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- Story Listed as: True Life For Adults
- Theme: Family & Friends
- Subject: Life Experience
- Published: 07/16/2022
Fort Wolters- Mineral Wells, Texas
Born 1955, F, from Lovelock, Nevada, United StatesGlenn and I were on our way to Mineral Wells, Texas. We had no idea what the transfer had in store for us. It was almost a given that all of our wedding gifts could not come with us. We would be living in a small 10x10. Room.
What would we need the most ? Clothes, what clothes would we need most. Texas was further south than Louisiana or Mississippi. January and February are usually mild in our home states. It stood to reason that Texas would be warmer, milder that was my thinking.
Usually that thought is correct. The Winters ( cool season) last from November 25 until February 23. The coldest month is January. The temperature can range between a cool of 35 degrees to a warmth of 65 degrees.
We had no idea that we were driving straight into some extreme weather in Mineral Wells. I suppose there were ways Glenn and I could have learned what conditions lay ahead of us. I didn't know where to contact those sources. I doubt Glenn knew either. We were young and still green about almost everything.
As We were leaving Pearl River County on highway 26 headed toward the Louisiana stateline when we were stopped by a state trooper for speeding. The trooper said we were going fifty miles over the speed limit. That meant Glenn was driving in excess of 100mph.
Glenn did not dispute the accusation. He simply explained I was pregnant and he was rushing me to Texas for specialized medical treatment. As on cue, a gust of wind inflated the skirt of my dress like a balloon making me appear extremely pregnant. The lie failed.
The trooper instructed Glenn to sign the ticket. Supposedly his signature wasn't an admission of guilt, only an acknowledgement that he had been served. For reasons unknown to me, Glenn thought the citation was a warning. He had thirty days to appear in court or mail his payment to the courthouse. He/ we did neither.
Thirty days later Glenn was found guilty of " Contempt of Court " and a bench warrant had been issued. Glenn became a fugitive. We were oblivious to the Contempt of Court and the bench warrant. We were oblivious to his fugitive status. By the time this all happened we were in Mineral Wells. Our families knew and didn't bother to phone or mail us the information.
Had Glenn or I realized the seriousness of the situation we would have responded differently. We would have turned the truck in the direction of Poplarville, Mississippi and paid the fine that day. Or, plan B. I would have had my stepdad, Bill, negotiate the smallest fine possible. Either way we would have paid the fine.
We made one final stop in Washington Parish. Glenn never mentioned the citation. Isn't this the sort of information a man would share with family
Glenn wanted his Uncle J to help him map out the shortest safest trip from Bogalusa, Louisiana to Mineral Wells, Texas. Uncle J spent several minutes discussing the trip and showing Glenn on the map the roads he thought we should take.
This last minute stop was also an opportunity for us to say Goodbye to the immediate and extended family.
From there to the Louisiana State line Glenn and I sang along with the radio. " Leaving Louisiana in the Broad daylight" we must have sung that song thirty times , that and a tune from Smokey and the Bandit " westbound and down" just like the song said we had a long way to go and a short time to get there.`` We were attempting to do what they said couldn't be done.
The trip was supposed to take us 9 hours and 15 minutes. We would have made the journey in less time had we not spent two hours stuck on a clover leaf somewhere between Dallas / Fort worth and our destination. As Jerry Reed sang in "Lord Mr. Ford" it is possible to spend three days endlessly circling the Cloverleaf. We were fortunate.
Driving in circles began as excitement sort of like an unexplored carnival ride. But imagine a tilt_a_whirl or another endless ride you can't escape. The cloverleaf soon became annoying. Also, the endless circling brought us unwanted attention from some Texas State Troopers. Glenn said the officers were Texas Rangers. I kept silent. I didn't know enough to debate with him. Trooper or ranger the officer was polite, courteous, and helpful. Also he couldn't resist laughing at our ignorance. He guided us off the cloverleaf and strongly recommended we check into a motel and sleep for eight hours.
