THE THOMSON FAMILY SCRAPBOOK Compiled From Original Scrapbook Of David McCullough Thomson By David McCullough Thomson, August, 2001

My service in the Army began in late 1954 after I graduated from Michigan State College. I volunteered for service as I didn't want to wait around and be drafted. My two years in the Army, as shown in this scrapbook, is broken up into two sections - Puerto Rico and Panama. This Army scrapbook will be a bit different from my parent's scrap books as I will include the narrative along with the photographs on each page.

Puerto Rico

I was stationed on the south side of the island near Ponce and spent quite a bit of time at the training facilities, Camp Salinas, down the coast to the East. When I first arrived at the Ponce camp I was put in a tent with 9 other soldiers, all of whom spoke Spanish when around me in the tent. But there were other "continental" there and I developed many friendships. The last few months there I was on a guard detail at Camp Salinas, the training area.

Panama

I was sent to the Military College in Panama to attend the Supply School to learn how to be a supply clerk. I was during my tour here that I had a re-occurrence of my high school foot infection and was left behind in the hospital. When my supply clerk buddies graduated, I had to take the course over again. While in Panama the soldiers attending the college were expected to "volunteer" their weekends to help clean up Fort San Lorenzo, the oldest fort under the United States Flag! While at the college several of us visited the Panama Canal.