No. I've given it a few moments thought from time to time. Some very
good memories of that place, considering what we were about and all.
<g> Maybe some day. I'd like to see what's become of Hue, and the
country out toward the A Shau Valley. But I think I'd get in a lot of
trouble in Saigon, which I refuse to call by it's currently
politically correct name. <Sigh> But then somewhere not long ago I
read that our enemies of yesterday have more in common with us than
our own youth of today, or some such. I wouldn't mind having a few
beers with some of the fellows who were trying to kill me, and I
them. Might be good for the soul. Interesting, fer'sure.
--Bob
On Nov 6, 2007, at 10:18 AM, Bernard Frangoulis wrote:
> Did you ever return to Vietnam
OT, for those still reading. Back in '02 we had a little reunion here
in Maine of some of the guys I served with over there. Six of us
showed up, and we had a pretty good time. One of them had some t-
shirts made with MACV patches on the chest and a map of Vietnam on
the back, with a big star at Phu Bai. The Saturday of the reunion, we
all clambered aboard the Hardy Boat III in New Harbor for the trip
out to Monhegan Island. One of our number, the only unmarried one,
was sitting next to me when approached by an attractive woman
somewhat but not too much younger than us. They struck up a
conversation. I was working very hard not to listen in, in case our
unaccompanied brother was angling to become accompanied.
So we got off the boat at Monhegan, the woman went on her way, and
the rest of us started teasing Rex about his failed attempt to get
himself a woman for the weekend. He looked at us with an expression
of disdain only Rex is capable of, and said, "Do you know who that was?"
A few jeers later and he drew himself up to full height. "That," he
said, "Was Gen. William Westmoreland's daughter."
More jeers.
But he convinced us it was true. She saw our t-shirts and approached
the closest one of us to talk. Her question was whether we'd got back
together to work through hidden problems from our war years. He told
her as best he could tell, none of us had any of those, that we'd got
together to drink beer and eat lobster and wander around the Midcoast
of Maine wearing silly t-shirts. (Even the wives had them.) Freaking
Westy's daughter! Imagine that.
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