PORT LYAUTEY GUESTLOG FOR THE YEAR 2012

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Hi Lou,

In rereading some of Dolores' letters to me while at Port Lyautey in 1947 she writes of a wine I told her I liked. Did you or any of our mates ever hear of a wine with a name that "sounds" something like what she writes??? "Don't tell me you are starting to drink Kin-Keyn-Nunt wine - sounds like quite a drink."

Jerry

Web-Editors Note! Any old shipmate remember the wine Jerry is referring to above?

POSTED: 01/12/11 1915 hours

Lou,

Thank you for maintaining this amazing page! I have stopped here often to scan for any names, families, or events that I remember from my time in Kenitra and Bouknadel in the early 70s. My father, RMCS James S. Steele, my mom Beryl, my sister Kim, and I were stationed at Bouknadel from 1970 - 1973. Sadly, I must say that my dad passed away June 2011.

We were introduced to John and and Paulette Mendez (daughters Maria and Christian) who ran the Astor Hotel and owned some villas by another Navy family, Robert and Patricia Reed (daughters Terry and Sheila). We spent the first year or so living in a huge villa off of Rue Mohammed V in Kenitra before moving on base in Bouknadel. The Reeds also lived downtown for a while and then moved to the base at Sidi Yahia. Man, what great memories I have of those 3 years!!!! We made lifelong friends of the Mendez family as well as several Moroccans who adopted us as their own and treated as like royalty.

I remember many, many weekends packing jerry cans of gas in the trunk of our Toyota Corona Mark II (bought in Norfolk before deploying to Morocco) and travelling the highways and backroads of the four corners of Morocco. Fez, Meknez, Casablanca, Rabat, Marrakesh, Tangier, Azrou, Ifrane, Volubolis, the gardens outside of Bouk..... and so many more! What crazy trips, the four of us stuck in that little Toyota with our family German Shepard Fritz, listening to 8-track tapes of Johnny Cash, Elvis, Lee Greenwood, Diana Ross, Roberta Flack, the Ventures, Credence, and who knows what else while caravanning with the Reeds in their huge Pontiac Bonneville convertible and other friends!!! As a side note, our dog also travelled to Cuba and Italy with us too. One of my favorite vacations was when my grandparents flew to Morocco from Pennsylvania and spent two weeks touring with us. We even took the ferry across Gibralter to Spain and drove the Costa del Sol and stayed in Malaga. When we were transferred to Naples, Italy from Bouknadel in 1976, we drove to Tangier and took a drive-on cruise ship tour of the Mediterrenean Riveria before offloading in Genoa and then driving down Italy to Naples.
Oh, also can't forget the long bus rides from the jr./sr. high school on Kenitra back and forth to Bouk. Talk about fun trips - the school bus doubled as the station shuttle and used to go from the high school to downtown Kenitra by the souk and market shops before going back to Bouk. We used to get off the bus at the market, buy a bagette of French bread, some kettle chips, oranges, and gouda cheese to snack on the way home. Mom used to get so mad at us for not eating our dinners!!!

I remember being on lock down on the base at Bouk during the three attempted Coups in early 70s. One by the Army, one by the Air Force, and the other caught before it got started. Marines in their battle gear and us being told to be ready to leave on a moment's notice, leaving everything we owned behind. We could hear the helicopters and machine gun fire in the distance as the rebels were hunted down. I remember being at the high school and watching the fighter jets take off when the rebels tried to shoot down the king's airliner too.

I remember my parents playing softball and bowling in leagues a lot there too. My dad was an avid golfer and spent lots of time on the golf courses in Kenitra and Rabat. It sure was fun being a junior high teenager there! I think I still have the Moe stick that I traded who knows what to get!!! We used to barter all the time with the local Moroccan kids for chameleons, walking sticks, and trinkets. Usually involved swapping candy, sodas or cigarettes that we had swiped from our parents! Many summer hours were spent bicycling around the base, playing sandlot ball games, and at the base swimming pool learning red cross safety stuff, racing, and diving.

Some of the Bouk family names I remember are the Brinkmans, Cashers (kids David and Paula), Crosbys (kids David, Selena, and Marlene), Mastantoneos (son Tony Jr. - I used to babysit him), Wrights (daughter Nancy, can't remember the son's name), Porters, Pipers (kids Tracy, Brian, and Jeffrey), and Smallwoods (kids Kevin, Audrey, and ?). Another thing about Bouk: it was pretty wild that the base was in the middle of a cork oak tree forest! Us kids loved climbing on the soft cork bark and swinging on rope swings on those huge oak trees!
Not too bad for memories from 40+ years ago!!! I still have many of the vinyl albums that I bought in the little base PX on Bouk. Spent lots of quarters and dimes in the little geedunk and 2-lane bowling alley too. Who can forget the evening matinees to watch High Chapparal, Mannix, and other shows either. My first paycheck job was at Bouk in 1972 or 1973.... Worked part-time as a base librarian for minimum wage, I think $1.72 an hour!

The Christmas holidays there were very special times - spent them with the Mendez family and the Reeds. Bob, Pat, Terry, and Sheila Reed were our "adopted" Uncle, Aunt, and cousins. One of my best friends there was Lon McGuffin, who's family lived downtown for a while and then I think moved to Kenitra. Ok, I think I have rambled on enough for now. Thanks again for this amazing site and the trip down memory lane!

Jim Steele, Bouk '70 - 73, james.steele@jax.ufl.edu