Hi friends happy Saturday. How do you like the orange glow here? It is still dark out It is just a little bit after seven and I just pulled into fredmeyer I have quite the haul this week for you guys I have walmart a 12 pack of diet coke for my husband and then a 12 pack of coke zero vanilla for me This has become one of my favorites this in the orange Love them both. So a couple 12 packs of diet coke I really like these these are really good these sugar-free starlight mints I throw these in my car and when I'm meeting a client or showing a house I pop them in my mouth and they freshen your breath really good and you can have three of them for one smart point So not that I usually just have one Again, they're really nice to keep in the car Just for those moments where you need to freshen up your breath a little bit And then I grabbed another container of sugar-free frosting just because The holidays are here and lots of baking coming your way For my sweet treat this next week. I needed marshmallow cream. So I grabbed the jet puffed from craft mozzarella sticks just to have or cheese sticks to have on hand some string cheese Nice to have is a snack after I go to jazzer size or when I'm just needing a little burst of protein So I grabbed those three packages of the great value fat free cheddar cheese Again, I can't find these at friend nair. So whenever I do a wal-mart pickup I just stock up on the cheese I use it so much that I use it all up before it goes bad. You also can freeze this cheese. So that's not an issue either Pumpkin spice marshmallows So I saw these online and I thought how fun would these be in coffee or hot cocoa or apple cider So I went ahead and picked them up I probably will use them in some sort of a recipe and I also found these these are maple Many marshmallows. I thought how good would these be as rice crispy treats? So Grab those. I'll just have them on hand for any type of a baking recipe 100 pure pumpkin again just to have in my pantry for any type of pumpkin dessert Or if I want to make my pumpkin protein shake, which is another one of my favorite things Sugar-free yellow cake mix I used my box. So I always like to just have one on hand in my pantry Animal crackers. These are for my husband But I wanted to share these with you because these are the little packages There's your calories, but you guys these are nine smart points and there's maybe eight crackers or eight cookies in the package So not w w friendly. I mean you can work them into your day, but I wanted to show you that 150 calories if it's full of sugar can really just elevate the smart point So I will not be eating those big tub of I can't believe it's not butter light We were out of butter. So I went ahead and I always buy the big tub at walmart I want to say it's just over five dollars versus the small tub. That's three something And this is the two pound tub. So it's the big one And then I also grabbed the big container of the I can't believe it's not butter spray Again, really a much better value for your money to just get the bigger size So I picked that up as well. So that is everything that I picked up for the week at walmart So here is my haul from trader joe. So I ended up picking up Quite a few things for the upcoming week some recipes and then just to stock up slash try a few new things So let me show you what I picked up this week from trader joe's So I decided to get this beautiful chrysanthem plant It is coming off a little bit brighter than in real life on the camera But this is more about like a maroon color with a yellow and I thought how pretty is that for fall So I'm going to have this on the center of my island instead of my vase with flowers It'll last longer and it's more like a plant and I won't have to worry about dirty water in the vase Just really makes it easy, especially with Thanksgiving coming up It would even make a very nice centerpiece and I want to say this was only 4.99 at trader joe's I also picked up the sprouted wheat sourdough bread. I saw this On I think it was a lexa at becoming a lexa's youtube channel And I heard this bread is amazing. It actually has protein in it Which is crazy because most breads do not so you can see 7 grams Of protein per slice and it is two smart points per slice So if you have two slices, it's four smart points and so on But I thought this would be really good for some avocado toast. So picked up that Sundried tomatoes. I need this for an upcoming recipe and trader joe's has the best and best price on their sundried tomatoes Shocker that I picked up another container of the pumpkin cream cheese as you know, I'm obsessed I Love this cream cheese. So before it is gone. I picked up another container I grabbed some salty squares. These are the organic saltine crackers Mainly for my husband. He wanted some soup and so he wanted some crackers to go with that These are actually really good and they're great with cheeses and spreads and things as well But they're organic. So they're a little bit better for you than your traditional Saltine, so I picked those up and then I was after the pumpkin cranberry crisps But they did not have any she said that she doesn't think that they will get anymore Which makes me very sad. So I picked up these raisin rosemary crisps. You guys these are outstanding They taste so buttery And delicious. So I grabbed those. I did have them as a snack today You can have up to 13 pieces for three smart points and they are so good So incredibly good. So highly recommend the raisin rosemary crisps I also picked up the spinach and kale greek yogurt dip This is actually for a dinner recipe coming up from mud hustler. I cannot wait to make this you guys It sounds so good. You know, whatever is left over, of course, you can use as a dip or as a spread So pick that up. Also the lag lag ghostino I don't know if I'm pronouncing that right or not, but basically these are lobster tails I picked up these for that same mud hustler recipe.  