Showing posts with label vietnam war. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vietnam war. Show all posts

Saturday, October 26, 2013

A Young GI's Love


The following is a hub that was put into a draft back in 2011 and never published, so without further ado here is some ancient history hub that was never published


                                Chi working at the Green Door Lounge,Saigon 1968

It was while on his second tour that he met her. He and some Army buddies had decided to visit a new bar one evening, one that wasn’t a brothel. A bar they had never been to but had been told about by some of the other guys in his unit. They had just sat down when he looked up to place his drink order and there she stood. She was one of the prettiest women he had seen in The Nam. He looked up at her face which was a perfect oval, with high exotic cheekbones set inside her very delicate features. Her thick dark hair, which was so black it reminded him of shiny glass, hung in long oval curves over her slender shoulders and she was dressed in the traditional black silk pajama style pants with a long oriental style top and the back of the top which had a huge gold dragon circling from the back, ending in the front, seemed to set off her slender body and slim hips. He noticed every guy at his table was staring at her as she walked to the bar to fetch their drinks. As she walked away she carried herself with confidence, fully aware of the appreciative glances of the GIs.

As the night wore on his fellow table mates forgot all about the pretty bar maid the more they filled up on drink after drink. But not Steve, he kept looking in her direction all night long and every once in a while she would throw him a glance and a beautiful smile. He wondered if she had noticed him also, but, he thought, she must be used to GIs staring at her and making lewd remarks. He figured she was pretty much immune to that stuff by now and just brushed them off like lint on a uniform.

As the night wore on, the girl made her way over to Steve’s table, he motioned for her to have a seat, after some of his buddies decided to sit at the bar to be closer to the drinks. To his surprise, she smiled and sat down across from him. She spoke perfect English and while he seemed puzzled by this, she explained to him she had been schooled in English while attending a school run by American missionaries. She had an even prettier smile up close, he noticed and her features and clear skin were near perfection. They talked a while and he told her about his plans to try and find a flat to rent because living on the base was too crowded for him anymore. She smiled and told him she just happened to know of a nice little place not far from his base. She explained that she was staying with friends and was trying to save up enough money to rent it, but on a barmaid’s pay, it was taking her longer than she had anticipated. He told her he had some money already saved and she offered to meet him the next day to look at it together. He hung around the bar until closing time and hailed a cab and gave her ride to where she was living. She thanked him, they set a time to meet the next day to look at the flat and then she leaned over and kissed him. Not just a peck either, but a full, on the mouth, several seconds kiss.

The next day he and his new found friend met to look at the flat together. It was small, but cozy and had a small balcony on the back, small but large enough to set a table and a couple chairs on. He told her he liked it and he talked to the landlord and paid the first month’s rent. He asked Chi if she wanted to move in with him, since she was looking for a place too. She smiled and was very eager to do so and said she just needed to go gather up a few things at her friend’s house. Later that day, Steve and Chi moved into the little flat that had a balcony overlooking the Saigon River.

The next few weeks were ecstasy for Steve as Chi was, like most women in Vietnam, adept at making a man feel like he was the most important person in the whole world. Their lovemaking was wonderful. The very first night in their shared flat, Chi heated up some water on the stove and instructed Steve to sit on a high stool she had prepared for him, placing a warmed towel on the seat. She poured the water into a basin and proceeded to wash his naked body, starting with his back, gently washing in small strokes. She worked her way down to his buttocks, then around front to his chest, his legs and then to his feet, carefully washing between each toe very gently. He then stood up, as she instructed and gently dried his naked body and started to apply oils. He felt his manhood rise and he started to reach for her, but she thwarted his advances, gently and proceeded to finish up with the oils. When she had finished applying the oil, she slipped her clothes off, slowly and smiling up at his face the whole time. Then she took his hands and led him to the bed in the corner. Their lovemaking was fierce and she showed him moves he had never experienced before. The lovemaking was so intense at one point, that Steve felt he might pass out, but instead, he felt ecstasy like he’d never felt before.

Afterwards, Chi prepared a dinner of white rice and fish and they took their bowls and glasses filled with rice wine out to the balcony. Steve was feeling this was one of the most perfect moments he had ever remember experiencing in his 19 years of living. He was wishing the moment could last him a lifetime.

Thursday, September 19, 2013

Vietnam War, Life goes on behind the scenes

The following pictures are ones I took in Saigon during 1967 and 1968 of the every day life. You would never know that a War was raging outside the city.


                                        



          The fruit market

                                                                                        Family coming to Town

                           The crowded streets

                                                          



       Pottery Factory                                         Flower Market

                           The Sidewalk Vendors
                           Young Couple on Moped
      


Going Shopping
  





                                                                                                               Going to Work
****************************************************************
                           Life in the Villages

                           Life in Grass Huts

                             Working in the Rice Paddies

                                                      Working in the Field

                                                    Life on the Saigon River


These pictures are just a few of the many I have that have never before been seen by anyone and are part of History. Hope you enjoyed them.


                    

Sunday, September 15, 2013

New Book, "A Date With Vietnam"

It's been awhile since I've been writing but I have been busy for the last 7 months working on my latest book. This one has been a long time coming but I have finally finished it. The book is now in the final editing stages and will be released this coming Veterans Day 2013 and dedicated to my friends who never made it home.
This final book of my life in the Nam is a compelling story of my time spent there complete with the pictures that go with the stories. The book has close to 300 pages for your enjoyment along with the pictures that I took while there.

