[jpnotes:  The main entrance, as we knew it, is closed.  The entrance is now located on the east end of the base.  The Quadrangle (shown above - taken from the Headquarters side of the street towards the Hospital) appears the same as it always did with one exception.  There is a plaque at the north end commemorating the years the Americans were stationed at the Base.  Diane (Gunderson) shows off the chapeau she borrowed from one of the few french military men still on Base.  (Most of the military stationed there are on assignment.)  The group of men shown with the cook prepared a nice brunch for us before we took the tour around the Base on our bus.  The group photo is the Captain, JP, and Herve' Simonnet who was stationed at La Martinerie for some years, but was transferred to Paris last year.  He and JP have been email friends for several years.  He brought his son to make the tour with us and to meet JP for the first time. 

The buildings shown are the Chateauroux American High School buildings - minus one - which was torn down many yearsago.  The classrooms are a mess; dirty, trashy and smelly and still that pukey green .  They were used by the french Transportation Department to teach the french military how to drive and manuever their large vehicles.  Herve' was in charge of this department. 

Now, the buildings sit empty, but full of memories for me and the others who had walked the halls and sat and stared out the windows waiting for the bell to ring.  For some silly reason, I brought home an old tile from the floor.  I imagined that everyone who had attended our school had walked on it and left their footprints.  The buildings smelled like something cold and damp, but our youthful spirits were leaning up against the walls watching us oooooh and ahhhhh as we conjured up our memories.