So I picked these up at trader joe's a little bit on the pricey side I want to say 12 99 you probably could substitute shrimp, but I wanted to make it per the recipe. So I picked those up frozen mashed sweet potatoes So as you can see These are like the circle chunks kind of like the other mashed potatoes You literally just heat them up with a little water and you have perfect sweet potatoes We have these in vegas and loved them So I decided to give them a shot throw them in my freezer just to have as a quick on hand side dish Big big of limes. I'm loving me some limes in my water. I don't know That's my new thing is limes in the water.  I slice it in half throw it in a big cup of water So good. So so good. I also got the trader joe's organic mozzarella cheese This is a great substitution for the trader joe's light mozzarella cheese that is currently discontinued This is a little pricey for 99, but it is only three smart points Or i'm sorry two smart points per ounce instead of one smart point per ounce of the light cheese That is discontinued. So it's a great dupe. It's delicious So I picked that up and also I do actually really like their light shredded three cheese blend because this is actually only Three smart points per ounce instead of four like the traditional. So definitely pick that up love love love it Of course since I was there. I grabbed two more pounds of the extra lean 96 for ground beef. I love trader joe's ground beef so much So I'm going to pop those into my freezer This time I got the vanilla meringues last time I got the chocolate. They're delicious But I heard that these are really good and guess what you guys one of these meringues Look how big these are is only one smart point. So it's a great sweet treat super low point So I'm going to give the vanilla a try And lastly I just picked up some unsweetened applesauce for baking I really like the trader joe's brand of applesauce. So that is everything from trader joe's So let's move right into what I picked up for the week at cosco And here is what I picked up at cosco. Now this will definitely last me more than a week I usually go to cosco about once a month So let me show you everything that I picked up on this trip paper towels We were about out in cosco. You guys best price for paper towels and these were actually on a coupon So you definitely can't pass that up Also, I found these red pears. It says a sweet juicy snack This entire six pound bag Of pears was only four dollars at cosco. And did you see this? I thought this was pretty cool So obviously they're high in fiber, but it says apply gentle pressure to the neck of the pear with your thumb And that's how you know if it's ripe. So I loved that idea. I've been wanting pears I don't know again. It's the weather the season, but you can't pass 3.99 up for six pounds of potatoes That's basically like 75 cents a pound. So that's a steal I also grabbed blueberries while they still have them at a reasonable price I want to say this was maybe 4.99 or 5.99 And also I grabbed raspberries because they were 3.99 which is still a pretty good price Since we are moving into winter My husband wanted chili. So I picked up this nally chili But I wanted to show you guys the points for this if it was something that you wanted to try to incorporate into your your day So big case of nally chili, of course chicken breasts, which is one of the main things I always get at cosco I like these pre-portioned packages. There's generally about two breasts of chicken per package You just tear them off and throw them in the freezer and it was 20 bucks Which is a great deal for all of this chicken I always buy sliced olives at cosco this entire big pack You guys two pounds of sliced olives is only five dollars at cosco My husband loves olives So he usually eats them before I can even put them in a recipe, but it's great for planning I usually throw it in a ziploc container drain a little of the juice throw the leftovers in a ziploc container And it lasts weeks and weeks in your fridge. So a steal if you have a family that loves olives Also pickles we were out. Um, these baby dills were also a fantastic deal Two huge jars for four dollars and 79 cents. I think so huge huge bonus price on pickles at cosco Christmas cards. I'm going to be doing a Christmas card exchange on my facebook group So if you're not part of my facebook group, I'll put it here on the screen for you head over join We're going to be doing some fun fun stuff for the holidays 16 dollars for 40 cards with matching self-sealed envelopes. So not a bad price And also I picked up the simply Campbell's chicken soup for my husband again. He wanted soup So I thought I'd show you this. This is pretty good. No antibiotics. No preservatives No lined or non bpa lined cans and nothing artificial. So good deal. I want to say 10 dollars for eight cans It's a little over a dollar a can great deal I also picked up toilet paper because again a staple from cosco And I found a couple of clothing things. So this cute little shirt This is actually the back and this is a workout shirt.  