Glenn chose to push on to Mineral Wells before we found a motel and a few hours sleep. Before we settled in for a deserved nap Glenn phoned the Administration at Fort Wolfers, Mineral wells. Someone from Fort Wolfers came Immediately to escort us onto the base.
Fort Wolfers was a military base, a decommissioned military base. The base was decommissioned in 1975, five years before we arrived or even thought of being there. The point I'm trying to make is Uncle Sam was physically present on Fort Wolters and that presence was extremely strong. This could explain the necessity for an escort.
Formerly, during World War II Fort Wolfers was a German Prison Camp. The German POW camp was supposedly decommissioned. However, the Stallack mentality and tactics prevailed in " Hogan's Hero " fashion. The Administration and crew Chiefs made rules and regulations while they issued demerits for even the smallest infraction.
In 1947 the US Air Force's Far East Air Force (FEAF) needed to upgrade older airfields and build new airfields to support their operations throughout the world.
SCARWAF was a provisional Army and Air Force unit that provided personnel who would perform these construction duties.
Camp Wolters was one of the facilities that trained SCARWAF units (and later their Aviation Engineer replacements). It also was used as a storage depot for Air Force equipment.
In 1956, Camp Wolters reverted to the United States Army to house the United States Army Primary Helicopter School. In 1963 it was designated a "permanent" military base and renamed Fort Wolters. I would learn the history of Fort Wolfers second hand.
The helicopter school started with one heliport (Main) and 4 stage fields. At its height it had 3 heliports (Main Heliport, Downing Field, and Dempsey Field) and twenty-five stage fields. The stage fields all had Vietnamese names corresponding with fields in Vietnam. And locations in South Korea.
Upon our arrival the helicopter school was downsized to the original one heliport that we could see.
Glenn and I teased each other about sneaking onto the heliport and lifting the pretty little copter from its darling pad and driving off with a helicopter in the bed of Glenn's brush pick up.
The site was being used as an industrial park. That is what we were instructed to believe. a branch of Weatherford College, and a training center for the Texas Army National Guard was alleged to be somewhere on the grounds. Glenn and I never found those civilian entities.
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice also operates a District Parole Office on the site and a satellite prison. Juvenile inmates and adults ages 16_ 24 were assigned work release at Fort Wolters. I learned this information from a co- worker , a convicted horse thief.
There was no discrimination all prisoners and non prisoners were treated the same. The routine was sign in, be assigned your quarters in your dormitory/ barracks, store your gear and get your sorry ass back in formation. Seven mandatory formations were met.
My work assignment was split between the greenhouse and the clinic. Working renovating Beach Military hospital was the creepiest assignment I could have drawn. I won't say the clinic and hospital were haunted but I heard voices and conversations no living person admitted speaking. I saw shadows or transparent human forms. The clinic assignment, especially the morgue duty, taught me that I'm sensitive to the paranormal.
The quarters assigned to Glenn and I had its drawbacks. The room was furnished with a king size bed, actually, it was two twin beds shoved together. There was a small dresser and a steel wardrobe closet. The window had two broken panes.
The female latrine was three doors away from our room. This latrine was shared by fourteen women. The twelve single ladies lived on the second floor. The husband's had to walk or run two blocks to one of the men's barracks / dorms.
Directly behind the married couple's dorm was the decommissioned mine field. The Army did a lousy job clearing their explosive garbage. There were occasions when a husband relieved himself in the minefield and on occasions a mine exploded. This meant a late night/ predawn formation and lecture.
After evening chow and formation Glenn and I requested permission to go into town for some curtains. Our curtains were a shower curtain split up the middle. It purposely matched the carpet and red spread on the bed. We managed to impress a few chiefs, gain some privacy, and get some long overdue shut-eye.
For all Fort Wolters was and for all that it wasn't, Fort Wolters and Mineral Wells Texas was our home sweet home.
