the average age of the soldier in Vietnam was 19 (as everyone who heard the song 19 by Paul Hardcastle, in 1985, remembers) and if that seems crazy young... tell me the average age of these Red Cross Supplemental Recreational Activities Overseas staff
I got to VN in April of 67 at 20 years old. Turned 21 in June. Left at 23 in March of 70. Never ran into any Red Cross girls but saw Donut Dollies several time on the air field. They were 18 or so.
Our gunship platoon leader got reassigned to a Australian helicopter as an advisor. I need to get him to record the stories on his time with them. I went down on R&R in late 66 and I'm still upside down! My Respect and Salute to those troops!
My Pleasure Sir. One note: Being as I'm partially blind in my shooting eye I should have realized a typing error. I was stationed at the 25th Infantry Divisions base camp. There is no 255 Infantry Division. I have a lot of respect for the 25th ID and consider them to have been the best to have served in Vietnam. The 2nd of the 27th Wolfhounds were our blood brothers!
I flew with the 116th Assault Helicopter Company based at the 25th Infantry Division's base camp at Cu Chi, South Vietnam. We had a communications repair trailer on the airfield that had a pet monkey named Claymore that stayed there during the day but went to the personnel's living hootch at night. After everyone had finished drinking beer and went to bed Claymore would drink all of the half full cans of beer and get plowed. He would start throwing those empty cans up into the overhead fans creating lots of problems including straightening the blades out. Next morning he would go to the como van and be hooked up with that same tether and hang out on the porch. Along comes two Donut Dollies with one being a regular and the other a new in country girl. The senior dolly kind of hung back but the new one saw the monkey and commented how cute he was. As they wore pretty short skirts so Claymore jumped of that porch and landed on her thigh with a bearhug that nobody was going to break. She's screaming and the other girl is doubled up laughing. Como guy comes out with a big glass of tea and throws all over both of them. The girls high tailed out of there and we never saw the newbie again. I'm sure all the girls back at their living quarters heard about that little adventure. Somedays Vietnam was absolutely fun place to be. Other days not so much.
I got to VN in April of 67 at 20 years old. Turned 21 in June. Left at 23 in March of 70. Never ran into any Red Cross girls but saw Donut Dollies several time on the air field. They were 18 or so.
ReplyDeleteA haunting and much more personal take on the experience from Australia's Redgum. https://youtu.be/mGDhzVi1bqU?si=mRcSP-Tdj0JlbMd0
ReplyDeletethanks, damn, that was good, but dark.
DeleteOur gunship platoon leader got reassigned to a Australian helicopter as an advisor. I need to get him to record the stories on his time with them. I went down on R&R in late 66 and I'm still upside down! My Respect and Salute to those troops!
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ReplyDeleteterrific story! Thank you! Just sent you an email
DeleteMy Pleasure Sir. One note: Being as I'm partially blind in my shooting eye I should have realized a typing error. I was stationed at the 25th Infantry Divisions base camp. There is no 255 Infantry Division. I have a lot of respect for the 25th ID and consider them to have been the best to have served in Vietnam. The 2nd of the 27th Wolfhounds were our blood brothers!
DeleteI flew with the 116th Assault Helicopter Company based at the 25th Infantry Division's base camp at Cu Chi, South Vietnam. We had a communications repair trailer on the airfield that had a pet monkey named Claymore that stayed there during the day but went to the personnel's living hootch at night. After everyone had finished drinking beer and went to bed Claymore would drink all of the half full cans of beer and get plowed. He would start throwing those empty cans up into the overhead fans creating lots of problems including straightening the blades out. Next morning he would go to the como van and be hooked up with that same tether and hang out on the porch. Along comes two Donut Dollies with one being a regular and the other a new in country girl. The senior dolly kind of hung back but the new one saw the monkey and commented how cute he was. As they wore pretty short skirts so Claymore jumped of that porch and landed on her thigh with a bearhug that nobody was going to break. She's screaming and the other girl is doubled up laughing. Como guy comes out with a big glass of tea and throws all over both of them. The girls high tailed out of there and we never saw the newbie again. I'm sure all the girls back at their living quarters heard about that little adventure. Somedays Vietnam was absolutely fun place to be. Other days not so much.
Delete