They have this cute little zipper pocket And they have kind of that like tapered leg But I thought how fun would these be for work with winter coming up and these were on sale for $12.99 Such a great deal. So that's everything I picked up at cosco And I want to say my bill was right around 150 dollars. Here's what I picked up from fred meyer, which is also a kroger Store for the week. So I got some produce meat Few of my favorite things from fred meyer. I grabbed a 10 pack of these mini coke zero cans I had a great coupon for this and these will be nice just to throw in my lunch when I'm out showing property or at the office They're small. They're easy just to throw in a lunch bag I also got some turkey pepperoni. This is for an upcoming dinner recipe I can't wait to share this recipe with you guys as you can probably guess it's pizza related So some hormone turkey pepperoni. I also grabbed two cans of sliced black olives. These are actually for my husband He's going to be taking tacos for lunches this next week Lower sodium bacon. They had a great price on this $2.99 was their sale price today So I grabbed this i'm just going to throw this Into the freezer to have on hand when we are in need of some bacon I was completely out of eggs. So I grabbed two dozen of the happy eggs You know, these are my very favorite eggs. My opinion the best that they make nice bright orange yolk Love them. So picked up two dozen of those Also some toothpicks we were out and we like to have these on hand to you know, check when we're baking We do a lot of like roll-ups where we seal them with toothpicks. So grab some toothpicks And I have some Careway seeds here and I want to give you guys a pro tip here on spices So I looked at the caraway seeds in the spice aisle and it was almost six dollars for a little container Of the seeds. So I decided to go over to the bulk food section And you guys I paid eight cents for this and I needed one teaspoon for a recipe Eight cents. So always check your bulk spices if you're in need of just a random odd weird spice for a recipe You can save yourself a lot of money Shredded cheese. This is for my husband's tacos But I like to show this to you again, a lot of you don't eat light or fat free cheese So this is definitely an option. You're just going to take a little bit of hit on your points for it So mild cheddar cheese Restocked my light mayo. I was pretty much out. So I picked up another container Also corn starch almost out of that as well I looked for potato starch, but they didn't have it. So I went ahead and just grab The regular corn starch these were on sale on a spectacular sale This one pound package was only 4.99 today only today yesterday and today only So these are the wasabi and soy sauce blue daum and bold almonds. These you guys are so Good if you just knock down the number of almonds you eat you can work these into your day They're great full of protein and a great snack option pork chops. These are for a dinner recipe I'm actually making a Chinese food knockoff. So I just needed some fairly thick cut Pieces of pork and this was a great deal. That's almost three pounds for six 65. So that was a steal Also, I needed some 99 extra lean ground beef for a recipe Two talking reins. I've really been liking these and there was a great price on these So I had a coupon for buy one get one free, but then I also had a coupon for a dollar off So I paid 19 cents for both of these can't beat it Again, I like to have these on hand just when I'm wanting something other than just regular water Carb master ultra filter non fat milk. This is similar to fair life, but just the Kroger or friend Meyer brand. I use this a lot in recipes So if you're looking for a regular milk substitute if you have a Kroger or friend Meyer, this is an excellent excellent choice Not that Greek yogurt. I needed this for a recipe and I used up all my other ones So picked up another container of the fa a total zero percent Greek yogurt Red potatoes. I had a great coupon for this private selection brand. These are those little baby red potatoes This is for an upcoming recipe Of course what grocery haul would not be complete without at least one sugar-free peppermint mocha Coffee creamer again. I'm throwing this in my freezer. You guys I probably have 10 So let's double that so we have enough for the whole year. So I just grabbed that while I was at the store Also some whipped topping. This is for an upcoming recipe. I can't wait to share My little dessert treat recipe with you guys for this week. It's gonna be delicious Now the rest is