New Postings
Re-Engineered Web Site
Launch Date - 01/14/2010
New Postings Begin Today
On January 13, 2010 (Yesterday), I 'Posted'
the last 'Post' to the 'Open Web Site' -
http://www.trabzonairstation.com . As promised when this
project began, the Site has been on air for five years. A select few
Trabzon Veterans provided the 'Financial Support' for this venture. I have
asked for small 'gifts' through the years and have received very little
response. We are now retired and living on a fixed income such that I can
not afford to keep my many 'Web Sites' 'On-Air' any longer. I have planted
or 'Parked' the remainders of the two 'Web Sites' - this 'Site' and -
http://www.trabzonairstation.net on an inexpensive 'Server'.
They will remain accessible for 2 to 5 years. I will attempt to provide a
'Conduit' or 'Connective Service' through these 'Parked Sites'. I will
provide a 'Message Board' and attempt to relay messages to Trabzon Veterans.
Email me with 'Messages' and I will attempt to 'Post' them on the 'Message
Board'.
Bill 'Smokey' Stover - 01/14/2010
_________________________________
Posted - September 3, 2008
I have started updating. I have
'Posted' 2 'New Arrivals'. Today, I worked on the 'Email System'. I
have to spend the next few days earning some $$$ so I will be back at my Trabzon
Air Station 'Work Station' in a few days. Please use the next link to go
to the 'Duty Roster Email' page.
http://www.trabzonairstation.net/dutyrostermenu.htm
. Please email me at -
wstover@trabzonairstation.net :
especially if your name is followed by an (E). I will return your email
with 'Email Access' information. Eventually, all 'Duty Roster' 'Veterans'
will have whatever access they desire. For now, I am hoping to use those
already qualified as 'Members' to help me 'Launch' the 'Email System' as the
first step in privatizing this new Web Site.
Thanks for your support, keep in touch,
Bill 'Smokey' Stover - Trabzon Air Station
Veteran - 1962/1963
_________________________________
Posted - September 2, 2008
I am finding that many of the pages from
the old site are becoming a problem when reformatting to the new html pages that
I am creating in the 'New Site'. I knew this would happen. I also
knew that it would take some time to complete the reformatting and move to
the 'New Site'. I have just reformatted the 'Duty Roster' in order to
facilitate ease of 'Posting' of 'New Trabzon Veterans' to the 'Duty Roster'.
I have 'Posted 2 'Recently Found' 'Trabzon Veterans' to the 'Duty Roster'.
I will mark 'New Arrivals' with -*/*-
http://www.trabzonairstation.net/dutyroster.htm .
Thanks and bear with, keep in touch,
Bill 'Smokey' Stover - Trabzon Air Station
Veteran - 1962/1963
_________________________________
Posted - August 30, 2008
_________________________________
I have received dozens of emails in the 6
months just passed. I have at least a dozen to add to the 'Duty Roster'.
I have been exchanging emails, in recent days, with Lonnie (Kyle) 'Tony'
Anthony. Through this email exchange, the questions about the
'Napkin/Drink Mat and questions about life before the base were answered.
Jerry Mangas sent the latest copy of the 'card' from 1963. Apparently the
card was designed at least 5 years before and it was designed for the original
'Club Kismet'. I am placing the 'dialogue' here for your reading.
Hi,
I'm Lonnie "Tony" Anthony. I was at Trabzon in 1957-58, pre-base era. From there
I returned to Syracuse for intermediate language training and then was at Samsun
in 1959-60. From there I returned to Syracuse for advanced language, where I got
married. Didn't know this website was on the net.
Tony,
Sometimes an email falls through the cracks. I’m sorry I
lost/missed your email for a month. I am busy at my Trabzon Air Station
workstation. I have just published
http://www.trabzonairstation.net . Check out the new site. I will be
privatizing the new site in a few months. Get back to me ASAP so that I can
place you on the ‘Duty Roster’ at the new site. You told me the year/s that you
were there. Just email me with the dates of arrival and departure and your rank
at departure and I will place you in chronological order on the ‘Duty Roster’.
http://www.trabzonairstation.net/dutyroster.htm . I have had a number of
Web Sites up for 3 years now while collecting data for my book and ‘Content’
that tells the ‘Trabzon Story’. Conversations and Communications for the 3
years is archived on the following pages.
http://www.trabzonairstation.net/veryoldpostings.htm
http://www.trabzonairstation.net/oldpostings.htm -
http://www.trabzonairstation.net/recentpostings.htm -
http://www.trabzonairstation.net/postings.htm . You will also find a lot of
information on my own ‘Enterprise’ Web Site.
http://www.smokeystover.com .
http://www.trabzonairstation.com will go out of business in about 3 months,
when I get
http://www.trabzonairstation.net completed.
