No Thumb Picture provided by Laney Reed 24th PsyOps
The original site for VUNC -B was near Panmunjom along the Imjin River. This site was moved to the Chorwon Valley in 1962. I was involved in the setup of this new facility as part of my TDY from Okinawa in 1962. Unfortunately I did not see completion of site and hope that others may have pictures to add to those below.
The broadcast station for the Panmunjom site used a 5 KW transmitter. The new Chorwon and Seoul stations consisted of a moble studio and transmitter each housed in a semitrailer. These transmitters were 10 KW units that extended the length of the trailer and filled at least half of the width. Both trailers were air conditioned (AC was not common during this time) to reduce equipment failure due to excesive heat production. This equipment was also used by 14th units on Okinawa. Because of the tropical heat and humidity during the summer, I can remember hating to leave the studio or transmitter van at the end of my duty on Okinawa.
I am surprised at one of the pictures below showing an ROK Tank. While I was helping to setup the new site at Chorwon, I remember that ROK tank crews did not like to have pictures taken of their tanks or positions. There were several incidents in which a ROK tank commander threatened me verbally or by pointing his cannon in my direction when I tried to take pictures. I think this may be the reason I don't have more pictures of the early Chorwon site. I also remember that we had to be very careful where we drove vehicles and where we walked because of mine fields.
While I was at the Chorwon site but "safely" in a nearby ASA compound there were several incidents of infiltration by North Korean troops at night near the buildings of our new station. We learned that two North Koreans were killed and one ROK soldier injured in one of the incidents. Evidently the North Koreans were very interested in our site. Russell Kucharski indicated that the Chorwon site was the farthest northern post for U.S. Military personnel in the Chorwon Valley which was a major invasion route from the north.
Pictures Provided by Russell Kucharski and Tim Yoho
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No Thumb Picture provided by Laney Reed 24th PsyOps |
