| Before the Korean War I was a member of the Utah | | | | Things went well during the week. We learned a lot |
| National Guard. During the summer we always spent | | | | and didn't have to think too much about it. But as the |
| two weeks at beautiful Camp Williams just south of | | | | week went on I longed to get back into sound ranging. |
| the Utah State Prison. | | | | Finally on Friday, we got the shocking news that the |
| I was in an artillery observation battalion. | | | | regular army cooks were going into town and that we |
| I was in the "Sound Ranging" Platoon. | | | | would be cooking lunch on Saturday. |
| We could locate the position an artillery shell was fired | | | | Saturday morning we learned that we would not be |
| from by recording the sound as it hit individually six | | | | using the cooking facilities in the kitchen. We would be |
| microphones laid out on a surveyed two-mile baseline. | | | | using camp stoves. These bruits are known for their |
| A machine called the GR-8 recorded the time the | | | | orneryness. It took us forever to get them lit and |
| sound arrived at each microphone as soon as the | | | | burning. The menu was macaroni and cheese and |
| forward observer push an activation button that said | | | | fried liver, a culinary delight. |
| he had heard a sound and it was on its way to the | | | | Things didn't go well and a line of regulars were |
| microphones. | | | | standing outside the mess hall waiting to be fed. We |
| A plotting table allowed us to record the time | | | | finally got the macaroni cooked. We immediately |
| differential between microphones. Corrections were | | | | dropped it onto the kitchen floor when we tried to drain |
| added to the speed of sound of 369.2 yards per | | | | it. The would-be cooks moaned about what to do. I |
| second according to temperature and humidity. The | | | | was only a teenager but I could make decisions. I said, |
| "enemy" gun was then located and fire could be | | | | "Get it back into the pot. We don't have anything else |
| directed to the "enemy" position. We never fired on | | | | to feed those guys." |
| enemy positions at Camp Williams because the | | | | The regular army troops that had decided to stay at |
| "enemy" was our own artillery. | | | | beautiful Camp Williams patiently ate there |
| Sound Ranging was used in World War II. There were | | | | floor-drained macaroni and cheese and ate their liver. |
| only two Observation Battalions in the United States. | | | | Well, at least some ate the liver. We were standing |
| One was in Europe supporting NATO and the other | | | | there wondering how they could eat such crap without |
| was the First Observation Battalion at Fort Sill, | | | | complaining when in came the base general. Here's |
| Oklahoma. This unit trained us at Camp Williams. Later | | | | how our conservation went: |
| we were called up during the Korean War and | | | | General: Sergeant, Can you feed me? |
| replaced the First Observation Battalion at Fort Sill, | | | | Me: You don't want to eat this crap, General. The |
| training new recruits in the art of sound ranging, flash | | | | cooks are in town. |
| ranging, weather, survey, and RADAR. The First Ob | | | | General: Well, the men are eating it. I would appreciate |
| was sent to Korea. (I was to join them there, but at | | | | being fed. |
| Camp Drake in Japan, they didn't know what a "Sound | | | | I brought the general his delicious meal and watched |
| Chief" or a "Survey Chief" was and I ended up in the | | | | him eat it. |
| Infantry.) | | | | General: That was very good, Sergeant. |
| Be that as it may, I decided that cooks got lots of time | | | | Me: You are very kind, General. Do you know what I'm |
| off (that is why they are always in the stockade) and I | | | | going to do tomorrow morning as soon as my unit |
| wanted to try it. I had made sergeant because of my | | | | moves in here for their two week camping |
| ability to somewhat understand sound ranging but I | | | | experience? |
| decided to try cooking. I went to Camp Williams a | | | | General: What, Sergeant? |
| week early and spent my time in the kitchen with the | | | | Me: I'm going back to Sound Ranging! |
| fine regular army cooks of the First Observation | | | | I wasn't the only would-be cook that went back. |
| Battalion. | | | | |