Day 2 found both of us on sick call.
Fort Wolters- Mineral Wells, Texas(Martha Hume)
Glenn and I were on our way to Mineral Wells, Texas. We had no idea what the transfer had in store for us. It was almost a given that all of our wedding gifts could not come with us. We would be living in a small 10x10. Room.
What would we need the most ? Clothes, what clothes would we need most. Texas was further south than Louisiana or Mississippi. January and February are usually mild in our home states. It stood to reason that Texas would be warmer, milder that was my thinking.
Usually that thought is correct. The Winters ( cool season) last from November 25 until February 23. The coldest month is January. The temperature can range between a cool of 35 degrees to a warmth of 65 degrees.
We had no idea that we were driving straight into some extreme weather in Mineral Wells. I suppose there were ways Glenn and I could have learned what conditions lay ahead of us. I didn't know where to contact those sources. I doubt Glenn knew either. We were young and still green about almost everything.
As We were leaving Pearl River County on highway 26 headed toward the Louisiana stateline when we were stopped by a state trooper for speeding. The trooper said we were going fifty miles over the speed limit. That meant Glenn was driving in excess of 100mph.
Glenn did not dispute the accusation. He simply explained I was pregnant and he was rushing me to Texas for specialized medical treatment. As on cue, a gust of wind inflated the skirt of my dress like a balloon making me appear extremely pregnant. The lie failed.
The trooper instructed Glenn to sign the ticket. Supposedly his signature wasn't an admission of guilt, only an acknowledgement that he had been served. For reasons unknown to me, Glenn thought the citation was a warning. He had thirty days to appear in court or mail his payment to the courthouse. He/ we did neither.
Thirty days later Glenn was found guilty of " Contempt of Court " and a bench warrant had been issued. Glenn became a fugitive. We were oblivious to the Contempt of Court and the bench warrant. We were oblivious to his fugitive status. By the time this all happened we were in Mineral Wells. Our families knew and didn't bother to phone or mail us the information.
Had Glenn or I realized the seriousness of the situation we would have responded differently. We would have turned the truck in the direction of Poplarville, Mississippi and paid the fine that day. Or, plan B. I would have had my stepdad, Bill, negotiate the smallest fine possible. Either way we would have paid the fine.
We made one final stop in Washington Parish. Glenn never mentioned the citation. Isn't this the sort of information a man would share with family
Glenn wanted his Uncle J to help him map out the shortest safest trip from Bogalusa, Louisiana to Mineral Wells, Texas. Uncle J spent several minutes discussing the trip and showing Glenn on the map the roads he thought we should take.
This last minute stop was also an opportunity for us to say Goodbye to the immediate and extended family.
From there to the Louisiana State line Glenn and I sang along with the radio. " Leaving Louisiana in the Broad daylight" we must have sung that song thirty times , that and a tune from Smokey and the Bandit " westbound and down" just like the song said we had a long way to go and a short time to get there.`` We were attempting to do what they said couldn't be done.
The trip was supposed to take us 9 hours and 15 minutes. We would have made the journey in less time had we not spent two hours stuck on a clover leaf somewhere between Dallas / Fort worth and our destination. As Jerry Reed sang in "Lord Mr. Ford" it is possible to spend three days endlessly circling the Cloverleaf. We were fortunate.
Driving in circles began as excitement sort of like an unexplored carnival ride. But imagine a tilt_a_whirl or another endless ride you can't escape. The cloverleaf soon became annoying. Also, the endless circling brought us unwanted attention from some Texas State Troopers. Glenn said the officers were Texas Rangers. I kept silent. I didn't know enough to debate with him. Trooper or ranger the officer was polite, courteous, and helpful. Also he couldn't resist laughing at our ignorance. He guided us off the cloverleaf and strongly recommended we check into a motel and sleep for eight hours.
