CANDOER News
A quarterly Newsletter dedicated to Communicators AND Others Enjoying Retirement
October 2015
Fall Issue
Volume 15 – Number 3
would like to share with others? If you do,
Inside this issue
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CANDOER's Corner
1
or to my snail-mail address:
By Bob Catlin
Robert J. Catlin, Sr.
2670 Dakota Street
Providing TDY Support to Dakar
2
Bryans Road, MD 20616-3062
By Rudy Garcia
Tel:
Cell -> (301) 535-9263
The Uninvited Guest
3
Home -> (301) 283-6549
By Charles Christian
Please, NO handwritten submissions.
This newsletter is available on the Web
Now That's a Memory
5
only, free, to any and all.
By Bob Catlin
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has
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Gee, Look at All Those Poor People
5
you
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By John Lemandri
make copies to distribute to others, please
feel free to do so.
Introduction to Nouakchott
6
By Rudy Garcia
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Newsletter dedicated to the CANDOERs
The PDF file and Microsoft Word
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CANDOER's Corner
enjoyment on or about, January 1, April 1,
July 1, and October 1.
We had a weird summer here in Southern
The CANDOER Web site and Newsletter
Maryland. Temperatures were as low as 65
may be viewed at: www.candoer.org.
and as high as 98. For the last six weeks
The success of this newsletter depends
we have had very little rain. My yard is as
on you. I need story contributors.
hard as cement. Regardless, even with
Do you have an interesting article, a
very little rain, Mattawoman Creek has
nostalgia item, or a real life story you
October 2015
Fall Issue
Volume 15 – Number 3
been running higher than normal tides.
to get underway but could only shift to
This has made fishing rather slow. Even
second gear. It broke down twice more
with the high tides I have been out fishing
and we had to sit for almost an hour each
in the boat over 50 times in the last three
time before it would move again. Finally,
months. Now that the temperatures are
we were able to get to Rosso, Mauritania,
dropping for fall, the Crappie will start
the border town. I gave the driver a sum
moving out of the deep areas and into the
of money to get the vehicle repaired and to
shallows. This week I plan on a switch
return to Nouakchott. There was no way I
from Large-Mouth Bass fishing to Crappie
was going to continue in this car all the way
and Catfish.
to Dakar.
(I found out on my return the driver
Providing TDY Support to Dakar
used the money for something else and
By Rudy Garcia
said he'd pay me back in installments. I
told him he had to produce the funds
I was on duty that Sunday when I received
immediately so I could voucher it or I'd
a call-in signal from Ouagadougou, our
take him to the JAO director on charges of
relay. It was early morning in Nouakchott
misuse of government funds.)
and the sand had not started blowing. I
I boarded the pirogue that ferried
rode my bike (POV) in and received the
people across the Senegal River. On the
NIACT telegram.
It was from Dakar
Senegal side I bought a seat in the next
requesting communications support. The
bush taxi (taxi brousse).
These were
Gambia was undergoing a coup d-etat and
usually Peugeot 404 station wagons with
embassy personnel in Banjul were trapped
three bench seats. The vehicle was full;
at the residence, which was by the beach.
nine people including the driver, as well as
I called our JAO director to reply to the
all the baggage -- no air conditioning. I
request. It was decided that I would go.
was lucky this time, no livestock. The car
The JAO director got some funds and
drove southward stopping only to let people
arranged for a driver and a Chevrolet
relieve themselves and for the noon and
Carry-All from the joint motor pool.
afternoon prayers. We passed through St.
Unfortunately, it was a USAID owned
Louis, the biggest city along the route, and
vehicle.
smaller towns with no one about, due to
We headed south along the main
the heat. In the late afternoon we arrived
highway toward Senegal. This was a twoat the bus terminal in Dakar. It is also the
lane
road
sometimes
covered
by
termination point for these taxis. I took a
encroaching sand dunes as they blew
city taxi to the embassy and arrived
eastward from the sea. It was especially
sweaty, smelly, still sporting my oil-stained
hairy when the sand covered your lane atop
shirt. The control officer, I believe it was
a hill. You could not see if there was an
Len Shurtleff, met me and gave me hotel
oncoming vehicle while you were on the
information and filled me in on the
oncoming lane trying to avoid the dune.
situation.
That, however, wasn't the only problem.
