Memories of the Music Hobby Shop
SMGT Pete Snider Retired
SMGT Pete Snider Retired
January 4, 2011
Bob,
Been intending to write you; but, got all involved in football.
First, I was born in Grandfield, OK, raised in Rush Springs, OK and graduated from Okla University in 1962. Rush Springs is 65 miles SSW of Ok City which is about 80 miles SW of Tulsa. Went all way up to Enid, OK (Vance) for pilot training and then spent the next 26 yrs or so on active duty. Retired here at Eglin in 1988 (last job was Vice/CC of 3246TW [now 46TW]) and went back to work as a test engineer working for a services contractor (Sverdrup, Jacobs Engineering and Sentel). Fully retired about 2 years ago and not doing much of anything right now. Have some bad back problems that keep me kinda pinned down for the time being plus other stuff. I remember when I wouldn't take an aspirin unless I had a helluva headache. Now I take about a dozen pills every day.
I really enjoyed your tapes. You've done some good work there. I managed to put together a PowerPoint of my career and showed it to some 5th graders; but nothing like what you have done.
I enjoy writing and have written a few other stories. I've attached one about a particular bombing mission in case you're interested. I've also attached a couple of other pictures. Maybe you'll remember the Howard Johnson one. Also, several years later ('73 timeframe), I went back to Korat in the F-105G (Wild Weasel). War was over with by then so I just flew around inside Thailand.
Other than the above, most of my 26 years was spent in California (George and Edwards), New Mexico (Kirtland), Florida (Eglin and MacDill) and Europe (Spain and Germany).
I do remember your taping facilities as I made a few of them myself (long gone now). Purchased a small white radio to listen to your station (see mineau, sudmalis picture). I enjoyed listening to your station.
Thank you for setting it up.
Cheers,
Jim
SMGT Pete Snider Retired
SMGT Pete Snider Retired
SMGT Pete Snider Retired
From Pete Snyder -Ubon 66-67
"Sorry to say I've no pix of the old Ubon radio station, which was a joint effort between USAF and RAAF personnel in the early to mid 60's, before AFRTS got involved in Thailand.
The "station" consisted of two small rooms in the base library. The equipment was borrowed from all over, and the effective range (with a horizontal ant.) was about a mile. Programming consisted of records and tapes...the tapes being demos or air checks of radio stations in Australia and the US, requested by us or base members, complete with commercials for a real homey touch.
I can remember seeing a newby in the chow hall playing with a small transistor radio, and being shocked to hear WARM in Scranton coming over the airwaves. Nobody at our table had the heart to tell him otherwise.
( I wrote letters to a number of different radio stations ( WABC New York, WOKY Milwaukee, WLS Chicago) and ask them to record segments of their show and send it to us to play over the station and a number of them sent tapes as requested.) Bob Morton
It was fun..took the pressure off being away from home and family, but required a great deal of skill and diplomacy. I mean, we were not really "there", so we couldn't identify ourselves. The base became the "campus", and instead of call letters we just used our first name, followed by "Your Music Hobby Shop".
It also got me hooked on radio, and I spent 6 yrs in commercial booths in PA and NY before returning to the AF. Much later, I and some other wacko's from the PA field (I held both a supply and a PA AFSC) started an radio improv group up at McChord, taping dummy programs for the unit members heading out to the Gulf. We'd make about 40 cys a month and ship them all over.....totally incorrect and full of satire and music....and calls from the IG to make sure no gov't funds were involved "
Pete Snyder
(SMSgt USAF Ret)
Ubon 66-67
TLC Brotherhood
Gene Ponce
SMGT Pete Snider Retired
Gene Ponce
Hello Bob,
Thank you for your website link. I remember the hobby shop well.
I did spend lots of time in the Hobby Shop listening and making many music recordings. I still have those reel to reel recordings today.
I arrived at Ubon much later on January 1971 to January 1972. I was assigned to Korat Jan 1970-Jan 1971.
Thanks again for sharing your site. I really enjoyed the Bob Hope videos and the personal stories.
Gene Ponce
Korat 70-71
Ubon 71-72
Retired (2000) and now live in Bangkok, Thailand
Gene Ponce
Gene Ponce
Gene Ponce
Hello Bob,
Thank you for your website link. I remember the hobby shop well.
I did spend lots of time in the Hobby Shop listening and making many music recordings. I still have those reel to reel recordings today.
I arrived at Ubon much later on January 1971 to January 1972. I was assigned to Korat Jan 1970-Jan 1971.
Thanks again for sharing your site. I really enjoyed the Bob Hope videos and the personal stories.
Gene Ponce
Korat 70-71
Ubon 71-72
Retired (2000) and now live in Bangkok, Thailand
Dan Vinson
Gene Ponce
Dan Vinson
Dan Vinson
I don't remember the call sign. I did make a couple of phone calls home, and my parents let me know quick to not call collect. The bill was huge. I use to get posted at PP3 which was straight across the runway next to the fence line directly across from the F4 ramp,
I would be dropped off by the SAT team (a sixpack pickup truck). No bunker, no wood, no tower, no hole, just me and the grass, what there was of it and the fence line. 4 strains of good old cow pasture barbed wire fence. I had my helmet, I put that on the ground, then I would put my flack vest on that, Put my radio on my lap, then take my M16 and insert one of three magazines (20 rounds each). The good part, I take out my portable transister adio and listen to the base station ( from 8pm till 4am ) and light up a winston and from there I was set for the evening. Never got hit, and never had to challenge anyone.
The blast from the F4's taking off would cause the galvanized metal roofs to vibrate and I could hear it as though it was on top of me. Once had to get my ears cleared of the wax buildup. Took me a month to get over the idea of being a target. After that I couldn't have cared any less until my last week in country.
The box lunch that Bravo Eight delivered usually had a balony and cheese sandwich with no mayo, an orange or apple and powdered milk. Yuk! I think breakfast was one of the few meals that I ate in the chowhall, and did not do that very often. Very few lunches and literally no evening meals at the chowhall.
I pretty much survived on grilled cheese sandwich and coke (from the HoJo's up along the ramp) when I worked those post. When we got off at 4am, the crew that I hung with went to the bowling alley and drank beer till 8am, then down to the Airmans Club to drink liquor until noon at which time I tried to make my way back to the barracks to sleep until about 4 or 5 pm. I started all over again. Couldn't drink the water.
One whole year without a single glass of pure clean fresh sweet water. Never would have thought that possible.
Hang tough Bob.