January 22, 1972: Winter in My Indianapolis Neighborhood
	Return to Index for 1972

I returned from Korea last year, and my assignment is here in the US Army Finance Center at Fort Harrison, Indiana. The installation is just a few miles east of the city out Pendleton Pike. As you probably already know, I have an off-base apartment in the Park Terrace complex just outside the southern boundary of the base on Post Road.

Below, left, is a map of the northeastern Indianapolis area that will show you where Fort Harrison is (actually, since I am creating this page in 2019, the appropriate verb is "was") and where the Park Harrison apartments are.

At right is an aerial view of my immediate neighborhood. I work in the US Army Finance Center, and so you can see that I can actually walk to work.

This was the first time in my Army career that I was able to live "off-post". When I was here for my initial training, we all lived in "bachelor officer quarters" on post, but those were just for temporary use for new officer classes. Being permanently assigned here, there were no on-post quarters I could occupy, so the Army gives me a certain amount each month for me to find housing anywhere I want. That amount is fairly tight, and I was lucky to find a vacancy in the Park Harrison complex so close to the post. Even though there are lots of civilians at Fort Harrison, there are relatively few actual Army personnel. But affordable housing is so scarce that much of the Park Harrison complex was occupied by servicemembers.

Major John Perham

When I was assigned to the Finance Center, I worked in a Quality Assurance area that was commanded by a Major John Perham; he reported directly to General Fazakerley who was Finance Center Commander. (There was another General Officer who actually commanded the post itself.)

Captain Hansen, LTC Samarkos, Marika Samarkos

Major Perham was a good officer to work for. He was good at delegating tasks and authority, there were good civilians working for him, and so his area typically ran quite smoothly. He was a friendly guy, and took an interest in the personnel who reported to him. He was an avid motocross biker, and at one time last year a group of us went to a motocross "meet" that was held in a wooded, hilly area west of downtown Indianapolis. There was an album page for that outing.

MAJ Perham found out last November that he would be doing a tour of duty in Vietnam this year, starting in early February, so on his last Saturday night at Fort Harrison, the two captains working for him- myself and Tim Mayfield- planned and I hosted a kind of going-away party for him at my apartment. Earlier I used the term "hail and farewell", and that is a term I first encountered in the military at Fort Lee. It refers to the common practice of welcoming new servicemembers to a unit and saying goodbye to those departing. It is usually a cooperative event, held once a month or so.

LT Williams, his date, and MAJ Perham

So Tim and I invited everyone that we knew that either worked with John or knew him. Of course, Tim and I were there, as was Tim's wife Gail. Other than the guest of honor and his friend, a WAC Captain whose name escapes me, we also had CPT Dan Hansen, a friend of MAJ Perham's, and Dan's wife, MAJ Perham's replacement, LTC Samarkos along with his wife Marika, and General Fazakerley's aide, LT Williams, and his date.

Looking back on these pictures, I am again regretful that I wasn't a better photographer- particularly with candid shots. I haven't yet learned how to warn people that a picture is about to be taken, so that they can prepare, stop moving, look at the camera, and, in effect, pose a bit.

(Picture at left) Here is a case where I should have warned CPT Hansen's wife and Tim's wife that I was about to take a picture; when the flash went off, Gail naturally closed her eyes.       (Picture at right) I didn't learn from my first picture of Gail, though. When I took this picture of her and CPT Hansen, no warning resulted again in her natural reaction to close her eyes when the flash went off.

When everybody had arrived and had a chance to socialize and have some of the hors d'oeuvres that Tim and Gail had brought, I went ahead and grilled the steaks and we all sat down to have some supper. For the remainder of the evening, it was a chance for us to have some cake and say farewell to MAJ Perham. And, of course, talk shop.

MAJ Perham came with his own camera- one of those Polaroid instant-image cameras. I wish I'd been able to get copies of his pictures before he left, as my own didn't turn out all that well.

Some folks came with small gifts for John, like this journal from Tim, and I had someone take the picture below of the three of us:

Tim picked up the appetizers and stuff at the commissary, while I got the stuff we needed for dinner itself. I have a grill out on the patio, and so I did steaks and baked potatoes. CPT Hansen's wife brought a salad, and LT Williams brought dessert.

Here are Tim, MAJ Perham, and his friend, the WAC Captain.

Myself, Tim, and the WAC Captain

I enjoyed having everyone over to my apartment. It is a typical bachelor's living space, where the centerpiece is the entertainment system which, in my case, is the color TV I purchased when I returned from Korea and all the stereo equipment that I brought back with me- equipment purchased by me or others for me, in the PXs in Korea and Japan.

While I have a turntable and records, reel-to-reel tape is easier, and I have made a good many of them by recording stereo broadcasts. Here I am locating just where I want the music to start. I am wearing one of two velour shirts that I got for Christmas in North Carolina last month.

Tim Mayfield is probably my closest friend here at Fort Harrison. I visit him and Gail frequently, and I have even babysat for them on occasion. They, and my other close friends, Ron Greenspane and his wife LuAnn, live in officer married housing west of the Finance Center itself.

I think everyone had quite a good time, and I hope MAJ Perham appreciated the send-off. As it turned out, LTC Samarkos was also a fine officer to work for, even though I was only to do so for another six months.

You can use the links below to continue to another photo album page.

	January 22, 1972: Winter in My Indianapolis Neighborhood
	Return to Index for 1972