A Vietnam veteran’s tale from Christmas 1970
My father is one of those storytellers who has fabulous material but is not insistent on sharing it. Which makes listening to his stories all the more interesting; he knows which details to include, which to omit, and I always learn something new about his past.
Despite my continued encouragement, my father has not yet started a blog for the purpose of recording his stories. Occasionally, I’ll get him to dash off a tale via email – the story below is one of those:
The only way people could go anywhere from Vietnam on leave were the scheduled R&R flights to Hong Kong, Australia, Bangkok, Hawaii, etc., or on Space A flights, which were hard to get on, especially during Christmas, and very risky because you were not assured of a return. Bottom line: Few people did anything but the R&R flights which were official and guaranteed returns…no risk.
*Space A means “space available” – military aircraft make regular flights between bases, and depending on the size and type of aircraft, passengers may occupy seats for a minimal cost. It’s a bit like riding a Greyhound bus; you’re not guaranteed a seat, and you board in order of priority and based on what time you arrived at the terminal. It’s easy to get stranded – I got bumped from a cushy C-21 (military version of a Lear Jet) Space A flight from Panama to Andrews AFB and ended up shivering in the belly of a C-130 bound for a Guard base in West Virginia the next day. And it was my father who drove to WV to pick me up and take me back to my car at Andrews.
Then they opened the door to charter flights a couple months before Xmas, and a few entrepreneurs in the states started advertising round-trip charter flights to certain cities in the US. But there were not enough to satisfy the demand. So, a friend and I went down to World Airways, a military contractor, to see what it would cost to charter a round-trip flight from Vietnam to Chicago (nice central US location). They wanted $50,000 (a lot in 1970), for a plane that could take about 200 people.
All we wanted was a free flight for each of us, so we figured out what to charge passengers…around $250 each, a good deal. To make sure all the finances were above board, I set up a bank account for checks to be deposited, set up a special mailbox called Xmas Leave, and “advertised” by putting it in the Daily Bulletins (these were official pubs issued daily by the bases). I intentionally did not want a phone number included because I did not want calls coming into my office at work. Well, it turns out that the Admin people who publish the DBs always must list a phone number, so they got my work number and listed it.
We started getting checks in our mailbox, and I started getting calls in the office. Calls from all over Vietnam, even from people in the battlefield on field phones. I finally cut the list of names off at 220, calling the last 20 as standbys to fill seats from anyone in the first 200 who might cancel.
Then, two other guys spoiled it all as they started a business by chartering 2 flights a week, and charging enough over cost to make a profit. (I only wanted 2 free seats and just one flight). Once the military officials hears about the other guys’ scheme, they came out with a new regulation that said military people could not charter flights. I had to send everyone their checks back along with a note explaining why. We were able to get out of our contract with World Airways due to the regulation.
This Veteran’s Day, remember all the military servicemen and women, both then and now, who serve proudly and are neither poor nor uneducated. Military service should be honored, not diminished.
November 11th, 2007 at 9:42 am
I’m linking this today, along with all the other posts I find that honor our veterans. Thank you for sharing it!
November 11th, 2007 at 3:41 pm
How wonderful that you are getting at least some of his stories recorded and told. Thanks for sharing….also…I too have spent hours shivering at the bottom of a C-130 on a Space-A flight over the Pacific…geez louise, it gets cold!
November 12th, 2007 at 11:55 am
I agree with Mary Alice — how great that you’ve gotten him to write down some stories, in whatever format.
November 12th, 2007 at 12:04 pm
When my parents came to the conclusion that my Grandad’s time was ending, they make several trips with the video camera to record his stores.
I have yet to watch them, but they’re there whem I’m ready.
Kudos to you for encouraging your father.
November 12th, 2007 at 1:18 pm
Man, that link gets my goat.
Our church honored all veterans yesterday. I can’t help but get weepy eyed seeing all those young to old soldiers standing. There was a perfect video and heart-tugging music and everyone FELT SOMETHING – even the cold at heart.
And yet, today will they remember again?
That’s what I wonder.
We are still praying for the military here.
Great story.
Greater man.
November 12th, 2007 at 3:38 pm
Your dad was an entrepreneur at heart! What a creative thinker and determined young man.
November 12th, 2007 at 6:55 pm
What an amazing story! So good that you got it written down.