I guess I wouldn’t make a very good politician .With all of the “Pork Barrel Subsides “ and “ Foreign Aid “ I was an Engineer when I was in Viet Nam while others did the fighting . I know that the Infantry and the Calvary need their R & R ( Rest & Relaxation ) time and a place to have and some one need to build it but my goodness the tax dollars that is spent  on things . While I was in Viet Nam I was stationed in Qui Nhon which was coastal city on the South China Sea . It had a beach area that was marked off for the United States Military use . We poured eighteen pads of concrete their for a miniature golf course . I heard that a year after we left it got blew up . We built a two story building across the road from the main hospital that was going to be the USO Club . When we first arrived were ordered to pour concrete and  build an officers club in pouring down rain .

When people at home get pictures of a war they see pictures of the Infantry and the Calvary killing the enemy .They don’t see their money being spent taking care of the soldiers needs by giving them a place to relax . I guess it is all important . I guess we shouldn’t just go blow them away but it just kind boggle’s my mind the money that is spent to do all of these things . I had the luxury of a shower every night and a hot meal every day while I know their was a lot of soldiers that did not. I guess that why I enlisted in the Army .  The Army had a guarantee that if  you enlisted you had a choice of schools . We had one guy in Viet Nam that complained to our Captain that he didn’t join the Army to be an electrician that he joined to be a mechanic . The Captain ask him “ what did you go to school for ?” He said I went to school for Mechanics .“ The Captain said “ OK now the Army can put you where they need you .” Dumb Dumb Dumb .But that’s the Army for you .

We had a guy from upstate New York that drove a 5 Ton flat bed Ford truck to go pick up supplies like lumber from the ware house . I’m not sure how he did it but he would get a order for 3 bundles of lumber ( 1 bundle 1 by 6  ; 1 bundle 2 by 4 ; 1 bundle  1 by 8  ) and he would come back with 2 bundles each . Total 6 bundles of lumber . The front wheels would be bouncing off the ground . We ended up with a pretty good stockpile of lumber .

We also built an enlisted mans barrachs while I was there and several bunkers and guard towers for our compound that did not have any bunkers or guard towers when I arrived . Then I was sent temporary duty to Plieu Ku for 3 months to build a 4 inch water line going to a new compound that another unit was building there . We just layed it top of the ground . It was 40 foot joints that you screwed together . We layed about eight miles of it from the lake to the water purification plant . Then it was back to Qui Nhon for us .