Arlington Hall Memories
Courtesy of WWG
wwg@i-link-2.net
Here is one of my brief stories. This one is about Arlington Hall. I wrote it to Fred Roth and didn't think much of it until he wrote that it was real popular, so I just though you might enjoy it as well.
Arlington Hall? Well, it was a nice place. Here are a couple of my Arlington Hall stories: When I left Ft. Monmouth (spring of '49), I was the only one from my company assigned to the ASA. I was simply given orders to report to Arlington Hall, VA. I was traveling alone and I had no idea where Arlington Hall was located. They issued me a travel allowance, a train ticket to DC and verbal instructions to take a bus out of DC to a place called Buckingham and to then walk directly across the street from the bus stop.
So, I did. But when I got off the bus at Buckingham and looked across the street I saw only a tall, thick hedge. There was a gas station right there at the bus stop, so I went in and asked about a place called Arlington Hall that was supposed to be just across the street. Although there were several persons in the station, no one seemed to know anything about any local Army installation or a place called Arlington Hall. I wandered on into the town itself and asked around in a number of places. Again no positive responses.
I decided then just to follow the directions I'd been given. I went back to the bus stop and walked directly across the street toward the large thick hedge. As I approached it I saw a small opening in the hedge. Walking into the opening I came upon a cyclone fence hidden within the hedge with a gate and guard shack manned by two MPs. I identified myself and was admitted though the gate and found myself at Arlington Hall.
To this day I marvel at what a low profile Arlington Hall maintained such that even local residents were not aware of its existence.
Arlington Hall was a good duty station in those days at least. Quarters were very nice -- previously a girls dorm -- there were 4 guys to a space (cubicle?). Had a real bathtub too. Down the road there was a huge camp called Arlington Farms where all the single girls who worked in the DC offices were quartered in large barracks like buildings: Washington Hall, North Dakota Hall, etc. Every Saturday night they held a big dance at Arlington Farms and sent buses around to the army posts to bring in guys. If you left the dance with a girl you got a free pass for a moonlight boat ride on the Potomac. So you got your girl at the dance and went for a free moonlight boatride on the Potomac with her. It was great! There were 8 women for every man in DC in those days. It was an easy bus ride into DC and their was lots to do there. It was there I was offered a choice between Asmara, Africa and Kyoto Japan. Don't know why I chose Japan actually, except maybe it was closer to Seattle.
WWG is writing a paper on the ASA
if you want to contribute
WWG's email:
wwg@i-link-2.net
or snail mail:
ASA Project
PO Box 553
Chehalis, WA 98532