Thanks for checking in, come back with your info, keep in touch,
Bill ‘Smokey’ Stover – Trabzon Air Station Veteran – 1962/1963
Bill, or do you
prefer Smokey?
I arrived at
Trabzon in November 1957 from Syracuse via NSA at Ft. Meade and ASA at Ft.
Devens, Mass. Departed in November 1958 when I returned to Syracuse for
intermediate language training. I was at Trab when we were still on the local
economy so I never saw the base. I and 3 others rented a house in an area called
Sok Su (cold water). I was at Samsun from October 1959 until October 1960 and
wanted to visit Trab but never got the chance.
Oh, I was an
A/2c (E3) for my entire tour at Trab.
Smokey,
Was just
browsing your web and saw the card from the old Club Kismet. I am the one who
designed that card and named the club. When I was at Trab the orderly room was
upstairs and the club and PX was downstairs in a two story building on the road
at the bottom of Boztepe.
Lonnie K.
Anthony
"Tony"
_________________________________
Posted - August 29, 2008
_________________________________
http://www.pbase.com/dosseman/trabzon
The link above takes you to one of those
sites that I look at often to find Trabzon Veterans. This site has
hundreds of beautiful photos of the Trabzon area and from all over Turkey.
This site, as is
http://www.trabzonairstation.net is not in
competition with any other site. The Web Manager is trying to get as much
as he can to his audience. I have the same hope. I only wish to find
as many Trabzon Veterans as possible so they can share their individual Trabzon
experience with all other Trabzon Veterans.
Bill 'Smokey' Stover
_________________________________
Posted - August 29, 2008
_________________________________
Just like all other 'Web
Sites', this site will go through its life cycle and 'disappear' before it is
completed. I am working hard to 'finish' this 'new' 'Web Site'. I continue my
search for 'Trabzon Veterans' that can be added to our 'Duty Roster'. I am
amazed to find 'dozens' of Trabzon Air Station Veterans who check in with other
'Web Sites' and never check in with us.
http://www.trabzonairstation.com and now -
http://www.trabzonairstation.net are at the top of
http://www.google.com
- http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&aq=t&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4ADBR_enUS276US276&q=Trabzon+Air+Station
. I really don't understand why they don't check in. I am behind in
my 'Postings' of new 'Trabzon Veterans'. ASAP, I will add about a dozen or so
new Vets to the 'Duty Roster' on this new site. Only one year within the 'Life
Cycle' of Trabzon Air Station is still not represented (1955). I have just
today read the comments, on another web site, of a Trabzon Vet from 1955. I
have made another appeal to a number of sites for those who frequent them to
check in with us. I will continue my search as I ready the new site for
privatization.
Thanks for your great
'Content', keep in touch,
Bill
'Smokey' Stover - Trabzon Air Station Veteran - 1962/63
_________________________________
Posted - August 20, 2008
_________________________________
Welcome Aboard !!!! I have worked my
backside off for the best part of two months to put up a great Web Site.
It has been more difficult than I would have ever imagined. This 'Site' is
about 75% of what it should be. I will be refining its functionality for
about three months before it will be up to spec. Now that the 'Skeleton'
is up and running, I will be adding in all of the 'New' 'Duty Roster' Veterans
and a truckload of 'New Content'. Please 'Bear With' until I can get
caught up. Keep sending new stuff.
My 'Systems' have crashed for a multitude
of reasons such as lightning hits, power failures, viruses, misuse, and others
during our three years of communications. My address book has been lost at
least three times. I have lost many of your addresses and many of your
addresses have changed. As you access this new system, please email me
with your latest email address so that I can communicate with you. Thanks
for your support and great content.
I have spent most of the last few days
testing this 'New Site'. I have accessed the site from newer WinVista/HP
systems, from older WinXP/Compaq/HomeBrew systems and very old Win2000 systems.
