Camp Holloway Discussion Forum Archive 03 - 03/01/01 to 12/31/03

March 31,1969

For the first time in a month the company has been given the morning off. We only have three slicks and two gun ships that could be considered mission ready. The rest of the ships are sitting in maint. in need of sheet metal repairs and other combat damage.

At the morning formation we are told that pay-call will be at 13:00 hrs. This would give most of us time to get a hair cut. We are also told that special services would be here tonight to show a movie. Both announcements are met with the same result. Big deal.

Most of the platoon sends the morning sleeping or playing cards. After chow we line up for pay. Most of us are told that we still need a hair cut and something about our uniforms are not right. Top lets most of us pass and get our pay without to much grief.

A collection is taken up and a pop and beer run is completed during the afternoon. A list of ships which will be ready tomorrow is posted and those crew chiefs head to the flight line to check their ships.

As twi-light approached special services sets up the out door theater. The mess hall is to small so the area between the mess hall and the first flight platoon's barrack becomes our drive-in movie without cars.

Even before the movie starts First Sgt. Wyatt warns us that the movie has some bad spots. If the movie stops and we give the projectist any shit the movie was over. Tonight we get to see the real war. The Green Berets starring John Wayne. The Duke! The man who won the second world war. I had seen everyone of his movies. He flew "Flying Tigers" to defend Burma and stormed the beaches with the Marnies on Iwo Jima. He even jumped on D-Day with 82nd ABN during the "Longest Day." I couldn't wait for it to start.

Within the first five minutes something was wrong. John was no longer young. He was also over weight. My childhood hero was not the same that I had remembered. As the movie went on we discovered that his war in Vietnam didn't look like ours. As the Black Label Beer started to take affect a few cat calls were heard. The scene where the helicoper takes three rounds in the front radio compartment and the Hollywood auto-rotation receives a standing ovation. At this time the projector breaks down for the third time. More beer is consumed. The final scene finds John standing next to the small boy, watching the sun set over the South China sea, telling him that he was the reason we were here. As great as the Duke was how did he get the sun to set in the east? Some more of Hollywood's magic.

That night most of us slept with the help of cheap beer and knowing that we were safe because John Wayne was on our side. Tomorrow we would head back into the valley.

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March 31,1969
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