Article By: Mark Putnam (Air Force)
Warin Radio Station 1973-74
Picture that you identify as a barracks immediately to the
right as you enter the main gate...
When I was there between 73/74, this building housed Thai
Guards... there was no airconditioning --- only ceiling fans...
Another Barrack Building paralell to this one but just beyond
it housed American Military Personnel (including me). There were only a few of us on the site at that time...
One or two Army guys & the rest were all USAF. At the far right of both barracks was the latrine & showers...
there were many a time I came out of my room in the barracks to find a snake (cobra) blocking the doorway or cooling itself
on the concrete... The latrines and showers were shared between the thai guards and US military personnel.
Beyond the barracks and I can't tell you where specifically,
there was a small building converted into a movie theatre... we had free films there that were rotated in once a week or so...
Across the road from the snack shop - Don't remember how
far down the road it was, there was a pool & party shelter... One of the pics I sent you has one of our guys in it...
I remember going to a big party there one time & having Mekong forced down me by one of the inebriated Thai Guards...
The Foreman's building as you call it was home to our
Sr. Camp Military person... (Enlisted he was, E-9 I believe -- chief master seargent ... had it made in the shade he did ...
I was actually in that building once upon a time ... dind't think I was going to make it out alive .... Sometime maybe I'll
share that story with you :)
Don't think many of the Barracks shown in Angel's pictures
were there when I arrived six years later .... Think at least one of them was the theatre....
I think I may have some pictures of a party that was thrown
at the Warin site ... If I can find them, I'll scan & send along ...
One story that I recall, I was leaving the site once to head
into Ubon .. (we took the Baht Bus of course) - well, on the way out, a Thai guard flashed something in my face.
To my horror, I noticed it was a cobra... I didn't stick around long enough to figure out if it was alive or dead ... I do
recall the Guards had a great laugh over that ...
Farang running scared :) ---
I do remember this place (Warin camp) was full of snakes
... Krates, Cobra's and other such things as crawled through the grass. When I arrived, the guys put me to work mowing
the grass around our building.... little did I know that this was a joke ... THey asked me If i noticed anything while
out there .... I said nope sure didn't ... they seemed a little disappointed... Only later did I learn they were hoping I'd
run over or into a snake ...