I have found that access is pretty quick on all systems but 'Page' and
'Document' loads are very good with 'Newer Systems' with more recent 'Browsers'
and 'Up to Date' 'Adobe Acrobat Readers' and 'More Memory' and 'Faster Hard
Drives'. If you have problems or experience 'Slow Response' you may want
to upgrade, especially your 'Browser' and/or your 'Adobe Reader'. For
older WinXP systems, Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 is available and for newer
WinVista systems, MIE 7 is available, both through Microsoft Downloads.
The latest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader for your PC/OpSys is available from
Adobe Systems :
http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html
The following are the first two emails that
were 'Posted' to the original 'Trabzon Information Gathering Site'. I want
to thank both Gene Wolter and Jeff Duvall for helping 'Kick-Off' the almost three years of 'Trabzon
Veteran Dialog' that has made this site a real 'Memory Jar' for all who once
lived on 'Boztepe'.
__________________________________
For Publication:
Bill 'Smokey' Stover
-
I
received this message from Gene on November 18, 2005. At that time my Web Sites
were not ready for Posting. I am catching up today. I do apologize to Gene and
I know that anyone that spent time in Trabzon will enjoy this communications.
Thanks Gene.
DEAR SMOKEY,
IT APPEARS WE SPENT SOME TIME TOGETHER IN TRABZON. I WAS THERE FROM LATE 1961
TO APRIL 1963. I FIND IT ASTOUNDING THAT TWO PEOPLE CAN BE IN THE SAME PLACE AT
THE SAME TIME AND GO AWAY WITH SUCH DISPARATE OBSERVATIONS. I ALSO FIND IT
DISHEARTENING BECAUSE I KNOW, DEEP DOWN, THAT MOST OF THE GUYS WHO WENT THROUGH
TRAB PROBABLY FEEL MUCH AS YOU DO.
I WAS ALL OF 17 YEARS OLD WHEN I ARRIVED IN TRABZON. I WAS ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE
YOU CLASSIFIED AS EITHER "VERY ADVENTUROUS OR VERY IGNORANT", BECAUSE I HAD MADE
MY FIRST TURKISH FRIEND WITHIN A WEEK OF MY ARRIVAL. SADI IS NEITHER A
FUNDAMENTAL MOSLEM NOR IS HE UNEDUCATED. I SPEAK OF HIM IN THE PRESENT, BECAUSE
WE STILL SEE EACH OTHER OFTEN - BOTH HERE IN THE STATES AND IN TURKEY. HE NOW
LIVES MOST OF THE YEAR IN NEW YORK CITY WITH HIS WIFE AND THREE SONS - A DOCTOR,
A LAWYER AND AN INVESTMENT BANKER. I GUESS NONE OF THE BOYS WANTED TO BE A
EUROPEAN EDUCATED ENGINEER LIKE THEIR FATHER.
SADI WAS NOT MY ONLY TURKISH FRIEND. OVER FIFTEEN MONTHS, I HAD THE PLEASURE OF
MEETING MANY OTHER FINE LOCAL MEN AND WOMEN IN TRABZON. IN FACT, IN 1992, MANY
OF THE SUCCESSFUL TURKISH WORKERS FROM BOZTEPE HELD A LARGE THIRTY YEAR REUNION
AT THE SKI RESORT ON ULUDAG MOUNTAIN NEAR BURSA. I WAS THE ONLY NATIVE BORN
AMERICAN TO BE INVITED AND TO ATTEND. THE PARTICIPANTS AT THE REUNION WERE THE
SAME PEOPLE WHO WORKED IN THE MOTOR POOL, FOR TUMPANE OR FOR PERSONNEL
SERVICES. BY 1992, HOWEVER, MANY OF THEM HAD GROWN TO LEAD SOME OF TURKEY'S
MORE IMPORTANT COMPANIES. I AM STILL IN TOUCH WITH MANY OF THEM ON A LESS
REGULAR BASIS.
I WAS ALSO GIVEN THE PRIVILEGE OF HONORARY MEMBERSHIP IN THE TRABZON SPORT
CLUB. THE CITY'S SOCCER TEAM WAS HIGHLY REGARDED IN BOTH TURKEY AND EUROPE. TO
THIS DAY, TRABZON STARS PLAY FOR MILLIONS OF DOLLARS ON SOME OF THE BEST SOCCER
TEAMS IN EUROPE. AT THE 1962 REUNION, THE TURK'S SPOKE BOASTFULLY OF MY SOCCER
EXPLOITS. THEY ALL CLEARLY REMEMBERED THE TIME I HAD KICKED THE BALL SO HARD I
KNOCKED OUT YILMAZ, THE TEAMS HIGHEST REGARDED NATIONAL PLAYER. I LOVE THE
STORY, BUT UNFORTUNATELY, THEY ALL REMEMBER IT INCORRECTLY. I WAS, AT BEST, A
POOR PLAYER - AND YILMAZ KNOCKED ME OUT. I THOUGHT IT SERVED NO PURPOSE TO
ENLIGHTEN THEM ON THE TRUE EVENTS.