produce. So I picked up some wild blueberries This is for an upcoming recipe again. Can't wait to share that with you a red onion Three fugee apples. Look at these lemons two huge lemons and lastly three bell peppers So the only thing that is not shown is a case of water So that is everything that I picked up at fredmeyer. So let's go over what is on my meal plan and what I am doing this week For meal prep. Of course, this is my cariel meal planner. You know, I absolutely love this meal planner I use it every week. I'm really sad because it's getting pretty low. I've had it a little bit over a year So I'm definitely going to order another one. I could not plan my life and my meals without it So there are several resources for you There is actually a resources tab and under that tab you can log your favorite meal planning blogs and recipe sites Take notes. Just kind of keep track of some of your very favorite recipes and their smart points value or the ingredients involved There's also a inventory tab and this is where you can inventory not only your freezer But also your pantry And also your spices. So it's a great resource to inventory what you have on hand There's the meal plans tab. We'll be coming back to that the gatherings tab This is coming very much into play now that the holidays are here This is where you will track a gathering at your home. So Thanksgiving, Halloween, Christmas, New Year's whatever is coming your way You can plan your food for the event so you can see that all of the different food items that you would need As well as the supplies are listed And then there is a detachable grocery list for you to take with you to the grocery store to do your shopping So great, especially at this time of year And lastly there is a notes tab and of course that's where you can just jot down again Some things that you want to take note of and then in the very very back. I love this There's this cute little two-sided pocket folder. So it is just a fantastic meal planner We are going to visit the meal plans tab, which is the yellow tab. This is the one that I use the most So let's go to our current month, which is october So you can plan your meals by the month and I use this strictly To know what is on my meal plan for the following day Not only can I make sure that I have my meat pulled out of the freezer I can also make sure that I have all of the ingredients on hand for that particular recipe So I love the monthly at a glance you can see that I use that I track all of my food on there And then also you are given a weekly menu and you can track all of your meals I use this for dinner only because I meal prep breakfast and lunch So that's already predetermined what I'm having So I do plan my meals my dinners for the entire week And then there is a detachable grocery list here And I use this every week when I go to the grocery store That you can jot down as you're writing down your meal you can write down what you need to pick up at the store So love it and so what mine looks like generally is the grocery list Of course is missing because I took it to the store with me this morning And I'm planning my meals for the week of 10 27 Through e 11 2 So I plan my week saturday through friday So of course today is saturday and we generally go out to dinner or do something at home I think tonight we're going to make pizza Uh frozen pizza so we generally don't I don't track on saturday. So that's my day that I don't cook Tomorrow I'm really excited about this. I am making a spinach and artichoke lobster mac and cheese This is a mud hustler recipe. I cannot wait to share this with you guys Seriously cannot wait and I'm going to pair that with some veggies Monday I am doing sweet and sour pork with rice and vegetables. So we have a chinese fake out Point friendly one of my favorite dishes at the chinese restaurant Tuesday will be leftovers because I go to jazzercise Tuesday and I don't get home until a little bit later Wednesday, we'll be having chicken fajita roll-ups. I am excited about this Thursday is a sausage skillet dinner and friday since where it's friday. We're going to do pizza We're going to make the pizza casserole. So that is what is on my meal plan for the week What I do is on the back of that is where I plan what I'm doing for meal prep It just makes it honestly so easy So for breakfast this week in my meal prep, which you will see on monday I am making a blueberry ginger pancake bake. Uh, yes, please with some eggs sounds so good I cannot wait lunch. I am doing feta stuffed greek meatballs. Oh my goodness and roasted potatoes again Super excited about this. I've been craving meatballs. So I found a great recipe. I'm excited to make it ww friendly And for a snack, I'm going to be making brownie batter whoopie pies I got a whoopie pie pan off of amazon. I cannot wait to use it Wait till you guys hear the smart points in these whoopie pies So that is what is on my plan for meal prep, which again, you guys will see on monday So this again is my carry ale meal planner if you're interested I do have a 10 off discount code. It is here on the screen for you head on over to carry ale They have the smaller version of this digital versions. You