American Gam

“I happen to be an officer only because I foolishly opened an invitation from President Truman to come to this costume party. And as for my ability as a doctor, if you seriously question that, I’m just gonna have to challenge you to a duel.” ~ Hawkeye Pierce

So…remember at the end of my last blog, when Treva and I went hiking in Malibu Creek State Park to find the M*A*S*H filming location and we were thwarted when we came upon a missing bridge that would’ve gotten us across Malibu Creek to the film site?

Well…a week later I challenged myself to find an alternate way into the park but from the other side of the creek. This time used my trusty bike to ride in from the opposite side of the park some six miles away via some local neighborhood and a fence opening that led me to the other end of the trail.

It was hilly and rocky so I did my share of walking too. But a short time later I was rewarded… This is the M*A*S*H 4077th, the Mobile Army Surgical Hospital, supposedly set in South Korea where they filmed one of TV’s best comedies for eleven seasons. As you can see, all of the tents are gone that held the hospital, the mess hall, and “The Swamp”, but if you use your imagination you can still visualize where they might have stood.

The iconic signpost…

The educational portion of our program…if you can read the small print…

I also saw this guy…

…probably looking for this guy…

After milling around the M*A*S*H site for a while I decided to continue down the trail another mile or so to get a picture of the other side of the creek where the missing bridge was that stopped Treva and I from crossing last week. Imagine my surprise when I saw this…

If you’re a fan of the show M*A*S*H and saw the final episode, which aired on February 28th, 1983, then you will remember this final parting shot from the viewpoint of a helicopter taking Hawkeye away from the 4077th…

I hope you appreciate M*A*S*H for the television masterpiece that it was (and still is in reruns.) They don’t make ‘em like that anymore!

The gam continues…