Apparently there was a coup d'etat in
Halfway to the Senegal border the vehicle
The Gambia. Senegal had sent in their
jerked to a stop. The driver said it was the
military to help the Gambian military quell
transmission as if he knew the car was
the uprising. In accordance with our E&E
defective. The only tools in the car were a
plans, all U.S. Embassy personnel gathered
small spanner and a screwdriver. Now you
at the residence (in Fajara, if I'm not
see why I said it was unfortunate it was a
mistaken -- it's been 35 years) to proceed
USAID vehicle.
We crawled under the
with the planned evacuation.
vehicle but there wasn't much you could do
Unfortunately
the
rebels
had
with the vast array of tools the vehicle
surrounded the residence, although the
carried. After cooling down we were able
U.S. was not a target.
All the other
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October 2015
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Volume 15 – Number 3
nationals (French, Brits, etc.) had jumped
it was only about 10 miles away). I asked
in their cars and driven across the nearest
if I could just sit in his office, a small shack
border into Senegal. Even our Peace Corps
with a small porch in front.
He obliged,
volunteers fled The Gambia by any means,
even pulled out a dirty worn mattress from
including moped. I was to help out in the
inside and set it on the porch. I thanked
Dakar IPC so the incumbents could assist in
him and put my bag under my head
the efforts to communicate with the
thinking I'd just lie a while. I guess I fell
residence.
The Ambassador's secretary
asleep as I woke to a donkey sniffing and
manned the HF unit to get almost minutestarting to lick my feet through my sandals
by-minute status reports. She used code
and a dog smelling for food in my bag. It
names for the government troops and
was still dark but it was morning.
rebels: cowboys and Indians, black hats
The pirogue was fixed and took me
and white hats, and other code names that
across the river.
I thanked the border
popped into her head. There were two
guard and gave him approximately $20 for
other OC TDYers, CEO/C Erick Morin and
his efforts to accommodate me. On the
AF/EX Rover Gipsy Breckman (sp?). After a
Mauritanian side of the river I joined a bush
few days it was decided that two TDYers
taxi, buying the last two seats to have
would make their way to the Chancery,
more space and so we could get going
which was in the city of Banjul itself (a
immediately. It was one of the longest car
couple of years later as a Rover, I was to
rides I ever had. I was in the middle bench
figure out that TDYers are expendable). I
with another guy who, seeing there was no
thought I would be one of the two but they
third passenger, sprawled out with his
sent Gipsy to go with Erick. Yeah, she was
knees intruding into my space. I had to
tough: travelled with two Halliburton
keep whacking his knees and telling him I
suitcases as her HHE. They were to go to
own the empty space. The guy at the front
the river and take a pirogue to the
passenger side window kept spitting out of
Chancery and secure it as much as
his window and his phlegm would fly into
possible. Things were winding down by
my window and onto my sleeve. I slapped
then, the Senegalese military had rounded
him on the back of his head a couple of
up the rebels and the embassy personnel
times and he finally stopped. There were
were no longer surrounded. I was told I
three Mauritanian women crammed into the
could leave on the afternoon of the third
small rear bench seat (Mauritanian women
day. Since I had no airline ticket I decided
are force-fed as stretch marks are signs of
to return the way I came.
beauty). They chanted a mantra, non-stop,
I took a taxi to the bus terminal to
all the way back to Nouakchott!
catch a bush taxi back to the border. I was
The Chancery in Banjul had since
in luck as one was almost full, so I bought
moved to a new location from the old
the remaining seats so we could leave right
building in the city. It relocated to a white
away.
We arrived at the Senegal border
building named "The White House" in a
too late for the pirogue, which usually stops
more open area around Fajara. I provided
operations at 21:00 hrs. The border guard
TDY support there about three years later.
said the pirogue broke down in the middle
of the river but if it was now operational
The Uninvited Guest
he'd let them take me across. We walked
By Charles Christian
to the riverbank and he yelled into the
darkness and got a reply saying they were
In late 1863 the Chattanooga campaign
still down. I asked where the nearest hotel
had General Bragg besieging the city and
was, as it was 22:00 by then. He said
the Union forces held Knoxville to the east
there were none in that village but the
which put Yankees in the front and in the
nearest was in Richard Toll, a sugar refining
rear of General Bragg. A division led by
town some 40 kms away (I found out later
General Longstreet was sent to Knoxville to
-3-
October 2015
Fall Issue
Volume 15 – Number 3
deal with the Union forces there while
through the south over the years I visited
Bragg continued the containment of the
Bleak House. I was wearing my blue forage
Union army in Chattanooga.
cap with the Sons of Union Veterans
Generals Longstreet and McLaws made
emblem on it. The house is now the local
their headquarters in a fine home just west
headquarters for the United Daughters of
of Knoxville on the Kingstown Pike. The
the Confederacy.
