Thirty-Six years ago today I arrived in Nakhon Phanom, Thailand (NKP, Thailand). I was assigned there temporarily for 30 days to help with the work of monitoring the Viet Cong military activity. It was great to get out of Vietnam for a little while and be stationed in a city where I could have more freedom. It was great to get out and about among the people to see a part of the world that few Americans get to see.

There wasn't much difference in the weather. How different is rain and mud ANYWHERE? Not every day was rainy and I enjoyed the warm sunshine, as well. People were friendly. The city was "third world"; very poor; people, without the things we americans take for granted. This was the first occasion I had to eat food that didn't come from the "Chow Hall" on base. Thai food was very good and I ate at the local restaurant near the main base entrance quite often during my 30 days stay in NKP. Getting around town was no problem. I could either take a Taxi, a Pedi-cab (bicycle cab), or walk.

I wasn't sure what kind of work I would be doing in Thailand, other than the same type I was doing in Vietnam. It actually turned out that way. The only difference was that we were flying over Laos. THAT was the scary part of the whole experience! Laos was extremely dangerous to aircraft and few prisoners were taken away from crash sites. Most would have been found bound together, tortured and shot in the back of the head. This was NOT a story I wanted to HEAR, but it was a matter of fact and we had little choice but to go on. Needless to say, I was running scared every day, almost kissing the ground with each successful landing!

My annual salary as a Buck Sargeant that year was $2000. Doesn't sound like much, huh? But I was very rich in comparison to the Thai people. I had tailor made suits and sport coats of exotic materials made for $20 to $40; tailor made leather shoes for $8; hand carved Ivory Chess Set for $25 (worth well over $800 now) and a silk tablecloth with 6 napkins for $1.50. Jewelry was very cheap for Star Sapphire's, etc. I bought a bunch of stuff and brought it back home with me. Later on in life, a house fire took the 3 suits and several sport jackets. A burglar relieved me of the burden of storing the jewlery. I still have the chess set.

I find it interesting to think back to these times. Memories are like movies in our minds. Many of the sights and sounds, even the smells are brought back to life through the memory reliving those times. Many of my memories, however, lie hidden, awakening only whenever a specific memory button is pushed. The strangest thing about these memories is that I no longer recall the danger. That makes the good things even better.