Short Stay in The 14th RB&L by Jon Mohr

I arrived with Gary Gloyd on the same ship in 1958.  I had s double MOS as cryptographer and crypt-accountant and spent the summer at B&VA . . . I think about 4 months.

At B&VA, I worked in the security room maintaining classified documents along with a sergeant, and doing some armed currier work as needed.  Basically, they just made use of my security clearances since it was known that I was waiting to replace someone in the crypto center at USARIS HQ where I became the evening "trick chief" (i.e.shift supervisor).  I thought the psywar work at B&VA was very interesting and kind of wished I could have participated in that, but it was not to be.  Actually, I was saddened to leave B&VA.

BTW, the most dangerous thing I did in the army was at B&VA where I was almost shot to death.  The sergeant and I had facing desks in the security room.  He returned from a HQ document run and when he returned I left the room to get coffee.  I hadn't walked three steps outside our door when I heard a gun shot.  The guy had "racked" his .45 before dropping the magazine rather than the reverse.  He held it up to pull the trigger and of course cooked off a round.  The bullet hit the wall about a foot from the ceiling over his desk, richoched to the ceiling and then downward and buried itself in the back of my chair.  Had I not gotten up I would have been hit in the middle of the chest.  Ouch!  And people say that REMFS aren't in danger. 

I was then was assigned to a Signal Group that was only 3 barracks down the hill from the 14th.  I included a picture of the barracks with radio tower that had a MARS (Military Amateur Radio Station.). My room was on the second floor over the entrance in the center of the building. I was there about 10 months.

When I made corporal they didn't know what to do with me since I was an NCO, not a specialist.  So I routinely did charge of quarters which was no big deal.  However, one day following company calisthenics and such on the parade grounds the other side of the swimming pool, the First Sergeant had me march the company back to the barracks.  Well, I gave a column left command a little early and the entire company marched right up to the swimming pool fence.  Guys in the front were marking time; guys in the back continued to crowd in; and the whole formation broke out in laughter.   "Top" took charge and straightened things out.  I was never asked to march the company (or even a squad) again.

I remember when I was shift supervisor at the crypto center at USARYIS/19th Corps getting the flash message  that the marines were under fire in Beirut.  I delivered the message sometime during the evening to the OIC and by the time we got up the next day, it appeared the entire 3rd Marine Div had disappeared onto ships.  That really impressed me.

After the Signal Company tour, I went TDY on civilian status to JUSMAAG Thailand in Bangkock for three months.....  Then "home" to Ft Riley, KS for about 6 months awaiting discharge.  All told, I was overseas about 17-18 months.   Like you (Tim Yoho), I started college (Rutgers) and left in my 4th semester to join the Army, then returned for my degree in English.

Editor's Note: I asked Jon about his race car driving experience and he summarized that below:

My wife called her, "The Other Woman." (Car That Jon Drove). She was born a Sports Renault, chassis # 515, but dropped the French accent, had a little surgery, and became SRF when SCCA terminated its partnership with Renault.  I swapped free engine conversion by the race shop I used in exchange for the shop owner taking it to Mid Ohio the first year SRF qualified for the National Championships.  He finished sixth in the nation  with my wheels. . . but alas I was home wishing I was there.  Incidentally, that race shop was Racer's Edge Motorsports of which I was their first customer.  They are now in Deland, FL and running a Mustang in the Continental Tire Challenge Series under IMSA.

I liked the class because it has very competitive with full fields (15-30 cars), relatively inexpensive (especially where tires are concerned since we didn't run with slicks), and the Ford engines (4 cylinder hemis prepared by Jack Rousch) were bulletproof.  The Renault engines were a problem with occasional over-revving and bent rods, plus some cheating on engine prep.

I participated in the 25th Anniversary of Formula Ford in America at Lime Rock in 1994.  It was predominantly FFs, but also featured Sports 2000 (2 liter Ford powered sports racers), Formula Continental (Formula Ford 2000), and Spec Racer Ford.  As it happens, they held a drawing after our race and I won an engine, which I desperately needed at that point.  Good timing!

My championship year of 1994, I had Pocono (3rd), Pocono (3rd), Bridgehampton (5th), Flemington (2nd), Lime Rock (1st), Lime Rock (DNF), Lime Rock (5th), Lime Rock (1st), New Hampshire Int'l (2nd), New Hampshire Int'l (2nd), Lime Rock (2nd), Bridgehampton (1st), and Lime Rock (5th).  It was a very good year.  There were a couple of non-series races thrown in such as the Formula Ford Festival and a couple of Nationals.

Great fun for the 14 years I raced.  BTW, I graduated my first racing school on my 51st birthday and retired just after turning 65.

Jon Mohr