The older woman in
madam of the house was not pleased to
charge would not give me a tour and
have her house commandeered by General
directed a younger and pretty woman to do
Longstreet, but there was nothing she
so. The young woman was most kind to
could do but obey the rule that she and her
me and showed me all the artifacts of the
people stay on the second floor and were
war that the house held. The bullet hole in
not allowed to leave that floor. One day
the staircase was still there. The cupola
she was determined to go out and headed
was still there and, instead of a ladder,
down the stairs. The guard at the bottom
there was a staircase up to it. On one of
told her to go back up or he would fire.
the wooden walls was the likeness in
She continued and he fired into the step
colored chalk of the three CSA soldiers that
just below her. She went back upstairs.
were killed while on duty in it. The woman
On top of the house was a small square
also told me that there was a big blood
cupola with glass all around the sides from
stain on the wooden floor when the UDC
half way up to the roof. Snipers were
took over the house. The President of the
positioned in it to fire upon the enemy only
local UDC then had it removed as she
a couple blocks away in town.
thought it was not fitting to be viewed by
Eventually the CSA could not seize the
any one. I had the thought that even the
city as the Union forces had built a wall of
Sons of Confederate Veterans would have
dirt six feet high and a ditch in front six
had her taken out and shot.
feet deep. In front of it was a cleared field
A few years later I went back to the
of tree stumps and piano wire strung
Bleak House with my wife. The same older
between the stumps to trip attacking
woman was there but did not recognize me
soldiers. The two obstacles made it almost
as I was not wearing that horrible Yankee
impossible to storm the fortifications and
cap. I told her that I had recently been
when they tried it cause massive casualties.
honored by the UDC in California with the
Eventually the CSA pulled out and left the
presentation of the highest award they can
town in Union hands.
be issued to a nonmember, The Jefferson
32 years passed and in 1890 the United
Davis Historical Gold Medal. This was as a
Confederate Veterans held their first
result of all my work on researching and
reunion in Knoxville and the Union veterans
seeing to it that all CSA veterans in the
were also invited towards healing the old
Santa Rosa Rural Cemetery had their
wounds between the sides.
stories typed up by me and that their
General Longstreet was invited by the
gravestones showed their service record
same woman this time to be an invited
with small stainless steel plates that I
guest at Bleak House. At the farewell
installed over the years. I also gave talks
dinner the last night of the reunion she
on notable CSA vets in the SRRC to the
threw a dinner party where she stood up
UDC and participated as a Union Chaplain
and proposed a toast to General Longstreet
at various CSA events in Northern
and said words to the effect: “General
California for some years. A senior SCV
Longstreet, 30 some years ago you were an
officer had also told them of my work with
uninvited guest in this house and now that
him in other matters of CSA vets in
you are my guest again I am sad to see
Northern California.
you leave.” (Google Bleak House and the
The older UDC woman told me that her
Knoxville battle for more information.)
husband had been presented the UDC
Postscript: During one of my many travels
Stonewall Jackson Silver Medal for his good
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October 2015
Fall Issue
Volume 15 – Number 3
works on behalf of the CSA vets and was
Resources for a company founded by the
the gardener at the Bleak House for years.
Late Ken Loff, PRO-telligent.
The house backs up to the Tennessee River
Colin Powell was now Secretary of
and the large garden area was a
State.
masterpiece of beauty to see and walk
On this particular day I was trying to
through. The lady now took me by the
enter
the
Department
through
the
hand and joyfully gave the two of the grand
Diplomatic entrance, only to find it blocked
tour of the house.
off and several microphones set up under
In the later years of my travels in the
the overhead canopy. So, I stood there to
South, I was very discreet about my SUV
see what was going on instead of going
connection and Yankee roots. All my people
around to one of the other entrances.
during the war lived so far north that they
Before long, Secretary Powell and a
were almost Canadians and none of them
foreign dignitary (I do not remember which
probably even knew a Southerner. But I
one) came through the doors and made
did learn to be sympathetic to the Lost
several remarks about their meeting.
