The hilltop home of Pfc. Teddy Arnold (left) and Spc. 5 John Copas gets an added touch — a barbecue pit. Despite the cold December temperatures, they figured warmer weather was just a few months away. (Jack Muhlenbeck/Stars and Stripes)
This article first appeared in the Stars and Stripes Pacific edition, Dec. 18, 1958. It is republished unedited in its original form.
CAMP CASEY, Korea — Proving that home is where you make it, SP/5 John H. Copas and PFC Teddy V. Arnold have fixed their TV relay site into comfortable and quiet quarters.
Located on top of TV Hill here, they are responsible for supplying the TV signal for Camp Casey and Camp Hovey. And although they are usually the only two men stationed at the hill they do not find it too lonely or boring.
As Copas put it, “I am doing the job I like and the time does not seem to pass too slowly. I get a chance to do a lot of reading. Also, I get plenty of time to write letters home. One thing that we do miss, though. When the clubs and theaters are open and we are working, and when we are off they are closed.”
The working day for the men at the station is different from that of the average soldier. From 6 p.m. to about 11 p.m. the station is in operation and they have to monitor the programs to see that the signal is going out properly.
Daytime hours are spent keeping the equipment working and in taking care of personal business. Because the hilltop is accessible only by jeep and truck, they have the cab of a mobile radio station for their transportation.
Speaking of the assignment Arnold said, “They leave us alone up here and we can do our job. That is the way I like it. And we can save money too.”
Assigned to AFKN in Seoul, they are in the 7th Div. on temporary duty. While staying at the station they eat with the 13th Engineer Bn. which is at the bottom of the hill about a quarter of a mile away.
Another thing that keeps the men occupied is talking and playing cards with the men who man the short wave station located in the other end of the building. As Copas put it, “There is usually someone here to talk to and I am more than happy with my assignment here on TV Hill.”
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