The longest process of this book was the processing of over 200 slides that I had to turn into pictures and bring back to life. These slides were stored in my parents attic for over 30 years and I had totally forgot about them until my parents death and the house was cleaned out. This book means everything to me and I wish my parents were still here to share this project with me. 

So I hope you check out Amazon.com or Kindle come November and order your copy.
Happy Reading
Steve Weathers - aka VietnamVet68

Sunday, September 18, 2011

The Girls of the USO Shows , Vietnam







Nilla Thorn landing in Saigon 1968
************************************************************

The USO Girls of Vietnam

They came to us to bring a smile

In this land of Uncle Ho

Always in danger as they put on there show

Those were the girls of the USO


They all chose to come here

To lift our spirits and make us smile

Each one brought there special gift


If you weren't able to see them

The Radio waves would spread the news

That the girls were here to take away your blues

If only for a little while, they would make you smile


If you were lucky enough to see the show

Two hours of happiness

Was worth two years in the Nam


They would bring a short reprieve

The sight of a beautiful girl from the USA

Raquel Welch, Connie Stevens and Suzanne Pleshette

We remembered fondly what they wore


Just to put a smile on a weary sole

With a heart of Gold and jokes galore

Theye entertained us one and all


But now those years have passed us on by

And your faces still linger on in my mind

You have left us now in Gods grace

So accept my thanks for the memories


Thanks for all the memories





















Bob Hope





Racquel Welch

Thursday, September 8, 2011

The Bad Boys of Company B


The Bad Boys of Company B



We are the heart breakers

And the beer drinkers

The trouble makers

And the life takers


We bust our ass all day

We like to fight all night

We hail from everywhere

From the east coast to the west coast


We might take a toke

But it's no joke

When the enemy is in sight, we don't hesitate

We squeeze the trigger to our delight


Tracers ripping into the night

It must be a huge fire fight

The overwhelming urge to break and run

The paralyzing instinct to freeze or hide


The flares are popping overhead

The shadows are dancing on the ground

As we ramble on down the trail

The bullets streaking through the air


In the distance sickening sounds

The deadened thump of mortar rounds

Shouts of in-coming and everyone running

Nowhere to run to and nowhere to hide


You just might live to see another day

For this time it's do or die




Thursday, August 11, 2011

War Protest Songs of the 1960's

Protests of the Vietnam War

Even though I was in the military and in Vietnam, I do recall, vividly, the protests going on back in America. I was not upset, but I do remember some of my comrades were pretty upset that America was acting ungrateful. After all, we were supposed to be fighting for and protecting America, but all in all, as the war drug on and especially in the light of the TET Offensive, when we we all started to understand this war may not be winnable after all, I could well understand young men not wanting to be placed into forced servitude (draft) and made to fight in a war they did not agree with.

I loved the military and still do, but I realized that everyone wasn't me. Many soldiers, as the war continued, slipped off into the jungles of Vietnam, probably either being killed in the process or making their way home from a war they began to be disillusioned with. In America people used the terms, draft dodger, sedition, communists, socialists and anti-war protesters, baby killers, much like today. I am quite sure if the nightly news showed us all the real horrors of war, as it did back then, we'd have many more people taking to the streets, as they did then. I'm the first to admit war isn't pretty and I truly think, in modern warfare, no one wins. But our governments will continue to pick a fight with any country they either want something from, or for some kind of profit.

If we haven't learned a thing from Vietnam, then I don't think we ever will or even want to learn anything from it all. I learned many young men and women get sacrificed and it's a job for people, especially in a bad economy, but I don't see much else that war serves.

So I have compiled some of my favorite war protest songs from the Vietnam War era, but they can easily cover the wars we have now been fighting for far too long in the Middle East. I may have been a military man, but I am also a peace loving person. I became a Drill Instructor to, hopefully, teach young people how to survive and if they have to go to war, to hopefully, make it back home alive and in one peace. I always hope I did my job well because I loved helping young people learn how to survive.

Fixin to Die Rag

This one was sung rather late in the game during the Vietnam War and Country Joe and the Fish got the crowd of over a million people to join in. I kind of credit this song as one of the big ones that helped stop the war. We were a generation who did stop an entire war.

Eve of Destruction

Barry McGuire did this sone and we can tell, from the words, how we may possibly all be on the Eve of Destruction, maybe even more so now, than back then.

Fortunte Son

This is the one and only protest song created and sung by CCR in their career. They really didn't want to do a protest song, but since everyone was buying them in droves, they decided to do this one.

Blowin In the Wind

The words to this song kind of says it all. So it does not need too much introduction. I have no doubt most everyone has heard of this one.

Where Have all the Flowers Gone

This one, much like Blowin in the Wind, kind of says it all too.

Universal Soldier

This one depicts how the world has created soldiers from as far back as civilization can remember. They answer the call and some love it, some become disillusioned by it.

One Tin Soldier

This one really points out how most battles and skirmishes are futile and usually not necessary, for all the 'prize' turns out to be nothing anyone should have shed blood for.

Give Peace a Chance

John Lennon and his wife created this song to plead with people all over the world to try peace, for a change, instead of war. It too says it all.

The Draft Dodger Rag

This one sung by Pete Seeger is a tongue in cheek look at how people viewed draft dodgers back then.

I Ain't Marchin anymore

Arlo Guthrie did this rendition of the song. This depicts soldiers from long ago and fits the Vietnam war as well as the modern wars of today. It sings of the futility of wars.

There were more but these were the most popular songs of that time.