Cause in the past 35 years my study and
As the dignitary got into his limo and
travel in the south, but will continue to be
left, Secretary Powell looked over at all of
true to the Yankees.
us standing around waiting to get into the
“The Union forever!”
building and he noticed me. He walked
over to me with his hand extended and
Now That's a Memory
said, "Mr. Catlin, how are you doing." "Are
By Bob Catlin
your still working here at State." I replied,
"I am no longer a government employee,
When it comes to remembering names of
but am a contractor working here in the
people I have met, but have not seen on a
building." He responded, "Well we need
regular basis, I have a problem.
I
you guys too." He then asked if I was still
remember the face, but rarely the name.
getting in some fishing time.
On November 01, 1990, after suffering
That was 10 years after our initial
a heart attack, I was detailed to the Office
meeting at the AFCEA luncheon and not
of
the
Manager
of
the
National
only did he remember my name, but the
Communications System (OMNCS). A four
fact I worked at State and loved to fish.
year assignment I loved.
Now that's a memory!
While assigned to the OMNCS I was
able to attend several AFCEA luncheons.
Gee, Look at All Those Poor People
One particular luncheon, in 1992, I had the
By John Lemandri
pleasure of sitting at a table with General
Colin Powell. At that time he was Chairman
The year was 1977 and I was midway
of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
through my assignment at the American
Throughout the luncheon we talked at
Embassy in The Hague, Holland. The city
length about what we did to relax during
hadn't changed much since the war. As my
our off duty time.
Of course, my
friend and I turned a corner and began
conversation was about fishing. The
walking across the cobblestone square all of
General talked about buying old Volvo or
a sudden two 1940s style busses pulled in
Saab
cars
and
doing
"frame
off"
front of us and out strolled 60 or so elderly
restoration. He said when he finished the
people dressed in clothing I had only seen
restoration he would drive the car "around
in past issues of Life Magazine. I remarked
the block" and then put it up for sale and
to my friend, "Gee, look at all those poor
start on the next one.
people," when all of a sudden the elderly
Now let's flash ahead to 2002.
stopped moving as I heard what could only
I had retired from State and was
be described as a thousand cuss words in
working as the Vice President of Human
Dutch. We had inadvertently walked into a
-5-
October 2015
Fall Issue
Volume 15 – Number 3
movie set being filmed about World War II,
announced that had we arrived 10 minutes
and the director wasn't pleased.
later he would have had to land in Dakar
instead ... so close!
Introduction to Nouakchott
I was to replace the CPO. The SCO had
By Rudy Garcia
already departed post and his replacement
was not due in for a few more weeks.
Nearing the end of my first tour, in Bogota,
While I was there the CPO took some time
Colombia, I bid only on Bamako, Mali, as it
off to marry his fiancée in a Mauritanian
was a two-man post. Most of my peers
civil ceremony. He upset the judge (or
were former military personnel who worked
whoever it was that presided over the
in a communications environment. I felt I
ceremony) by answering the question of
needed more experience to get to their
how many camels he would give the bride's
level of expertise.
Naturally, I was
father for her hand with "10". The judge
assigned to a one-man post, Cotonou,
yelled that no woman was worth a ten
Benin. It did, however, get me to the CPO
camels and that this was a serious
conference held in Nairobi, Kenya; I was,
ceremony not to be given to frivolous
after all, the CPO. During this conference I
answers.
I forgot the exact number
told Joe Hazewski I was interested in an
mentioned so I used "ten".
AFRECONE (formerly WATTS) post as that
A couple of weeks later two Land
was my reason for coming to AF. He told
Rovers full of armed personnel crossed the
me the only post open in the near future
Senegal River and drove north to
was Nouakchott, Mauritania. So I said I'd
Nouakchott. One vehicle went to the radio
go. It did have Collins AFRECONE gear,
station to occupy it and start broadcasts,
and the latest whiz-bang TERP I equipment
probably to the effect that they had taken
(using cassette tapes, for those of you not
over the government. The other vehicle
around back then) and was due for a
went to the Presidential Palace situated
telephone PBX upgrade to a Mitel SX-200
next door to the chancery. We suddenly
(if I'm not mistaken). (Aside: I was told
heard all the shooting and ducked under
Mitel stood for Mike and Terry's Lawn
windows on the palace side of our building.
