Jerry Richardson, who was at TUSLOG Detachment 150 in the early 1970s, sent some interesting pictures from his tour starting with a close-up of one of the antennas.

This picture very clearly shows the wave guide, namely the three concentric circles of wiring which moved the signal from the antenna surface to the center feedhorn area.  The circles are at the edge, center and near center of the antenna surface.  You can also see the metal center structure in front of the antenna and the warning signs posted in English and Turkish. 

Pondering a technical order, Jerry is working in the radio building, probably trying not to laugh too hard at the great splotchy paint job on the power amplifier behind him.  As Jerry puts it so well, "We were preparing for a big inspection.  It didn't matter if the gray/blue pain was a little darker as long as there was no metal showing that could rust and cause us to get gigged by the inspector." 

Jerry says his boss, TSgt Norman Young, is checking his repairs and calibration against the Air Force Technical Order for the equipment.  While Jerry doesn't tell us if TSgt Young approved his work that day, he remembers Norm "loved to play the the songs of Johnny Horton over and over again.  The Battle of New Orleans, Sink the Bismark and North to Alaska are songs that are now in my permanent memory."

Over the years, I've heard many Det 150 alumni speak of the "sailboat" down at the site's apartment in the beach town of Kumla.  Jerry sent a photo of it, along with a funny story...

..."I never sailed a boat by myself before, but I got in it and sailed off.  The wind was coming directly off store and I shot out into the Bay of Gemlik like a rocket.  The only thing was I didn't know how to get back.  Big panic!  I finally found I could zig-zag back and forth and each time I got a little closer to shore.  When I finally made it back, I told my buddies of my adventure.  They looked at me like I was an idiot and then laughed.  They explained what I was doing is called "tacking." 

Det 150's beach apartment in Kumla was the one on the bottom left.  The "picket fence" entrance is the one the guys used most, namely climbing over it like little kids.  Jerry says they had some rather interesting GI-style furniture inside, "A few cots and some OD green blankets were all we needed for sleeping.  A wooden crate was our table."

Thanksgiving Day 1973 had a lot of touches of home..

...from a cake....

...to a feast with the local officials!

After Thanksgiving, it was time to get things ready for winter...

...like making sure the SnowCat was set up and ready to go for a run...

...not to mention finding the "snow signs" that were tall enough to stand above the snow drifts along the site's road.  (To see the Snow Cat in action, visit this other page on Bluejeans' Place.)

Of course, a jacket might be more useful on a snowy day...

...or a snowshovel!

Thank you, Jerry, for sharing so many great photos from your year at TUSLOG Detachment 150!