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Writing this memoir about my military experience in the Korean War reminded me of my puzzlement when it became clear that The United States Army Group (TUSAG), part of the Joint American Military Mission for Aid to Turkey (JAMMAT), was closing down its Field Training Teams (FTTs) (including one on which I served) tasked with advising Turkish combat units on how to operate, maintain, and make effective use of U.S.-supplied military aid in the early 1950s. In reviewing my extensive correspondence from Turkey, TUSAG documents I acquired while in Turkey, and related materials pertaining to our military aid program, augmented by a three-day search through JAMMAT-TUSAG records at the National Archives, I was unable to resolve this puzzle. After speculating about why these FTTs were closed down, I found a partial answer in the most unexpected place, the notes I took during our orientation session immediately after arriving in Turkey.
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“Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” ~ Darrell Royall, quoted in James Michener, Sports in America, 1976 |