS (LKA-116) at the time and we were sent to Subic after the big eruption to help with evacuation so we missed getting ash blasted. After ST LOUIS was decommed in '92 I went to SAN BERNARDINO (LST-1189), which was at Subic during the big eruption. They were slow to put filters over their intakes and ingested quite a bit of volcanic ash inside the ship which caused problems with main engines and generators for a long time after. Doing fresh water washdowns two years after we would find ash still coming out of cracks and crevasses on the weather decks. It was literally everywhere.
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