The Ordnance Crew
By Pati Egan
Broken waterline – somewhere! Loose steps in the units – get your hammers fast. Stopped up sinks and toilets – not the most pleasant job – no worries, go fix it! The road is washed out again. Who you gonna call – no, not the Ghostbusters, back in the day it was Ralph or Royce!
I really didn’t know Ralph, but I knew Royce quite well.
Every Sunday, Royce would get up at dinner and get the Campers attention by describing his long black snake that went all over camp. He would remind campers to never touch this snake. Campers were reminded to never throw a pocketknife (yes, campers could have pocketknives) at this harmless shake because that long black snake was the Camp waterline!
Another not fun but very necessary job was killing wasp nests.
Hot, dirty work. The Ordnance Crew did it all, many times it was a learn as you go process. Two Camp Rangers make up the majority of the time that would be in the past. Ralph Rheinecker was the first Camp Ranger. Royce Reeder was the fourth Camp Ranger.
During the summer the Ranger’s title was Director of Ordnance. The word “ordnance” is a military term that means “military supplies including weapons, ammunition, combat vehicles, and maintenance tools and equipment.”
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ordnance
I’m not sure why Camp adopted this term to describe maintenance. The Director of Ordnance usually had a crew of six staff members. There were other positions under the Directors authority as well.
The Cabin Inspector made sure the units, the outhouse, and the area were free of trash. Units earned points for the Golden Arrowhead.
Some units were harder to keep clean than others. Ahatsistari required a rake to remove any trash that fell under the cabins. Units like Lalande were easier to keep clean.
The outhouses were much more primitive than what Campers have now. Keeping it clean was the Unit Leader’s responsibility but sometimes the Ordnance Crew had to help.
Maintaining the bridge was a huge responsibility for a group this young, but they were all quick learners and eager to learn. Norb Garvey helped dismantle the very old Amantacha Bridge. Norb also helped build the new Amantacha Bridge.
Car Guys
Maintaining and fixing vehicles was easier back in the day. The Ordnance Crew would yell to the campers “move it or lose it” while driving around the lake. It always had the desired effect.
Royce and the Bath houses
One of the highlights of Sunday announcements was when Royce would have all campers put their thumb and index finger next to each other. He would then have the campers make a toilet flushing movement. Once Royce was satisfied that all campers could flush the toilet, he would ask them all to remember this when using the bathrooms.
The Infamous “Maggie Run”
As I recall, every other day the Ordnance Crew took the flatbed truck and gathered trash from everywhere. The crew would swear maggots would be in the trash bags – thus the term “Maggie Run.” Camp did not invest the money it does now in quality trash bags or bins. This was probably the least desirable job to do. The trash was taken to the dump.
The End of an Era
Camp now has a professional staff. Multiple volunteers help out in the summer. Yes, women are now allowed to help out. Instruction is still given; many staff have learned real-life skills by being a member of the Ordnance (now called Maintenance) Crew. Camp Ondessonk has always been blessed with the most hardworking paid staff and volunteers. A number of years ago, the expression “it takes a village”was popular. A group of people have built a Camp with a smile on their face and willingness to learn. Whether they are 16 or 96, pride and good cheer have allowed an amazing Camp to be built in the middle of the Shawnee National Forest.
Click here to learn more about Camp Ondessonk’s Mission & History.