name it. You can use my code for it Highly recommend the carry ale to plan your meals Thank you for joining me on this week's ww grocery haul Who you guys was that a haul four stores down and a packed pantry fridge and freezer Exactly how I like to see it. I cannot wait for this week's recipes. You guys everything sounds so good I did a lot of digging for these recipes a lot of modifying to make them ww friendly And I can't wait to share them all with you You will be seeing all of them in upcoming videos Definitely stay tuned for meal prep monday So I can't wait to share those meal prep items with you And we are going to have just a fantastic time prepping our food to stay on track for the upcoming week If you are new to my channel, I'd like to welcome you make sure that you hit that little red subscribe button and a little bell That way you'll be notified whenever I upload a new video. That way you're not missing a single one Please thumbs up this one comment down below. Let me know what recipe are you most excited about? And if you finished out this extra long grocery haul leave me the let's see. Let's do the Uh Smiley face showing the teeth emoji down in the comments And if you don't have access to emojis, just write smile face and I'll know what you're talking about Thank you guys so much for watching and I'll see you all in the next one. Bye


Who says you can't have it all? Not Appalachian Wireless, we know what you want! Appalachian Wireless offers the hottest smartphones and unlimited data plans, all on the region's number one network. Those who travel along King Cole Highway near Mingo Central High School have recently noticed frequent visitors in the area, a mama bear and three cubs. Visitors have also witnessed people feeding the wild animals. Many have seen folks drop off food at the intersection of Del Barton, Mate One and King Cole Highway. Basically a tee and people will pull up and it's kind of hard to see around the corner and people that don't know what's going on see all these cars parked there in vehicles and you'll have even people standing out almost in the middle of the road watching the bear and another issue is the bear would get startled and want to run out the road. Wes Wilson is a local photographer and helps with the Mingo Central football team. He says he's worried about the players who drive and those students who are attending summer school. It's concerning with student drivers and some of these kids, they'll see these adults out here setting an example, feeding a bear, going out trying to pet it and they want to do the same thing and man, it's a dangerous situation. It may be tempting to feed scraps to a bear that wanders near civilization, but officials with the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources says not to risk it. According to their website, it is not illegal to feed bears, but it is dangerous for man and beast alike. They add that a fed bear is a dead bear. The most concerning thing was people wanting to treat it like a pet. Not only did they want a reaction, but they wanted an interaction with the animal. It's great to see the stuff and enjoy the wildlife and experience it, but it's a whole other thing to be coming up there and dumping dog and cat food, you know, you're feeding it and you're creating a habit. Black bears are naturally fearful of humans, however, any wild animal has the potential to injure or kill when it feels threatened. In Dale Barton, Shelby Porter, EKB News.


1965. Not war, but a training exercise. This one, codenamed Operation Sky Soldier, is typical of those conducted by the government of the Republic of China. American observers are members of the Military Assistance Advisory Group, often referred to as MAG. Their mission? To assist, advise, and train the soldiers, sailors, and airmen of the Chinese Armed Forces. How did MAG Taiwan come about? What has it accomplished? Answers to these questions can be found in Taiwan's past history and present activities. The terrorist bay. Both descriptions are valid. Taiwan is the largest of a group of 78 islands held by the Republic of China. It lies approximately 120 miles off the communist-held mainland. The islands of Matsu and Kimoi straddle the entrances to the communist-held seaports of Fuchao and Amoy. The windswept Pengu Isles, also known as the Pescadores or the fishermen, are located at the southern tip of the Taiwan Straits. Taiwan is an island of considerable variety. Its eastern half is dominated by a chain of rugged mountains, a number of peaks being in excess of 12,000 feet. To the west of the central mountain system, lie flat and fertile plains. Ideal for the cultivation of rice, sugarcane, and pineapples, the island's most important crops. The majority of the Taiwanese live in the quarter of the island that is suitable for cultivation. Taipei, the island's capital, and the seat of the government of the Republic of China, is a modern city, bustling with movement and signs of 20th century prosperity. Despite the modern aspects of the capital, the citizens of Taiwan maintain their ties with age-old customs. Festivals are unmistakably Chinese, loud with gongs, drums, and firecrackers. From Taipei, in the many rural