IT IS UNFORTUNATE THAT YOU - AND MANY OTHER GI'S - FELT "COMPLETELY
SEPARATED FROM OUR COUNTRY, OUR FAMILIES, OUR VALUE SYSTEM, IN MOST CASES OUR
RELIGION, OUR WAY OF LIFE AND FROM THE PROTECTION OF OUR GOVERNMENT AND OUR
JUSTICE SYSTEM".
I FELT THAT THE AIR FORCE DID A PRETTY GOOD JOB OF BRINGING AMERICA TO TRABZON.
BETWEEN OUR AFEX, SNACK BAR, NCO CLUB, MOVIE HOUSE (AND GYM), RADIO STATION AND
BOWLING ALLEY, WE HAD MORE ACCOMMODATIONS THAN MOST AMERICAN SMALL TOWNS AT THAT
TIME. WE HAD A PROTESTANT CHAPLAIN, A LOCAL ITALIAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND A
VISITING RABBI. I WONDER HOW MANY SMALL TOWNS IN TENNESSEE COULD BOAST THAT IN
1962.
THE FIRST SERGEANT AND BASE COMMANDER DID A PRETTTY GOOD JOB OF GETTING
INDISCREET GI'S OUT OF SCRAPES. I KNOW, SINCE I HAD PICKED UP TURKISH PRETTY
QUICKLY AND WAS OFTEN ASKED TO INTERPRET FOR SOME OF THE MORE DELICATE
SITUATIONS. FOR THE MOST PART, HOWEVER, I FELT THAT THE LOCAL TURKISH
POPULATION WAS QUITE UNDERSTANDING OF THE FACT THAT MOST OF THE GI'S WERE YOUNG,
INEXPERIENCED, HOMESICK AND OCCASIONALLY PRONE TO DRINK A LITTLE TOO MUCH. MOST
OF THE STORIES ABOUT GI'S BEING IMPRISONED OR BEATEN FOR LOOKING AT A WOMAN WERE
NOTHING MORE THAN "URBAN LEGENDS".
AFTER ABOUT ONE YEAR IN TRABZON, I MET THE GIRL WHO WAS TO BECOME MY WIFE. HER
FATHER WAS THE PROVINCIAL DIRECTOR OF FINANCE AND HAD STUDIED WITH A U.S.
UNDER-SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY IN WASHINGTON, D.C. WE HAVE BEEN MARRIED FOR
SOME FORTY YEARS AND HAVE TWO DAUGHTERS (ONE OF WHOM IS MARRIED TO A TENNESSEE
MAN - MAKING IT COMPULSORY FOR ALL OF US TO WEAR ORANGE EVERY FALL SATURDAY TO
WATCH FULMER AND COMPANY CRUMBLE IN HIS HOPES FOR A NATIONAL TITLE). WE HAVE
FOUR GRANDSONS, ALL OF WHOM ARE ALWAYS HAPPY TO HAVE VISITS FROM THEIR TURKISH
RELATIVES. MY WIFE IS A PROMINENT ART DEALER AND I AM A RETIRED BANK
PRESIDENT.
STRANGELY, I NEVER FELT LIKE A HERO, ALWAYS LOOKED AT MY TOUR AS A JOB AND AS AN
OPPORTUNITY AND DO NOT REMEMBER EVER BEING AFRAID. I TRAVELED FREELY - AND
OFTEN ALONE - THROUGHOUT TRABZON AND TURKEY. THE TENSION OF THE MISSLE CRISIS
WAS REAL, BUT I NEVER EMBRACED THE FINGER ON THE BUTTON MENTALITY THAT MANY GI'S
SUFFERED FROM. IT IS OBVIOUS NOW THAT WE WON THE COLD WAR - BUT I WAS NEVER
CONVINCED THAT THE RUSSIAN PREMIER BLINKED FIRST. THE US ALREADY HAD LOCKED AND
LOADED TITANS IN TURKEY. THE RUSSIANS HAD MISSLE PARTS IN CUBA. THEY AGREED TO
REMOVE THEIR MISSLE PARTS ONLY AFTER THE US CONSENTED TO DISMANTLING (SECRETLY)
THE TITANS IN TURKEY. I THINK I'D GIVE THAT ROUND TO THE RUSSIANS.
