John Rinehold's Sinop Photo Page
SP-5 James Rinehold, Sinop - August '66 - July '67
Beards, Tree and Rinehold Beards & Xmas Tree Xmas Tree Christmas Chaplain Assistant Tim The Det. 4 Quartet Crazy Kowalski Mess Hall
From: "John W. Rinehold" ssb@pioneer.net
Subject: Sinop Photos and Text
Date: Thu, 9 Sep 1999
Organization: SSB Consulting
I have begun collecting stuff. I don't know where a bunch of my pictures are, but as I recall, a bunch of them were destroyed years ago.
However, I do have all the negatives for the prints. It will take a little time in finding them though. Also, I will read through my diary and see what it says....Here is a photo of the RDF site I worked at (radio detection finder)....
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Date: Wed, 29 Sep 1999
From: "John W. Rinehold" ssb@pioneer.net
Subject: Excerpts from my JournalExcerpts from my journal
John W. Rinehold 66-67Saturday August 20
Arrived in TurkeyMonday August 22
Flew to Samsun and then drove to Sinop. Had lunch, a very bad thing to do.Tuesday August 23
Awakened sicker than a dog. Threw up at both ends. The First Sergeant sent me to the infirmary. Nearly fell into the drainage ditch on the way, but the Sergeant sent his runner out after me to stay my course.
Temperature 104. Emergency evac. Spent the next 10 days at the hospital in AnkaraWednesday September 14
Working 12 and 12. Sgt. McCarthy walked into my room. Asked me what I was doing in bed. Told him I was tired, and must have let something else slip. Got into big trouble with McCarthy and the CO.Monday October 3, 1966
John Miller and I worked through the night on our 12 and 12 schedule. Early that morning, I backed the deuce-and-a-half down the Point Site driveway taking out a small metal box attached to a post in the soil. I don't know what it was, but it was still lying on the ground when I returned. That afternoon I went to the motor pool and asked about getting my drivers license. Evidently, I need new glasses. That may explain the metal box.Friday October 7, 1966
The team from Germany began constructing the new antenna field. We are still working out of the Quonset hut, but expect to move next Tuesday.
The monopoles (antenna) will be going up tomorrow.Monday October 17
The teletype went out this morning. Duphew and I decided to jog out to the point and back, about 2 miles. Pretty tired, so I slept the rest of the morning on the new site floor. This 12 and 12 stuff is getting a bit old.Wednesday October 19
Shaw, Dephew and I went horse back riding, if you can call it that. These were real nags, Dephew’s was one step away from the glue factory. We rode through Sinop and up and down the beach as well. My white horse managed pretty well. Dephew had trouble staying on. His horse had a habit of stopping, but he didn’t. Several times he went end over teakettle onto the beach.Wednesday October 26
PT test today. The 40 yard crawl was a real pit. We threw beer cans instead of grenades. I did the mile in 7:43 in my combat boots. Paul came in right behind me. The rest of the day I spent with the 059’s cleaning equipment. Oh, Joy! As it turned out, Sgt Spillman told us that we weren’t supposed to paint the monopoles. Too late. Ron Bessling made E-5.Friday November 4
MPs stopped me for speeding and told me to get another trip ticket for the vehicle. He claimed we need a new one every day. Later, I went hiking at the point with Ron Bessling, Paul Jessie, Jay Frost and John Miller. Had more troubles with the MPs and with Mark, our dog.Monday November 7
Teletype went out. Shaw and I turned out the lights and went to sleep. Glasses came today. Now I can drive, legally that is.Thursday November 10
Inspection today. Officers wondered why I didn’t have any clothes in my locker. Herb Thoreson and I took the bus down to Sinop to do some souvenir shopping. Bought a nice meerschaum pipe.Monday November 14
Frazie is on extra duty for “improper procedure.” He had written FTA over the teletype. Paul and John made E-5.Friday November 25
Savague and Cizek came in drunk. Savague tore his locker door apart and then went to bed. Cizek is my roommate.Monday December 5
Filled out an accident report. Sgt Mitchell had a few words with me.Wednesday December 29
In the dark, I nearly lost the truck in the mud while backing out from the site. Brake failure—Again! Drove a short distance and got out to see if I was still on the road. Snow is really bad, and no snow plow. Later that day, I visited with Tim, the chaplain’s assistant. Tim told me that Chaplain Duval was assigned to Sinop because of drunken and disorderly behavior at his previous assignment.Black Sunday January 8
I went to Point Site with Paul Jesich, John Miller, Dave Shaw, and Talcott. Later while hiking on the cliff, John fell. Dave checked his pulse. John was dead. We all felt cold and pretty awful. The Chaplin held a special service for John that evening. Everyone was there. John Miller was the only black at Point Site.Thursday January 19
Still snowing, but not as hard has it had been coming down. We have 4 feet accumulated and we are having great difficulty in getting out to Point Site. We work in 24 hours shifts now and eating sea rations at the site. Paul, Dephew and Hessler relieved us. I worked about 18 hours and then slept.Sunday January 22
After work I headed back in, but smashed into a snow bank on the way.