villages, one is face-to-face with timeless traditions. They serve to emphasize the underlying continuity of Oriental culture. Taiwan's early history is a series of wars, rebellions, and invasions. Beginning in the 12th century, Taiwan was the object of continuous and stormy struggles between rival foreign powers, pirate terrorists, and Chinese adventurers. All anxious for a foothold on this rich and strategically placed island. It was not until the 17th century and the arrival of Koxinga, an almost legendary figure, that Taiwan began to acquire a measure of stability. In the 19th century, Taiwan was a province of China, then under the rule of the Manchu dynasty, which brought a period of comparative peace to the troubled island. This peace, however, was to be short-lived. In 1894, Japan declared war on China. In conclusion of the ill-fated Sino-Japanese war, Taiwan was officially seated to Japan, in whose hands it would remain for the ensuing 50 years. 30s, Japan built a number of military bases and training camps on Taiwan, and during World War II used them as a springboard for attacks against China, Malaya, Hong Kong, and the Philippines. 30s in 1945, Taiwan once again became part of Chinese territory under terms of the Cairo Conference of 1943. But on the Chinese mainland, the military situation was rapidly deteriorating. City by city, province by province, nationalist government forces were being pushed back by the more powerful communist insurgents. Finally, in 1947, the Chinese government was obliged to evacuate the mainland entirely. It withdrew to Taiwan and the offshore islands, and thus began one of the great migrations of modern times. Taiwan's population was swollen by 2 million mainland refugees, soldiers, government officials, and civilians, most arriving only with what they could carry. The effect of this influx taxed all aspects of Taiwanese life. The shortage of food, runaway inflation, and the need to sustain a large military establishment were major problems that had to be resolved. The government immediately began a program of rural land reform. It proved so successful that within 10 years, the yield per acre of rice alone would increase by 41%. Most farmers were able for the first time to own their own land. There is no doubt that the foundation of Taiwan's prosperity has been the land reform program. It has dramatically increased farm production by encouraging private incentive. In fact, and massive U.S. economic aid was also to play a crucial role in stimulating the Taiwanese economy. More than a billion dollars would be loaned or given to the government of the Republic of China. Today, Taiwan's prosperity is second only to Japan's among the countries of Asia. Proof of this surging economy is the fact that in 1965, the United States was able to discontinue its economic assistance programs to Taiwan. The government's own four-year economic plans and the efforts of private businessmen were equally important in rebuilding Taiwan's economy. Exports would double during the 1950s and would double again in the early 1960s. With a short span of time, the government of the Republic of China was able to resolve many of the major problems set in motion by the sudden arrival of refugees in 1947. Eventually, the government would be in a position to eliminate the ancient spectras of unemployment and disease. Improvement in health standards would bring about a decreasing mortality rate. By 1950, the new prosperity was evident, but the island was soon to become more than just a symbol of free enterprise. Events in Korea would reinforce Taiwan's position as an important link in the free world's chain of defense. But the security of Taiwan and the offshore islands was vital to the security of Asia. Their loss to the communists would critically weaken the free world's defense perimeter in the Pacific. It was therefore essential that the free Chinese people be assisted in their efforts to remain free. The resultant military assistance advisory program was clearly a response to this need. The first MAG mission began operations on Taiwan in 1951. After an initial survey of nationalists' needs, they immediately launched an extensive program. American officers and enlisted men began working directly with men of the Chinese armed forces at higher headquarters. Extensive training programs were initiated in tactics and operational techniques. Advice on management and staff procedures were intensified at all echelons. During this period, hundreds of Chinese military personnel were sent to the United States for specialized training. Mobile training teams introduced the new equipment, which had begun to flow in at an ever-increasing rate. United States technical representatives showed the Chinese how this new equipment should be used. In all, nearly $2 billion worth of military supplies would be made available to the Chinese armed forces. And effectiveness of the Chinese soldier was dramatically demonstrated on the 23rd of August, 1958, when the communists opened fire on the offshore island of Kimo. During which time, hundreds of thousands of artillery and mortar shells hit the island, causing widespread destruction. In many cases, entire villages had