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1966 tom briggs

... and herein lies a story ...

Vietnam

The 92d MP Battalion was responsible for Port Security (where all the supplies came into country). Everything you see in this photo, except for the jeep and soldiers, were all "borrowed" from the port. This included the galvanized two-story building on the right, called a Butler Building, which served as the Battalion Dining Hall, complete with overhead fans. The building came in huge packages and needed to be constructed with heavy equipment. In order to do that, we traded several cases of steaks (also "borrowed") to an Engineer outfit that was only too happy to erect the building, as well as the stage you see front center. Since we had our own stage, we were also able to have USO Shows just for the Battalion ... I remember Hank Snow, for one, and the Slippery Rock String Quartet, for another ... I was hoping for Raquel Welch but c'est la vie, c'est la guerre. A long time ago but memories stay fresh ...


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keith hittson 20-Oct-2020 22:02
Colonel Briggs, I did not realize and appreciate the ability that you and LTC Hill had in 1966 to borrow things that made our lives at Pershing Field a little better. The new mess hall was a real blessing, although it sometimes flooded during a heavy rain, like the time that the actor Dale Robertson had his USO show inside. I recall the old mess tent that it replaced. The old mess tent was located along the graveyard side of Pershing Field and it was next to a high fence, and there was a walk way for civilian traffic. The soldiers would enter the mess tent to get their chow and eat, but sometimes when they exited the tent with their trays to empty in the garbage barrel there would be a few small children at the fence ready to accept any leftovers, especially desert from the trays. It has been 54 years now, and although my memories have faded, the memory of those small children remains fresh. Hope all is well with you, I saw where W/O Lamphere passed away last year. I am doing well.
Long Bach Nguyen28-Nov-2011 16:14
Great story Tom...sound to me the trading to get things done hasn't change a bit. I remembered those mats on the ground as a kid. Wonderful documentary and image of your visit. Cheers, Long
David Parsley04-Jan-2009 14:23
Thank you for the details on these photos. As the supply officer for the 605th ADS at Phu Loi in 1968, I was often involved in "borrowing" and or trading for items that we just could not get though the official supply channels. I had an EM working for me from Brooklyn who was a master at wheeling stealing and dealing. My agreement with him when I would send him on unofficial supply missions was - if the MP's are chasing you through the gate when you return, I do not know you!
Carol Rollins13-Oct-2007 14:32
Thank you for sharing, Tom. Very interesting info. V
Jean-Luc Rollier12-Oct-2007 23:16
Very interesting Tom, thanks a lot for your text.
JL V
Guest 12-Oct-2007 19:21
Sounds like a pleasent memory.....v
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