DEDICATION PAGE
The following collection of stories from July 1959 thru October 1962 concerning a Military Tour to the East Coast of Africa in Eritrea, Ethiopia are dedicated to the following Hannigan Family Members:
Joanne Hannigan nee Clark, Wife of John Dennis Hannigan, Born April 9, 1935, in Brashear, Missouri
Deceased December 12, 1964, Buried in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia
John Clark Hannigan, Son, Born June 14th, 1956, in Fort Devens U. S. Army Hospital, Fort Devens, Massachusetts
Catherine Mae Hannigan, Daughter, Born July 23, 1957 in Fort Monmouth U. S. Army Hospital, Fort Monmouth, New Jersey
David Brian Hannigan, Son, Born February 5, 1960 in U. S. Army Hospital Kagnew Station, Eritrea, Ethiopia
Debra Jo Hannigan, Daughter, Born August 31, 1962 in U.S. Army Hospital Kagnew Station, Eritrea, Ethiopia
INTRODUCTION
I am a military career enlisted army person that returned in December 1958 from my first unaccompanied overseas tour to the Far East.
While serving in Japan and Korea in a military capacity for the Army Security Agency, learned quite a bit about their Countries culture and history. Their Government is different, the average person in each Country is of the minority, poor living conditions, survivors of World War II and the Korea War, still enlist under occupation of the United States Military. It opened my eyes how fortunate we American are.
It is time for me to re-enlist to continue my military career. This time I want to have an accompanied family tour overseas to either the Panama Canal Zone of the Horn of East Africa overlooking the Red Sea. My reasoning, to have my family live an education of how different the World is outside of the United States, so they can learn about foreign culture and history.
The Army Security Agency has approved a Family accompanied tour for three years to the Horn of Africa, Asmara, Eritrea, Ethiopia. My tour will commence in August 1959. Processing of the family for overseas is the primary. This includes, getting a passport for my wife Joanne, Son John, 3 years old and Daughter Cathy, 2 years old as well as, myself. Receiving a series of shots and boosters for each of us due to the number od diseases in the Countries that we will be travelling through. In addition, buying a refrigerator that will run on 110 volts 50 cycle current and stove that will run on bottle gas to be included in out household goods being shipped by ship to the Port of Massawa, Eritrea, Ethiopia. Also preparing for our departure from New McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey, leaving our 1955 Ford at the Brooklyn Army Terminal, New York for shipment also to be shipped to the Port of Massawa.
Our trip to Asmara, Eritrea, Ethiopia started from Arlington, Virginia to family in Brashear, Missouri to Family in Boston, Massachusetts to Brooklyn, New York to McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey to Greenland Air Force Base to Frankfurt Air Base, Germany lay over for seven days onto Rome, Italy to Athens, Greece to Cairo Egypt and finally to Asmara, Eritrea, Ethiopia. A world tour free at the expense of the United States Army. The tour will be educating for the family. We will live among the indigenous people while I performed my military tour.
Eritrea is a small Country with no Government. It was occupied in the 1930’s by the Italian Government. Eventually the Second Word War provided more occupation by Germany. The combined forces of Germany and Italy controlled Eritrea and its Port of Massawa on the Red Sea, thereby cutting of ship transportation between the Mediterranean Sea, the Suez Canal and the Indiana Ocean. The Capitol of Asmara was the Operational Headquarters for the Germans and Italian Forces. When the Second World War ended and Eritrea still had no Government, the League of Nations in 1946 assigned Emperor Haile Selassie of Neighboring Abyssinia to govern Eritrea until a Government could be formed.
Also, in 1946, the British Government gained control of their colonies in East Africa and Abyssinia and restored their interest in East Africa. A contingent of the British Army was stationed in Eritrea. The United States also established a small contingency of an Army Garrison in Eritrea in 1946 in support of Emperor Haile Selassie’s Second Army Battalion. Eventually the British Army left Eritrea. The County of Abyssinia now is known as Ethiopia and is an ally of the United States. The United States Garrison grew over the late nineteen forties and early nineteen fifties and is now known as Kagnew station, Asmara, Eritrea, Ethiopia. This will be our family home for the next thirty-six months.
The short stories that comprise this book relate to only trips that either I or our family left the 5000 feet high Mountain top of Asmara for recreation and fun in the city of Keren and the Seaport City of Massawa on the Red Sea during our stay in East Africa
