Fort George G. Meade: The First 100 Years

180 THE FIRST 100 YEARS
Lida Payne – Teen Center
My first experience at what we all called the "Teen Center" was right when I turned 13; it was like a rite of passage.
When you turned 13-years-old you were able to go to all the popular hangouts. The Teen Center was the perfect place
for teens to go and parents didn’t have to worry. It was supervised by volunteer parents and part-time staff. It was a nice
building called Burba Lake Cottage. The location changed to the Old NCO club. We would pile into that facility and get
our hands stamped by a part-time employee who would, in approximately 10 years, become my employee as I joined the
ranks of a full-time DoD civilian. No shenanigans were allowed ever! Parents could breathe easy when their children
were at the Teen Center. (Below) Holiday dance at what is now McGill Training Center.
Bruce Hopkins – Christmas Decorations
I remember how well all the draftee soldiers
treated us back then. We visited the barracks
from time to time. Every troop unit came
with elaborate Christmas displays next to
their Headquarters–Santa in a tank with
all the reindeer in quarter ton jeeps. The
2nd Calvary often took Scouts for rides on
tanks, armored personnel carriers, trucks,
and jeeps. Scouts used the Cav’s morse
code building with about 20 stations so we
could pass our 1 st Class Badge requirement.
Rick Hagman – First Beer
I was 11 and my brother was 9. I played for the
Indians and he played for the Yankees on the
baseball fields by Ernie Pyle and Reece Road.
Epes Dental Clinic was across the road to the
left and across from the clinic were barracks
where the dental NCOs lived. We had to ride
our bikes right past that barracks on the way
home so we would stop and get a soda for 25
cents from the coke machine in that barracks.
So I popped in a quarter and out popped a
Hamms beer! The soldiers evidently took the
soda out so they could keep their beer cool and
they missed one. I grabbed it and showed it to
my brother. He asked "What are we going to
do with it?" and I said, "We’re going to drink
it!" We snuck the beer out under our shirt. That
happened 55 years ago and even though we
could only drink half of it because it didn’t taste
very good, I never forgot it!
(Bottom) Troops enjoy Christmas dinner, 1920.