October 11, 1970: A Football Game at Camp Casey
	October 3, 1970: A Football Game at Camp Red Cloud
	Return to the Index for 1970

Today is Saturday, October 10, and the occasion is the farewell party for LTC Fuentes. His tour in Korea is coming to and end next Friday, and he will be leaving Korea to return stateside for his next assignment- which is going to be in Washington, DC. The understanding is that the Finance Corps honored his request for Washington to be his final duty station, as he will be retiring in another eighteen months or so. Very many times, officers try to arrange for their last duty station to be close to where they will be living after retirement; that way, they can get the government to foot much of the bill for moving themselves and their families to their retirement destination.

LTC Fuentes tells us that he has a house near Washington out in Fairfax, Virginia, and that is where he will be living when he retires. (Many military retirees try to retire to an area relatively close to a big Army post so that they will be able to take advantage of commissaries, post exchanges, and medical facilities. Washington has a number of military installations, and this is why suburban Virginia has a huge population of military (and other government) retirees.

Anyway, today's the going-away gathering for COL Fuentes, and I am heading down from the BOQ to the Finance Office. As I've perhaps said already, there are two ways down to the Finance Office from my BOQ. The first is by the Officers' Club (which you saw in my earlier tour of Camp Howze) and then this way, just clambering down the hill itself. This by far the quicker and more fun.

The green roofed building at the right is the main building, and the sign for LTC Fuentes is on the roof of our accounting building over at the left. (It is a long banner at the peak of the roof, reading "FAREWELL COL FUENTES".

At and during the afternoon party, just about every soldier who works for COL Fuentes- and a lot of other officers and men as well- came by to have some food and offer their best wishes. I was busy talking to everyone, but I did manage to take some pictures as well.

I've arrived at tthe farewell party for LTC Fuentes at the Finance office, and you can see here part of the Finance family, with the party just getting started. Just about every building has a banner.

Here are some of the participants at the farewell party for Francisco Fuentes, and a bit of grab-assing going on between one of our officer records clerks and our houseboy, Mr. Yu. Mr. Yu is getting the best of it, and he is the one wearing sunglasses.

Mr. Yu is another of the many houseboys employed around Camp Howze; the BOQ has one as well. Mr. Yu works in the office as sort of handyman, and we take up a collection to pay him about $75 each month. In the winter, his main job is to come in and get the space heaters started.

We hired a band, whose lead singer was one of LTC Fuentes' girlfriends, a Miss Li.

This picture is a bit of ego gratification (note the sign in front of the Finance Office). That's Miss Li at right, and you can see the leaves are beginning to turn for Fall.

LTC Fuentes is, and will be until he leaves, the Second Division Finance Officer. This is a field grade position (Major, Lieutenant Colonel, or full Colonel). As you can see from the sign, I am the second-in-command, and am the only Captain assigned to the office. As it turns out, LTC Fuentes' replacement, a Major Henderson, won't arrive in-country for a couple of months. So, yesterday, LTC Fuentes formally transferred to me the responsibilities and duties of the Division Finance Officer- something fairly unusual for a mere Captain- so that he can concentrate on preparing for his departure.

Part of this transfer was the setting up of my own account at Eighth Army and at the Finance Center so I can control the funds for my tenure. On Monday morning, I will become responsible for about $2 million a month.

For the next two months, disbursements will have my signature block on them, and the payrolls will be in my name as Finance Officer. My name will replace LTC Fuentes' everywhere, including on the sign out front (although his board will remain there until he takes it with him next Friday). I'll also be taking LTC Fuentes' place at staff meetings and such. Each payday, on money runs to Seoul, I will be in the odd position of carrying a check to the Eighth Army Finance Office for a million bucks or so. That check will be made out to me, signed by me, and endorsed on the back by me as well. (I wish I could keep one as a souvenir.) When Major Henderson arrives, there will be a similar handoff from me to him.

Eventually, LTC Fuentes tells me, perhaps a year from now, I will get an official letter from the Treasury Department telling me that all the financial transactions during my tenure as Finance Officer have finally cleared and all the accounts I was responsible for have balanced correctly. This letter will finally discharge me from any further responsibility for funds. THAT letter I WILL get to keep!

Here are two pictures of LTC Fuentes. LTC Fuentes has quite a reputation among the staff officers for his "way with the ladies" in Korea. Whether being Puerto Rican has had an effect or not I have no idea. But he never seemed to lack for companionship; on his salary he can indulge relationships with a number of them. He was also one of those guys who could get anything by knowing the right people.

It is getting late in the afternoon, now, and the party is beginning to wind down. A bunch of us will be continuing the festivities at the Officers' Club later on, but for now I am heading back up the hill to the BOQ.

This view, looking back down to the Finance Office complex, is a good one- probably my best view of where I work that I will send you. I have been here four months now, about a third of my tour, and already I have gotten quite comfortable with the routine.

I've made quite a few friends, but this is the first time I've had to bid farewell to one I've known fairly well. LTC Fuentes has been a great guy to work for, and I hate to see him go. Since no other officers have arrived since me, then all the others that I now know and work with will, one by one, depart as well. There will be new people, of course, although I understand that the long-term plans for the Second Division in Korea involve a very slow winding down, rather than a building up.

It is rumored that Seventh Division or another large unit will be withdrawn from Korea, and so there are also rumors that sometime next year the Second Division "flag" (General Hannum, his staff, and some support offices like the Finance Office) will move from Howze to one of the larger installations- like Camp Casey or Camp Red Cloud- whichever one might be vacated.

For now, these are just rumors, but as it turns out, I'll be making my first visit to Camp Casey tomorrow. As one of his last actions, LTC Fuentes has arranged for me to join him, the Second Division Commanding Officer, General Hannum, and some other staff officers on a trip to an intramural football game with the 7th Division that is headquartered there.

You can use the links below to continue to another photo album page.

	October 11, 1970: A Football Game at Camp Casey
	October 3, 1970: A Football Game at Camp Red Cloud
	Return to Index for 1970