PFC Dan Woolsey D Company 1963-1965 Pirmasens, Germany Try this for unusual. It surprised the heck out of me. Ship I made the trip on from N.Y. to Germany, June, 1963. Think 1964 was the last year it ran. We went to MATS. Took 10 days to get there! All was gray--Gray Ship-Gray Water-Gray Sky. United States Navel Ship: General Alexander M. Patch (TAP 122) NAVY June, 1963, 79th Mess Hall. Picture taken from 3rd floor of HQ. Co. All of 79th was in one large building that curved with street. 1963 Post Service Club across street from 79th building. 63-64 Co. A, Jim Corbin, ten ton tractor. Looks like a batch plant on trailer. Jim was from Newburg, Missouri. Laundry Run. Made a laundry run with 2 1/2 ton once a week to K-Town. 63 Picture-Kaiserslautern Laundry. Motor Pool, 1964, Lima "PayMaster" Crane. Dan Woolsey 1963 Woolsey with M37-B 3/4 ton. Jim Corbin on bridge. I'd bet my last mark Jim could not stand straight on that bridge at 7PM on pay day night! Jim Kunkel, 1964, Co. A, in Commo together. Woolsey/Crane 63 Military License, 65 Capt. Freeman G. Cross commanded Co. D according to Dan's lisence And just in case y'all forgot M38 M37B1 M 35 79th Engineer Battalion History 1963, 1964, 1965 The History Office U.S. Army Engineer School at Fort Leonard Wood The 1963 construction season started on 4 March when the earthmoving platoon of Company B was moved to Spangdahlem to execute improvements to the Air Base. During April, another platoon from Company B moved to Schwetzingen to complete the modification and extension of the map repro-duction plant which had been initiated the previous construction season. The Little League baseball field for Pirmasens post was constructed by Company B during this period. Later, Company B sent a platoon to Ready Barracks, Aschaffenburg to construct one hardstand and two access pads involving a total of 2500 square meters of surface. The earthmoving platoon moved to Budingen for construction of two tank trails about 400 meters long including 72 meters of culvert and a culvert at a stream tank crossing. In September, another platoon moved to Graves Barracks, Aschaffenburg and built a 2620 square meter reinforced concrete hardstand with two access pads and drainage system. Company C sent its second platoon to Aschaffenburg on 8 July 1963 to rehabilitate a runway involving 15000 square meters of asphaltic concrete. The remainder of the company moved to Schweinfurt on 8 August to construct three concrete hardstands with a total area of 10,133 square meters, complete with access roads, a turning pad and a sub-drainage system. The project was accomplished by use of a 34E concrete paving machine and a paving train. General Wilson, the Chief of Engineers, visited this project during his tour of European facilities. Much effort was diverted from this project to support D Company in Morocco, which made the completion of the project on schedule an outstanding achievement. Company D rehabilitated a sportsplatz in Eppenbrunn during April and May, placed a large concrete culvert 200 meters long at Dahn, and a platoon of Company D rehabilitated Eggensteiner Landstrasse at Karlsruhe during the period 17 June to 7 September. In September, Company D was airlifted to Nouasseur, Morocco, to take over a project from the 293rd Engineer Battalion of the 24th Engineer Group. The project included disassembly, packing and crating, and marking for shipment, specified buildings and installations at Nouasseur, Enn Guerrir, and Side Slimane Air Force SAC Bases. The project was completed on 1 November 1963, almost a month ahead of schedule. During the year, Company A completed a well drilling project at Herzo Base, Herzogenaurach, Germany, and another at Evereux, France. The AWSCOM Building attic at Pirmasens was converted to a classified area by a team of skilled personnel from all companies in the Battalion. All projects were completed by the middle of December 1963 and the Battalion remained at home station for the training season. A special mission was conceived in September 1963 when the 39th Engineer Group formed Detachment A (Provisional) for "Operation Home Run" which included members from the 79th and 94th Engineer Battalions. President Kennedy had offered a gift of 250 straight-wall Quonset huts for Skopje, Yugoslavia to aid the people made homeless by a major earthquake in July1963. The 79th Engineer Battalion was given the responsib-ility of organizing the detachment and assembling the equipment using the headquarters of Company D as a nucleus. After several weeks of pre-paration, "Operation Home Run" departed Pirmasens on two trains to Skopje. Erection of the Quonsets began shortly after arrival on 17 November 1963 and was completed by 31 January 1964. General Freeman, USAREUR Commander, and State Department officials participated in the turnover ceremony. The detachment arrived back in Pirmasens on 9 February 1964. For its except-ionally meritorious