I WILL PASS ON YOUR MEMORIES TO SOME OF MY AMERICAN AND TURKISH FRIENDS FROM
TRABZON. I WISH YOU A LOT OF LUCK WITH YOUR THREE BOOKS AND WITH YOUR MOTOR
HOME TRIP AROUND OUR GREAT COUNTRY.
GENE WOLTER,
DAVIE, FLORIDA
P.S. REMEMBER THE GIRL BEHIND THE GREEN DOOR. SHE WOULD SIT AT HER WINDOW ALL
DAY AND WATCH THE GI'S COME TO TOWN ON THE BUS OR IN THE TRUCKS. YOU'LL BE
HAPPY TO KNOW SHE MARRIED ONE OF THE GERMAN COOKS AND NOW LIVES IN GERMANY -
OCCASIONALLY VISITING NEW YORK.
____________________________________
December
6, 2005:
For
Publication:
Message
from Jeff Duvall:
Smokey,
I
came across your message about Trabzon. It seems we were there at the
same time.
Of course I have some very fond memories of that time but haven't kept up
with the people who I served with. Your description of using your time
to see some of the area brought back a lot of memories.
I
did have an interesting coincidence a few years ago. I temporarily
caught the political bug and ran for office in Wakulla County, Florida (a
rural, coastal county on the fringe of civilization). One day I knocked
on the door of a typical small house in the woods and a gentleman came to
the door. We spoke for a while and I noticed he had a barely perceptible
English accent. We talked of what brought him to such a remote part of
the world and so forth and at some point he asked me about my military
experience. I mentioned that I had been stationed in Turkey and he told
me he had an narrow escape there once when he flew as a crew member on an
RAF spy plane (probably an RB-66) doing coastal radar reconnaissance along
the ADIZ.
At the Eastern end of the Black Sea they had some sort of problem and had to
land quickly. The only landing strip was at Trabzon which as you will
remember had a very short runway. Not wanting to land toward the cliff
at the Western end, they landed toward the East and ran off the end of the
runway burying the landing gear up to the engines in the soft mud.
The
interesting coincidence was that I was there when this happened. Do you
remember it? We were never given any explanation of what was going on
and even though we offered to help them dig the plane out, they would not
accept any assistance from the Turks or us and insisted on doing it
themselves. So for three or four days we sat on the bluff above the
plane and watched these British spooks dig enough mud out of the area
surrounding the wheels to allow the plane to power its way back up onto the
runway and take off. I always wondered what that was all about.
It's a small world.
Another incident which sticks in my mind is the time I was on the floating
raft we had anchored just offshore at a secluded beach which we had sort of
claimed for ourselves. Sometime during the summer of 1963 I was lying on
the raft sunbathing when I heard an aircraft coming in very low. I
turned over and looked up just in time to see a MiG (I assume a 19) flash by
about 100 feet overhead. The red stars on the wings were clearly
visible! It immediately pulled up in front of the cliff ahead, rolled
over, and headed back North to safety.
When I went on duty later that evening I asked the day shift that we
relieved if they had copied anything from the other side plotting the MiG's
course. They never saw a thing! It made me wonder how much warning
we would have had (as we were assured would happen) during the Cuban missile
crises a few months before.
Incidentally, I was in Trabzon from about April or May of 1962 through
August or September 1963 when I transferred to Bremerhaven. I stayed in
Bremerhaven for about a year and was discharged in October 1964.
I
went back to Turkey in 1968 when I drove a motorcycle down from Munich
across the Alps, down the Dalmatian coast through Yugoslavia and through
Greece to Athens. We caught the ferry across to Istanbul and then drove
South through Izmir, turning East towards the interior and ended up in
Antalya on the Mediterranean coast which I found to be the most beautiful
location on Earth. I have always liked Turkey and the people and for
years have harbored a desire to retire there, but I understand the cost of
property today is about like the French Riviera or the Costa del Sol in
Spain. Out of my reach.
It was good to see your message.
Jeff
Duvall
New Postings
