From the interview with Thomas A. Anthony of Kittitas, WA conducted by Val Didjurgis on May 17, 2002 at the Fort Worden History Center. Mr. Anthony served in the 369th EASR, from 1950 to 1952, at Fort Worden, Fort Flagler, and Rochefort, France.

Here he describes an incident at Fort Flagler:
“They brought over four M boats one time. Dead ones, they were motor shocked. Brought them over at high tide. We pulled them up with our cats, up on the beach quite a little ways so the stevedores could practice loading and unloading them. That night they had an exceptionally high tide. We got down there in the morning, we didn’t have any M boats. The ramps were down and they were out to sea. The Boat Batallion found three of them pretty close, but the Coast Guard found the last one clear out in the Strait of Juan de Fuca.”

In answer to a question about food when he was stationed in France:
“We had our own cooks and our own mess halls. The only time I know the Army ever let you bring alcohol to the table in the fort those days was when we were over there. They had high tides and the sea water got into the city wells. Rochefort is pretty close to the seacoast…So, all the city water was salty, you couldn’t drink it. They gave us permission to bring our wine bottles to the table, so we did.”