by Tom Page

When one transfers PCS from one duty station to another, one never knows what awaits or what to expect. Certainly, one expects changes and some unknowns, but usually one doesn’t expect his first four days at the new place to be so eventful.

I arrived at the 762nd Radar Squadron, North Truro AFS, located on the outer part of scenic Cape Cod, in late August 1979. I purposely planned my arrival at North Truro AFS for a Friday afternoon so that I would have the weekend to rest up from my long drive from the 701st Radar Squadron at Fort Fisher AFS, Kure Beach, NC. I also figured the weekend would give me a couple of days to do a little sightseeing, and to get somewhat acquainted with my new environs.

Friday afternoon when I arrived was routine enough. I located the Air Force Station easily enough, and signed in. A barbeque-type cookout was just beginning at the Consolidated Club (a common event for Friday afternoons/evenings, I would learn); a hot, tasty steak awaited me, along with a couple of cold brewskies. Then it was off to my newly-assigned room in the BOQ for a decent night’s sleep.

Saturday would prove interesting. After lunch, I decided to go out and take a few photos. I started with taking a few shots of the site, including the radar towers. A guy on a motorcycle then pulled up and told me I couldn’t take photos on base, and then he asked who I was. I identified myself, and then he apologized. I told him he did the right thing. I later found out he was SSgt H., our NCOIC of the GATR Site at that time, a good troop.

Speaking of the GATR Site ...

Our radar station sat right by the ocean, roughly 160 feet above the beach. So, I then made my way down the clay cliffs, and took a walk along the beach to take in some of the great scenery. About a mile to the south, I noticed the top of an antenna farm for what must surely be the GATR Site. Indeed it was, just south and above the parking lot for the Longnook Beach area. So, I made my way up to the beach parking lot, and then on up the access road for a quick look-see. As I approached the top of the hill, I saw that the gate was wide open. Having just come from another ADCOM radar station, I knew what the security rules were, and leaving the gate open was a violation. Even though I was not really "on the clock" yet, I figured I`d better check it out nonetheless.

I approached the GATR building, and saw that the door was likewise wide open. So, I entered, and saw a young SSgt in fatigues performing daily checks on the radios. A young woman in civilian clothes was also standing there with a small dog on a leash. As I entered the building, they looked up in surprise. The SSgt then said something to the effect, "This is a military facility; you can`t come in here." I replied with something like, "Well, the gate was wide open, and I thought I should check and see if everything was okay. By the way, I`m Captain Page, your new C-E-M Maintenance Supervisor." I then showed them my military ID. Both the SSgt and his wife muttered a low but audible "Oh, sh**." Then SSgt B. stammered and stuttered about how he normally doesn`t bring his wife and dog to the work center, or leave the door or the gate open, and so forth. I told them not to worry about it. I guess he did worry about it, as he called his supervisor, SSgt H., right after I left to tell him he`d probably get a call on Monday. SSgt H. said, "Oh, yeah, I just yelled at that guy for taking pictures on site; I guess we`ll be hearing about it on Monday." We did have a discussion the following week. I again reassured SSgt H. he did the right thing, but reminded them that the gate to the GATR Site was to remain closed and locked under normal conditions. I don`t think there was a recurrence the whole two years I was stationed there.

While that Saturday was interesting, the "best" was yet to come.

On Sunday, during lunch in the Mess Hall, the First Sergeant, MSgt G., sat down at my table (I was alone), and began telling me about suspected drug use there at the station. Okay, such was not all that uncommon – several airman at my former duty station had been busted for illegal drug use (mostly marijuana), plus I`d heard of similar cases at a number of other radar stations and at the big bases. I figured the First Sergeant was just engaging in casual conversation, and I thought very little of it at that time. MSgt G. also mentioned that the Commander (Maj P.) and the Admin Officer (2Lt L.) had left earlier that day to go to Hancock Field for a Commanders` Conference and the 21st Air Division golf tournament, respectively. I did not appreciate at the time that I would be the only line officer on site for the upcoming week (our Supply Officer position was vacant, and the outgoing C-E-M Maintenance Supervisor had already been relieved of duty pending his PCS).

