Thanksgiving 1970

EMAIL: This email was really nice to receive, so I felt I should share it. It is for all the PF Vietnam Vets.

"This is the time of year that Viet Nam begins to fill a lot of my thoughts. Lost a few good friends from now until the end of the year. I also vividly recall Thanksgiving Day in 1970 when we were up on Hill 510 and the Purple Foxes flew in hot Thanksgiving meals with purple dyed ice cream! I have never had a Thanksgiving since that day that I don't recall the Purple Foxes and their purple ice cream.

It still remains the best Thanksgiving meal I have ever had!!

Belated warm thanks to the Foxes.
Regards - Frank Roemer"

I read the entree of Frank Roemer with interest and remember almost all of our flights into enemy territory for resupply or medivacs brought American advisers to our doorway. Almost all came to ask if they could bum a cigarette. There were a couple of hydraulic lines running down just inside the crew chief side of the doorway on a UH-34 that I you could put 2 packs of cigarettes behind and I kept a vertical string of just about every brand. When asked for a cigarette I would ask for a brand and then throw them a couple of packs. They were only $.10 a pack, but you would have thought we were throwing gold coins. There were also flights that a call to the Special Forces base across the runway from our flight line of available space for a resupply to one of their patrols would bring a PC running across the runway to us. There would be a tarp tied with a rope thrown in with all the other supplies they had ordered. The poor bastards we were meeting had been in the jungle on the trail for days and were pretty pathetic eaten up with insects and filthy from the wet soil thrown up from the boot in front of them. They would always come to the door to see another American and bum a cigarette.

When you asked if they would like a cold beer, there was a look like they wanted to tear your throat out as they knew we would be flying back to Danang where if would wash the dust from our throats. The canvas tarp tied with a rope was thrown to them and a quick swipe with a knife would expose a lot of melted ice and a number of full cans of beer.

All the advisers during this period of time relied on each other for survival. We resupplied the Army Special Forces and were covered by Army gunships from the 52d CAB or A1s or T-28s the Air Force had to keep heads down. We would pick up wounded and KIAs and other air support that were shot down and in turn those experts on the ground would walk through fire to get us out if needed. I always felt sorry for those on the trail or in the jungle and in talking to them I would ask them how they stood that intense attack on there body. They would answer that it was safer down there than holding a hover and becoming a prime target for all the enemy to shoot up at as we were trying to get them out of a difficult situation. I guess each of us thought it was our job and did not worry about what was going on around us as we were doing it.

Warren Smith