to be abandoned. The American response was immediate. On August 27th, President Eisenhower stated that the islands of Kimo and Matsu are more important to the defense of Taiwan now than they were three years ago. This was followed by a joint communique issued by the United States and the nationalist Chinese government, declaring that under the present conditions, the defense of the Kimoys together with the Matsus is closely related to the defense of Taiwan and Penghu. The consequence of the Kimo incident was a rapid acceleration of the MAG program. Additional military supplies were sent to Taiwan and the offshore islands to counter the strong communist buildup on the mainland. Pilot and ground training was stepped up to meet the new emergency. The Chinese Air Force became the recipient of the latest in jet fighters. Missile bases were established and armed with powerful Nike Hercules missiles. After its arrival on Taiwan, the first missile battery was operational in only 43 days. Chinese Navy was strengthened by the acquisition of new vessels and the activation of training installations, depots and shipyards. Destroyers and destroyer escorts were bolstered by patrol craft to keep the communist mainland under constant surveillance. Units of the National Army worked closely with the Navy in combined amphibious operations. Special emphasis was placed by MAG on the training of frogmen. This exercise demonstrates a night raid designed to probe for information along the communist coast. Taiwan's 600,000 man force now ranks as the world's fifth largest standing army. It is also one of the best trained. United States advisors assigned to MAG continue to work closely with their Chinese counterparts. Their work encompasses all facets of military activities. These men had an infantry school face a series of obstacles designed by United States advisors. They are similar to those that are used in American installations. United States advisors have also set up training programs in a variety of light and heavy infantry weapons such as rifles, machine guns, mortars and recoilless rifles. At the artillery school outside Tainan, United States advisors conduct courses in basic artillery procedures. At the armor school, MAG personnel help direct training exercises in mobile defense. United States ordinance advisors have created a large automotive base depot near Taipei as the capacity of turning out as many as 20 rebuilt vehicles a day. An unusual achievement for any repaired depot. MAG efforts on Taiwan place special emphasis on airborne training. At the Chinese airborne training school near Ping Tong, a United States airborne advisor supervises correct landing techniques. Decisors grows a natural respect between United States and Chinese military personnel. Fully important is the person to person contact which has developed between MAG advisors, their families and the citizens of Taiwan. It has accounted for many lasting friendships. These American wives who conduct English classes in Taipei are adding to the total success of this person to person contact. MAG personnel have reason to be proud of their accomplishments. What they have achieved can be shown most graphically by a visit to Kimoy where shelling still continues but with propaganda leaflet rounds and only on odd numbered days. Kimoy just 12 miles square is a complex network of underground corridors and fortifications blasted out of solid rock. This tunnel leads to the office of the chief of the defense command advisory team. Much of their effort is devoted to a careful study of the many training programs now in operation. Intensive refresher training in an area so close to enemy positions is an important part of the MAG program. MAG personnel and their Chinese counterparts live in caves or tunnels in close proximity to their duty stations. Even in this labyrinth of underground passages daily routines and duties are followed as they would be in any other military establishment. The Chinese nationalist soldiers stationed on Kimoy are well trained and well equipped and their morale is excellent. They accept their responsibilities with the knowledge that they are contributing to the defense of their country. From Kimoy MAG advisors make regular inspection trips to other islands in the Taiwan complex.  Frequent propaganda broadcasts are beamed to the Chinese across the straits. Cargo planes are also used to carry such items as rice and leaflets on airdrops over the mainland. Observers on Airtan keep the communist coastline under 24 hour observation. Maps and mock-ups of the Amoy area aid in the location of communist emplacements and other strategic installations. These maps are constantly being updated. What else the nationalist soldiers are likely to see in the near future? No one can predict with any certainty. But one thing is quite clear. The defense of this island and the others in the Taiwan complex will continue to depend on the strength and ability of the Chinese armed forces. And because a part of their military effectiveness is a direct result of MAG assistance we are all indebted to the thousands of Americans who have served with such distinction as members of the Military Assistance Advisory Group.