Mower). During the evening session of the
The invaders took over the palace but were
conference he announced there was a
not able to take the radio station, from
volunteer for Nouakchott. Everyone looked
what I heard. Mauritanian army personnel
around trying to figure who had made this
assembled in front of the chancery gate
rash choice; I overheard some whispers to
and were shooting into the palace to
the effect of "who's the fool?" I tried to
dislodge the invaders. They brought their
hide behind a column to minimize my
big guns and fired across a corner of our
presence.
compound at the palace. At one point our
My trip to Nouakchott was via Paris. I
Charge's driver, Sheybani (a seventy yearbrought with me a Lhasa Apso pup in a pet
old who had just married a 17-year old girl)
carrier under my seat. My seat neighbor
called me up and asked for some 3-in-1 oil
was
a
young
English
secretary
as many of the soldiers had rusty rifles that
accompanying her boss to Dakar. He sat in
wouldn't work smoothly.
first class, of course. She said it was the
The airport and borders were closed.
first time she had ever been on a plane so I
However, a few days into the siege, the
offered to let her have the window seat so
CPO and his new wife were able to slip
she could see the sky. As we approached
across the border into Senegal via pirogue
Nouakchott we looked out and saw a huge
(canoe) and take a bush taxi to Dakar and
sand storm -- no land, just sand. She
on to CONUS for home leave.
asked if that's where I was going to live, to
The Charge' ordered me to reside at the
which I nodded. She gave me the purest
embassy compound in the currently empty
look of pity I've ever seen.
The pilot
Ambassador's residence so there would be
-6-
October 2015
Fall Issue
Volume 15 – Number 3
a communicator on hand. I rode home, a
rope with a U-bolt. They said there was no
couple of miles away, to get some clothes
fix for the collar; it was just built too loose.
and food. I was met with incessant barking
A few days after the start of the coup
and people yelling. The Mauritanian
the Mauritanians were able to dislodge the
government accused the Moroccans of
invaders from the palace. I don't know
training the invaders in Morocco and
what happened to them; that was over 30
assisting them to plan the coup d’état with
years ago. The SCO arrived some days
hopes of influencing the outcome of the
later and I went back to my house. The
Spanish Sahara situation. They sent some
soldiers still occupied the Moroccan
soldiers to surround the residence that was
embassy compound next door to my house.
next door to my house. The pup was going
The pup still barked at them. The sand
wild, barking through the chicken-wire
dunes still approached. All was normal.
fence at the soldiers. I told the gardener to
On
this
subject:
In
our
keep him indoors as much as possible. I
communications class in 1976 we had four
didn't want them shooting at him if he
or so back-up communicator secretaries.
caused too much noise.
One of them lived in Arizona and went back
I would return home after work each
during a break to check on her HHE packing
day to get a change of clothing and some
and shipping. She was assigned to Port
food, feed the dog, and check on the
Louis, Mauritius.
She came back really
house. Being the only communicator there
mad. She had just caught the packers
I pulled some long hard hours trying to
before her shipment left. The head packer
tune to workable frequencies on our HFsaid she had made a mistake on the name
RTTY gear. Our relay, AE Ouagadougou,
of the city; it was St. Louis, not Port Louis.
kept complaining that they could hardly
Furthermore, that city was not in
hear me, so I took a look at our antenna to
Mauritania but in Senegal; but not to
make sure it was aligned.
We had a
worry, he corrected the address to
manually rotatable LP antenna (without the
Nouakchott in Mauritania.
rotating motor) with wire elements.
I
noticed it was pointing about 180 degrees
See you next quarter!
away from Ouagadougou, which meant I
was transmitting through the rear end of
the antenna. I didn't want to climb the 40
KEEP THE STORIES COMING!
foot tower as the soldiers and invaders
were still firing at each other sporadically.
Finally, after a couple of days, I asked the
Enjoy life, but be safe!
Administrative
Officer
to
tell
the
Mauritanian soldiers in front of the
compound that I was going up the tower
and to hold their fire. I noticed the collar of
the antenna shaft was loose although its
screws were as tight as they could be. I got
some nylon rope, and, with great effort (it
seemed like it was about 60 foot wide from
up there but was probably in its 20's),
swung the huge antenna in the direction of
Ouagadougou. I tied the antenna down to
prevent any further rotation by the wind.
We were now sending and receiving a good
signal from the relay station. When the
AFRECONE radio techs arrived from Lome a
couple of months later they replaced the
-7-