No major damage. Working with Larry Gowalski who goes by “The Village Idiot” on KBOK. The guys is nuts.Friday February 10
Big inspection today. The new CO about choked to death when he hit my bed. The dust really flew. Nothing came of it.Wednesday February 15
Found out that I may have to pay duty on my hold baggage if it doesn’t arrive my by 6th month point. I’ve been here five months and my baggage hasn’t arrived. I called everywhere on post, but apparently S-2 had lost my stamped orders. I am catching a cold.Friday March 3
Bought a 14 K alexandrine ring. (I was to later discover that it turned my finger green). Back on 12 and 12 again. Guys keep leaving, but no replacements.Monday March 13
Flunked inspection. Still on 12 and 12. Gay is working at the site with me now. Larry Gowalski has the day off. Dave, Hessler and Wilkins made E-5.Thursday March 30
Pay Day. Boy did the Sgt scream when I saluted the pay officer with the wrong hand. The officer was surpressing a laugh when the Sgt asked me how long I had been in the army. “Three years, sergeant.” And I saluted with the wrong hand. Had to put in a day with Larry. Went to see the show “Munsters” with Rich Beard.Sunday March 30
On leave in Athens. A coup. Stuck in a hotel. Nice view of the Acropolis. Tanks and soldiers everywhere. Sigh.Wednesday April 17
Crazy Larry and I went fishing. For 17 lyra we took a row boat out into the Black Sea. I took some panoramic shots of Sinop. Larry rowed. Caught two ugly fish. Don’t know what they were.Friday April 19
I gave Larry Gawolski drivers training today. Man, I barely got out of that alive. That guy is crazy. He had trouble staying on the road.Saturday April 20
Worked like a dog today. Clements helped Larry and I. Later the MP stopped me for not slowing to a halt fast enough. Then some other fellow claimed that I tried to hit him with the truck.Monday June 5
WAR in the Middle East. Spent the whole day listening to reports from the BBC, VOA, Radio Moscow, Radio Cairo and Radio Jerusalem. It is quite exciting.Tuesday June 13
Flunked inspectionWednesday June 14
Passed inspectionTuesday June 27
Packing up, getting ready to go home. MPs take us to work now. We no longer have a truck.Wednesday July 19
Gone ROD (relieved of duty)Wednesday July 26
Caught a ride with a mini bus to Samsun. Had a flat on the way. The other fellow with me and I decided to save some time and take a taxi to Ankara. We went flying in a ’57 chevy. The driver would blink the lights on high every time we passed a vehicle coming from the other direction.
In spite of the stupendous driving, we made it to Ankara by night fall. It was really a sight, coming into Ankara because from the south you come in down a mountain side that must be several thousand feet up.===============================================================
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Copyright © John W. Rinehold, 1999. All Rights Reserved.
