James H. Madden - China Lake

Burke Rd. 1958

In 1952, my Dad scooped up his growing family and transported them to the barren lands of China Lake Naval Ordinance Test Station.  Located in the middle of the Mohave Desert the nearest town of Ridgecrest had a population around 2500 in 1952.  It was incorporated as a city in 1963.

Out in the middle of nowhere the family enjoyed the privileges of the officers club...often traversing the short distance from home in a vintage Ford Model A.

Today the house we lived in on Burke Road no longer exists....we think!  Google maps show a vacant street.  No buildings exist.  Is that true?


I arrived in China Lake about the same time as the rest of the family, so this volume of Dad's Story takes on additional voices.... Maura's, mine, and even an apostrophe from Sean who was just a year when we moved on to the next adventure.

Unfortunately, this is as far as we got with Dad's Story, the next chapters will not have his voice, but perhaps his spirit !!

Dad's Story - China Lake.

Mediterranean - Suez Crisis 

China Lake - Official Site
China Lake Museum
A Photographic history of NOTS
The Sidewinder Story
Suez Crisis
The Suez Crisis 1956
The Suez Crisis - Oxford University
Historical Weather - London Dec 1956

James H. Madden - The War Years

My Dad was eager to join the war effort.  He had hoped to be able to fly, but his eyesight was not good enough.  So...he enlisted in the Navy and left Duluth as soon as he had finished his final class...before graduation.

He was immediately put in officer's training, going from Marquette in Milwaukee, WI to Notre Dame and then eventually ended up in Midshipman School at Fort Schuyler.

After finishing training he was assigned to "Codes" supervising a department of women.  Now, many of these women were probably "much" older than their 21 year old supervisor and if you knew my father you would know how much he hated "cattiness."  Well, war is war.  You serve where you are needed....  So here it is in his own words the second installment of Dad's Story with a few additions from his "future wife".  I've added links to some of the places where he trained.  


Dad's Story - The War Years
V12-Navy College Training Program
Special Collections- Marquette - Navy Training
How the Navy Saved Notre Dame after WWII