Sunday passed without incident, as did the work day on Monday. I spent much of Monday meeting people, as is typical when you`re the "new kid in town." Monday evening, however, would be anything but routine – that`s when things got really "interesting."

Some time after supper, I was taking a shower when I heard a series of loud knocks on my BOQ room door. I hollered out to wait a few minutes as I was in the shower. Then there was another series of loud knocks. I rinsed the soap off as quickly as I could, then wrapped a towel around me and answered the door. There, standing in my doorway, were two well-dressed men holding badges and identifying themselves as AFOSI officers! I then said, "Please excuse me while I dry off and dress." So, I closed the door while they waited in the hallway.

I could not even begin to imagine why the AFOSI would want to talk with me. After all, it was only my fourth calendar day on station. The only thing that came to mind even remotely was they might be looking for background information about a robbery that had taken place at my previous duty station, Fort Fisher AFS. Six or seven months before I left there, a safe under the responsibility of the Security Police had been broken into late one night (probably over a weekend), and all the funds for the Commissary had been stolen – clearly an inside job by SP`s on night-shift duty. The SP NCOIC at the time (who had no involvement) had also transferred PCS to North Truro AFS several months before I did, so I was thinking the AFOSI might simply want to talk to him and me about possible suspects. However, it turned out that this had nothing to do with the Fort Fisher AFS robbery.

Instead, the AFOSI officers said they wanted to talk with me about alleged drug use at North Truro AFS. I explained that I had been there only since Friday. The agents said they had been told as much, and that they were merely notifying me as a courtesy since I was the "acting Commander." (That was the first I had heard of that!)

The AFOSI officers then asked where the dormitory room for a MSgt D. was. I had no idea, and told them so. MSgt D., as I would learn later, was the prime informant about the alleged drug use there, and actually implicated himself in the process. (Only much later would I find out how all this had come to pass.)

After asking around, the AFOSI officers located MSgt D.`s room, which was upstairs at the opposite end of the BOQ building. (The BOQ upstairs had been converted into senior NCO barracks at one end, and single women`s barracks at the other end.) The AFOSI officers knocked n MSgt D.`s door, and got quite a surprise – one that the agents definitely weren`t expecting. MSgt D., an alcoholic and completely drunk at the time, opened the door wearing nothing but a bathrobe. The AFOSI officers identified themselves, and then MSgt D. snickered with slurred speech and a silly grin, pointing to his bed, "Look here, I want to show you something." The AFOSI agents looked at each other, then looked around the corner into MSgt D.`s bedroom area. There, lying on his bed, was 19-year-old M., completely naked and with a large dildo between her legs! The AFOSI officers did not know what to do. They and M. were totally embarrassed. MSgt D. thought it was totally hilarious, and actually stood there giggling out loud. M. was then dressed and escorted home. (M. was living with her sister who a married dependent in the AF station family-housing area. M. would later marry a guy at the station who turned out to be a pedophile, but that`s a story for another day.)

MSgt D. went on to name names for the alleged drug use. In the week or two to come, a sting was set up, and a dozen or so airmen and young NCO`s were busted … as well as MSgt D. himself. In fact, there were numerous death threats against MSgt D., so the Commander had to send him TDY for several months until things cooled down. Later on, I learned that the Commander (Major P.) and the First Sergeant (MSgt G.) had set up MSgt D. big time. They manipulated him into implicating himself, taking advantage of the fact that MSgt D. was an alcoholic and was earlier involved in a hit-and-run incident that reportedly left a child dead (MSgt D. was able to get off Scot free thanks to the previous Commander). They used this information to con MSgt D. into turning in the other guys, so that MSgt D. could clear his name. Maj. P. and MSgt G. obviously planned the whole thing to go down while Maj. P. was out of town; that way, Maj. P. could claim no knowledge so it would not affect his precious career. (If it appears that Maj. P. and MSgt G. were slimy bastards who liked to manipulate people for their own gain, well, that would be pretty close to the truth.)

Anyway, that was my introduction to North Truro AFS. Other interesting things would take place while I was there, but I`ll certainly never forget those first four days!