Camp Holloway Discussion Forum Archive 02 - 05/07/01 to 02/28/03

Re: My first bus ride in country.....

The flight I was on landed in-country at Tan Son Nhut in the late afternoon. The pilot announces on the intercom the weather report and offers us good luck and then he turns crosswind. The flaps come down and he turns on final and the gear comes down and locks and everybody is craning for their first sight of Viet F****'g Nam through the windows when all of a sudden the gear comes up, the nose comes way up and the engines scream --- and we go damn near straight up! After a minute or two of climbing out and circling, he comes over the intercom and apologizes, and says the control tower advised him the airport was receiving rocket fire and he should not land for a few minutes while they scramble a reaction team.

We rode to the reception center on air force school buses (complete with those grates) and were told to "wait here 'til someone comes for you." 4 damn hours. Guys were plotting how to get back on one of those Flying Tigers stretched 707's that were coming in and then leaving every half hour or so. Saigon in 1969 was not any more impressive than it ever was before then. It stank (literally) in Nov 69; it stank in Aug 70 when I went through there on R&R; and I cannot imagine it not stinking today.

You know, as I reflect back, it comes to me that was the only bus I ever rode on in RVN. Every other "bus" ride was on a UH-1.

Pickett

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My first bus ride in country.....
Re:The OTHERS must have ridden in a LAMBRETTA
Re: My first bus ride in country.....
Re: My first bus ride in country.....
Re: My first bus ride in country.....
Re: My first bus ride in country.....