July 10-18, 1971: My First Visit to Hawaii
	June 11-17, 1971: My Second Trip to Japan
	Return to the Index for 1971

The End of an Era

On July 7, 1971, 13 months to the day from my arrival in Korea, I departed from Kimpo airfield.

As the MATS plane took off, I took my last picture of Korea out the window; this is the area northwest of the airfield, and North Korea can barely be seen in the distance. Farewell, Korea.

All the friends I had known since the previous June had left ahead of me, and I had the same feeling that I imagine every departing military man has- that of being the last one to leave. I wasn't, of course, but it felt that way. And the funny thing was that I was sorry to go.

Oh, I knew that some good times lay ahead, my first trip to Hawaii and of course my homecoming, but a lot of equally good ones were left behind. So with mixed feelings, I boarded the MATS plane for Japan for the last time.

I stayed only two days in Japan, picking up a final few items to bring home, and visiting a couple of places in Tokyo for the last time. Japan in July is hot, however, and I was almost glad when the MATS plane for Hawaii took off.

I became very reflective as the plane winged out over the Pacific far below, and I thought a lot about what I had seen and done, and regretted that it was over.

The beauty of the afternoon sky, above the clouds, only heightened the mood. I sat next to an Air force Colonel and his wife going to Hawaii for a vacation. The movie was the comedy "The Russians are coming, the Russians are Coming" but my own mood was somber and nostalgic. I had a window seat on the right side of the plane, and so I had nice views outside. But the golden reflections on the cloud tops, and the rapidly darkening sky only added to my reflective mood.

Thinking back to the first time I landed in country, and the strangeness of it all, I must admit that I grew to like it and consider it home. A lot of things helped. First, I had the kind of job that enabled me to get out and see some of the country at times, and to see Seoul quite often. I got to be very familiar with the country near Howze and the parts of Seoul that I visited. Even now, if I went back, I could find my way about with no trouble at all. Also, The Koreans I met frequently were as friendly as any people I have met anywhere, and, while there was an element of thievery and pettiness, one finds that anywhere.

The jet made a refueling stop at Wake Island, which probably holds its own special memories for the men who fought there in World War II. Just an airstrip on an atoll now. We were on the ground for about 90 minutes in all, and I got a chance to wander over to the beach and look out at the Western Pacific.

Standing on the beach in the relative quiet, and looking back west across the Pacific, I thought more about my time in Korea. I made a lot of friends overseas, most of whom I will never see again, but they made the 13 months a lot easier to take, and often a lot of fun.

The opportunity to see a part of the world that not many Americans ever visit was, in retrospect, the most valuable thing the Army gave me, and others like me. One's stay in-country on any overseas assignment is what one makes it, and I tried to make it the best experience I could. I think that I succeeded, and my stay in Korea and my trips to Japan will remain with me as treasured memories for a long time to come.

Note from 2022:
Once again, I cannot resist adding here information not available to me when I wrote the narrative for these pictures. Two things are worth mentioning. One is that indeed I was able to see some of my Army friends from Korea again, and I have been in touch with a few more. I saw Lt. Dan Tworek many years later when I was on a business trip to Albany, New York, where he was living with his family. And I also saw LTC Fuentes at his home in suburban Virginia outside Washington where he had retired. Both these visits were very, very pleasant.

I also want to mention that my stays in both Korea and Japan would not be the last times I visited either country. I was in Japan once on business in 2004, and I visited many of the same sites in Tokyo that Dan Gunn and I had seen this year. And in 2018 I would take a cruise from Singapore to Barcelona, and on the way to pick up that cruise, my partner Fred and I would stop in Seoul. Camp Howze would be long gone, but we would visit places in Seoul and to the north and I'd visited almost a half-century earlier. On the page for that trip, I will be able to compare pictures taken during my tour with the way those same sites looked 50 years on, and the comparisons would be immensely interesting.

Arrival in Hawaii

After our refueling stop, we continued East as July 10th dawned.

I didn't really sleep on this overnight flight. Little did I know at the time, but I would never really be able to sleep on an airplane- and I would have plenty of opportunities to do so in the future.

The Break of Dawn at 30,000 Feet

Daylight Above the Clouds

As we began our descent into Hawaii, I could finally see something other than clouds outside the window.

A Ship Far Below

My First View of Hawaii

Seeing the United States for the first time in over a year made our landing a memorable moment.

Looking Past Waikiki to Diamond Head

Just Moments from Touchdown and My Return to the U.S.

The wheels touched down and I was home, the experience punctuated by the cheers and handclaps of a number of other returning servicemen. My 13-month tour, one of my life's defining experiences, and an adventure few will ever get, was over.

But another adventure- visiting a place I had heard about so often- was just beginning.

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

	July 10-18, 1971: My First Visit to Hawaii
	June 11-17, 1971: My Second Trip to Japan
	Return to the Index for 1971