It was a very hot day, July 4th, 1967, and I was with Chris Mohlman, Linda Mestrezat, and Peter Pestoni.

We had been standing by the tower and noticed that there was a kinda ladder running up one side...so as if you didn't know, we decided to climb up. Incidently the tower was off, or at least there was no noise. We got about three fourths the way up when we found a little trap door, so in we went...Man, what a neat place for a hangout..

There were wooden floors evey fifteen feet, actually slats that were about four inches wide and then a space of about four inches and then the next slat.

And there was a regular ladder inside that went to the top, so we climbed all the way. At the top they had there two large fans to blow air down thru the slats when the tower was on and water would run and be cooled down this way.

Since it was off, Chris and I and Linda climbed on top and were looking around. We were up pretty high and we could see the school.

Chris and I climbed back in and Linda went down the outside all the way to the ground. Suddenly we started getting water pouring down on us...it felt terrific , like being in a warm shower. Well, we decided to get out and dry off and we found that the little trap door was a self latching thing. Linda couldn't hear us because of the water so we decided to climb out the top. No big deal.

We got to the top and Chris wiggled past the fan, which was off, and then I got out and we were helping Peter, when the damn fan started turning....Now Peter was on the fan blade. These things were like eight feet long and two feet wide each. Peter is going round and round holding on to the fan, we are yelling for help and Linda is waving "Hello" to us , not realizing that ten feet from her was a big red painted emergency stop lever. And not knowing Peter was picking up speed.

The only humor in this is that as the fan went around Peter lost his sandals and then his shorts. In those day Jock-staps were signs of manhood so he had that on and nothing else.

Chris literally jumped from level to level to the ground to get down and try to stop this thing before the speed got going and Peter was killed by the spinning blades.

Well, he managed to do it and we got Peter out and down....he walked real funny and didn't seem to realize that he had only a jock strap on. I think the spinning addled his mind.

So we are trying to get him home and the July 4th parade starts down King's Row, which we had gotten to in order to cross over by the dining hall to get him home..  He is still wacked out from dizziness and all of a sudden there he is in front of the parade walking from side to side dressed to kill.

Needless to say, I along with the Chris (Linda had run home) spent some time being entertained by Aramco Security, Mr. Kieswetter, who could not think of enough things to plan for our immediate future....

Nonetheless, I was truly amazed when I saw that tower after almost thirty some odd years, and immediately saw Peter in a Jock Strap in front of possibly several hundred people in a parade.. What a day.

Off to the local Carrier AC man for some memories..

Michael Crocker(DH 65)
Nacogdoches, Texas