service, the Detachment was awarded a Meritorious Unit Commendation. After a successful training season which resulted in a superior rating the Annual General Inspection, units of the Battalion began moving to new construction sites. On 15 April 1964, Company C was sent to Incirlik Air Base in Adana, Turkey, to construct a cable expansion of two runway supervisory units, surface drainage facilities and air conditioning for an airmen's dormitory. Construction of a diesel driven, electric power plant and a 250-unit trailer court with all utilities was started by Company C. Company C was replaced by Company D and returned to home station by 19 October 1964. There Company C completed the installation of two coal-fired boilers at Husterhoeh Kaserne started by Company D in July 1964. Work was also continued on a security fence and alarm system project at Fischbach which Company D had started on 6 April 1964. Company B departed for Cigli Air Base, Izmir, Turkey on 20 April 1964. They constructed a loading pad in the VA area, an earth barricade in the QRA area, a visual approach slope indicator, a quarantine kennel and jet exhaust blast deflector. They also repaired runway supervisor roads, a helipad, a small arms range, base roads, relocated a prefab building, and expanded a telephone plant. The projects at Cigli were completed by 21 August, and the company, less a platoon which had moved to Italy on 10 August, returned to Pirmasens and completed construction of a Nike Hercules improvement kit (concrete pad) at Salzwoog, Germany. This project was completed on 25 September. 1964. The platoon at Camp Ederle, Vicenza, Italy rehabilitated a perimeter fence and constructed a storm drainage system. Later, they undertook additional work at Livorne, where they repaired ammunition storage magazines, and Verona where they built three transformer stations. By 11 December 1964 all of Company B had returned to home station for the training season. Company D had remained at home station during the first part of the season and completed most of a security fence project at Fischbach, Germany. The Company also started the installation of two coal-fired boilers at Husterhoeh Kaserne. Both projects were taken over by Company C when the two companies rotated jobs at Incirlik, Turkey on 19 October 1964. D Company remained at Incirlik until April 1965. During this period they completed erection of a diesel engine driven electric power plant with auxiliary equipment and completed most of a 250-unit trailer park facility. The Battalion embarked upon a training season in December and suc-cessfully completed the Annual General Inspection in February 1965, with an overall rating of excellent. The start of the 1965 construction season found the 79th Engineer Battalion under control of the 24th Engineer Group. The change of controlling headquarters became effective on 22 March 1965, but did not involve any dislocation of the Battalion. In early April 1965, one platoon of Company C returned to Incirlik, Turkey to replace Company D and complete the trailer park. The 39th Engineer Group retained control of the Turkey project and the Company C detachment was attached for operations to the 39th Engineer Group. The platoon completed the trailer park and returned to Pirmasens prior to 1 June 1965. All companies of the Battalion were fully committed for the 1965 construction season. Company B moved to Grafenwoehr to construct three hardstands, totaling 36,145 square meters. Company C, less one platoon moved to Vilseck to construct two concrete hardstands totaling 20,635 square meters. Company D on 14 June 1965 began construction of a Rod and Gun Club at Zweibrucken and provided personnel and equipment for construction of a glider field at Hirzenhaim, Germany. In July, D Company prepared to resurface the Battalion motor pool area at Pirmasens with asphalt. Company A completed a well drilling project at Ansbach. Companies A and D executed additional support missions for the Grafenwoehr and Vilseck hardstand projects. At the close of the 1965 construction season, Company B had completed the two hardstands at Grafenwoehr, and upgraded road projects at Wendelsheim and Schilligan, and resurfaced a parking area at Vilseck. Company C had completed the two hardstands at Vilseck, the third hardstand at Grafenwoehr and started work on the runway extension for Grafenwoehr. Company D had completed resurfacing the Battalion and adjacent motor pool area and had completed the Hirzenhaim glider field and the Rod and Gun Club at Zweibrucken. The 1965 training season was climaxed by the completion of both the Annual General Inspection and Annual Army Training Test with overall ratings of excellent. Also the 79th competed in the 24th Engineer Group Annual Rhine River Float Bridge Competition. At 1305 hours, 13 March 1966, The 79th Engineer Battalion closed the gap across the Rhine in record time and won the Float Bridge Competition.