Glenn chose to push on to Mineral Wells before we found a motel and a few hours sleep. Before we settled in for a deserved nap Glenn phoned the Administration at Fort Wolfers, Mineral wells. Someone from Fort Wolfers came Immediately to escort us onto the base.
Fort Wolfers was a military base, a decommissioned military base. The base was decommissioned in 1975, five years before we arrived or even thought of being there. The point I'm trying to make is Uncle Sam was physically present on Fort Wolters and that presence was extremely strong. This could explain the necessity for an escort.
Formerly, during World War II Fort Wolfers was a German Prison Camp. The German POW camp was supposedly decommissioned. However, the Stallack mentality and tactics prevailed in " Hogan's Hero " fashion. The Administration and crew Chiefs made rules and regulations while they issued demerits for even the smallest infraction.
In 1947 the US Air Force's Far East Air Force (FEAF) needed to upgrade older airfields and build new airfields to support their operations throughout the world.
SCARWAF was a provisional Army and Air Force unit that provided personnel who would perform these construction duties.
Camp Wolters was one of the facilities that trained SCARWAF units (and later their Aviation Engineer replacements). It also was used as a storage depot for Air Force equipment.
In 1956, Camp Wolters reverted to the United States Army to house the United States Army Primary Helicopter School. In 1963 it was designated a "permanent" military base and renamed Fort Wolters. I would learn the history of Fort Wolfers second hand.
The helicopter school started with one heliport (Main) and 4 stage fields. At its height it had 3 heliports (Main Heliport, Downing Field, and Dempsey Field) and twenty-five stage fields. The stage fields all had Vietnamese names corresponding with fields in Vietnam. And locations in South Korea.
Upon our arrival the helicopter school was downsized to the original one heliport that we could see.
Glenn and I teased each other about sneaking onto the heliport and lifting the pretty little copter from its darling pad and driving off with a helicopter in the bed of Glenn's brush pick up.
The site was being used as an industrial park. That is what we were instructed to believe. a branch of Weatherford College, and a training center for the Texas Army National Guard was alleged to be somewhere on the grounds. Glenn and I never found those civilian entities.
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice also operates a District Parole Office on the site and a satellite prison. Juvenile inmates and adults ages 16_ 24 were assigned work release at Fort Wolters. I learned this information from a co- worker , a convicted horse thief.
There was no discrimination all prisoners and non prisoners were treated the same. The routine was sign in, be assigned your quarters in your dormitory/ barracks, store your gear and get your sorry ass back in formation. Seven mandatory formations were met.
My work assignment was split between the greenhouse and the clinic. Working renovating Beach Military hospital was the creepiest assignment I could have drawn. I won't say the clinic and hospital were haunted but I heard voices and conversations no living person admitted speaking. I saw shadows or transparent human forms. The clinic assignment, especially the morgue duty, taught me that I'm sensitive to the paranormal.
The quarters assigned to Glenn and I had its drawbacks. The room was furnished with a king size bed, actually, it was two twin beds shoved together. There was a small dresser and a steel wardrobe closet. The window had two broken panes.
The female latrine was three doors away from our room. This latrine was shared by fourteen women. The twelve single ladies lived on the second floor. The husband's had to walk or run two blocks to one of the men's barracks / dorms.
Directly behind the married couple's dorm was the decommissioned mine field. The Army did a lousy job clearing their explosive garbage. There were occasions when a husband relieved himself in the minefield and on occasions a mine exploded. This meant a late night/ predawn formation and lecture.
After evening chow and formation Glenn and I requested permission to go into town for some curtains. Our curtains were a shower curtain split up the middle. It purposely matched the carpet and red spread on the bed. We managed to impress a few chiefs, gain some privacy, and get some long overdue shut-eye.
For all Fort Wolters was and for all that it wasn't, Fort Wolters and Mineral Wells Texas was our home sweet home.
Day 2 found both of us on sick call.
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