12.18.2010

FT MCCLELLAN ALABAMA AND FT BENNING GEORGIA 1968-1970

Our home/quarters on Church St looked like this

Our house in Ft. McClellan Alabama looked like the above duplex. Our house was much nicer and was red brick with white. We lived in the unit like the one on the far right. Good sized houses. Our Army homes were larger than my house in Michigan so we liked living in them.

Our house on Gibson Drive/Custer Terrace

Our home on Gibson Drive which was located in Custer Terrace. Custer Terrace was just outside the main gate off to itself. We had our own Officer's Club, shopping center, and pool too! It was a lovely area. It was our first time having a stand alone house which we loved.


Tons of hills, copperhead snakes were often found hiding under the leaves so you had to be careful walking in the woods down there. I rode my bike with my feet up mostly on the path through the woods behind our house.
 

Directly behind our house on Gibson was Battle Park. That was a housing area for dependent families to stay when their father went to war. In this time it was Vietnam. My civilian friends thought we lived in barracks and ate in mess halls!

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQZfrfVpf0U
 
 Ft McClellan Officer's Club

old swimming pool behind the Officer's Club in Ft McClellan

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UUv_J4tcgo

 Buckner Hall Ft McClellan

No we didn't wear uniforms or salute our parents either! Army teens were just the same as civilian teens. We loved rock n roll and shooting pool. Army kids loved the swimming pool and the pool tables. These were my favorite things to do for fun.

 245 BUCKNER CIR

Life as the daughter of an officer was very much like belonging to a country club. Our parents had lovely parties and formal social affairs. It really was a nice life for a teenager.

 Buckner Circle with Gazebo...Ft McClellan AL

Chapel on Buckner Cr. I went to Catechism there 



Read More on RK
Major Frank R. Maki Silver Star
Vietnam: Firebase Fuller
Vietnam: Jim's Story
 Time Magazine Article: Race Rumblings at McClellan thanks Deb!

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey, Kimmer - were you at Ft. McClellan when they had the uprising in 1971? They locked down the base so no one could get on or off. If you remember the dates, could you email them to me? My sister was stationed there during that time and was attacked and needs to know the exact dates.
Thanks,
Dee Rosier
deerosier@gmail.com

Retro Kimmer said...

No we left McClellan in 1970 and I was at Benning then until Jan '71 but I still have friends down there and they'll know so I will ask them and email you.

Deb Martin said...

Actually I don't remember anything about any riots so I looked it up; news to me! Do you remember the riot? Below is the link to a story I found on the net.

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,877426,00.html

Retro Kimmer said...

no Deb I was in Michigan durin Nov 1971. Thanks for the story!!

Eileen Truman said...

My family lived on Morton Rd during the riots. I was in the 7th grade and remember being hustled out of class (Jacksonville High School)onto the bus and driven back to the base. It was a scary time..

Anonymous said...

http://www.wattpad.com/32551369-november-1971-fort-mcclellan-ala-night-of-terror

Retro Kimmer said...

wow! thanks for the link

Anonymous said...

16 Nov 1971 the military police moved the WACs from the Anniston city jail to Ft Mcclellan to a makeshift confinement barracks guarded by WACs. The women had been confined for their part in a racial riot. The men were confined in the post stockade and other jails in the area. The official story is that racial tension began in 7 Nov 1971 when about 100 black enlisted men and women met with managers of the Hilltop Service Club to ask why that club, predominately patronized by black service personnel, did not hire black dance bands, had no soul music in the jukeboxes, and did not have a black service club director. When the club employees could not provide satisfactory answers, the group asked for a conference with the post chaplain. They then met with the post commander the afternoon of 13 Nov. COL McKean listened to their grievances and promised to provide them with answers to their questions and resolve their problems at a meeting scheduled for 16 Nov. A few hours later near midnight a group of black and white enlisted women (primarily clerical training students at WAC School) and enlisted men from various units on post left the EM/EW Club and prepared to board Army buses to return to their barracks. As the group boarded a bus, the white military driver allegedly said he would not take any blacks on the bus. The blacks left and boarded the second bus, where they allegedly demanded that all the whites get off. By this time, the first bus had left, and the whites would have had no transportation. An altercation ensued. The post commander used 700 troops to apprehend and arrest approximately 139 demonstrators; 68 were black enlisted women.

Unknown said...

I have a question-- I was on the bus that night and all these years I have wondered about the bus driver on that first bus. I heard that that bus was burned. Do you know what happened? I know he was arguing with some guys we were hit getting off the bus.

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