[Borneo]

As you scroll down you will have to answer a brief survey question to see the rest of the pictures...it's well worth the effort. Several of his pictures hang on my office walls.

A soldier's eye: rediscovered pictures from Vietnam - Photos - The Big Picture - Boston.com

 

[Fred]

Very nice photos, no survey required for me to view several dozen black and white plus a dozen or so color photos. Thanks for memories of the forgotten war, or the one so many would like to forget. My gratitude to those who served who were so often denied recognition for their sacrifices.

 

[Borneo]

You might just be skatin on my 14 days free access then Fred...good deal.

 

[M C Toyer]

Thanks Borneo
Poignant pics
Familiar ground

 

[mtjoe]

Thanks for the link Borneo. I know someone who will appreciate looking at these images, particularly the ones of the Chinooks performing missions. He may even be able to identify some of the people in them.

 

[Tiny-Wheel-200]

I travelled in vietnam in 2004 with my dad and uncle who were there 40 years ago. Beautiful country and great people who were very tough and determined when they needed to be, and who are exceptionally friendly and gracious now. Highly reccomended place to travel, retire, or live. Easily one of my favorite places in the whole world.

 

[Hoot Gibson]

I travelled in vietnam in 2004 with my dad and uncle who were there 40 years ago. Beautiful country and great people who were very tough and determined when they needed to be, and who are exceptionally friendly and gracious now. Highly reccomended place to travel, retire, or live. Easily one of my favorite places in the whole world.

Buddy of mine, Bill Harris, from Michigan, who was stationed with me, lives in Saigon{we don't call it Ho Chi Minh City} and travels the countryside via Motorcycle...his daughter{from a Vietnam Relationship} owns a cycle shop in Cam Rahn Bay, as luck would have it....he comes home for the reunions each year, but loves the place, and the cost of living....times sure have changed. And Bill is probably farther to the right politically than me{if that's possible} and has had no problems living under the Commie Government which has actually become more capitalistic than we are these days...

Me and Bill with some decades old patches from our old Squadron he found in Saigon, at last year's reunion in Dayton

 

[Tiny-Wheel-200]

Its funny that you can pay for everything there with yankee money as well as dong.

 

[littletommy]

A black market U.S. 20 dollar bill used to go quite a ways over there.
We weren't supposed to use American $ when I was in the service.

 

[Tiny-Wheel-200]

I also heard cigarettes were something of a comodity back then?

 

[littletommy]

I also heard cigarettes were something of a comodity back then?

Yep, almost anything could be traded for something that wasn't good for you or something you weren't supposed to have.

 

[Hoot Gibson]

I also heard cigarettes were something of a comodity back then?

Didn't smoke, cigarettes anyway, so I would buy my ration in Kools and Salem Smokes, the locals in both Nha Trang and Saigon loved menthol smokes, at $2 a carton and sell em' downtown for $18-20 a carton....the Capitalist Pig in me at work even back then

 

[long distance rider]

Damn, inflation must have really been bad after I left. In 1965 regulars were $ 1.10 and king size a buck twenty a carton, A imperial quart of J W Dant, a buck sixty. In DaNang the few Navy guys there couldn't buy liquor. You could take two bottles of bourbon down to the docks and the Navy guys would load a pallet of beer in the back of the deuce and a half. A pallet of beer is a bunch, like 50 or 60 cases.....my memory is a little fuzzy on the exact amount. Anyway, I've made it a practice to never drink Carlings Black Label since......

My girlfriend, we just celebrated our 47th anniversary, would send me a nice crisp $20 bill every month. I don't remember the exact unofficial exchange rate but the locals would give you a bucket full of MPC for green US money.

When I got home there was no band music or politicians calling us warriors, just the rich kids with student deferments calling us baby killers. 10 years ago I was talking to a Vice President of a company I was doing business with when he proudly told me the story about how he had sat out Vietnam Nan by going after his masters degree in nuclear engineering......and becoming way to valuable an asset to the country to risk in Vietnam Nam. Being a service connected disabled vet, it was all I could do to not send this arrogant piece of $hit to the emergency room.

Rant over, great pictures!

Mike