I know I'm repeating myself this year, but 50 years ago today (almost to the hour as I write this) I experienced something memorable that appears on this video. I urge you to enjoy the whole thing, it will bring back many touching memories for our generation.
If you will watch closely at about 6:10 on the timer, you will see the moment during a show Bob Hope gave at a river-boat/helicopter base called DONG TAM on Dec 26th, 1968.
I AM IN THAT AUDIENCE - watching as an older Huey B-model gunship began firing their rockets, while taking .50 cal. machine gun fire from a small island in the Mekong River that was not far up-river and behind the bandshell. (maybe 1,000 yards away)
They could hear it on stage, but could not see it as the bandshell enclosed them from above and behind. Since we were sitting far back, we could see both the rockets being fired, and the .50 cal tracers floating back up at them, and we were watching both "performances" from where we sat back in the crowd of about 2,000 guys. Bob paused in fear of the sound, then made the joke, and went on. We roared our approval!
I told this story for over 40 years and wondered if anybody believed me. Then one night about 8 years ago, I randomly stumbled onto this on You Tube.
Note: None of the stars on this video were at our show. He varied his group of performers as he traveled. We had Ann Margaret - and LOVED her! Also Johnny Bench (Reds cather), Rosey Greer (NFL football), this young lady in the video (Miss Universe from Australia, and one more American blonde female singer whose name escapes me.
(and I confess to feeling guilty all these years. I had only arrived at my nearby unit on the afternooon of Dec 24th, and had as yet done nothing to "earn" my chance to get to this show. I was so new I barely knew any of the guys, when someone stuck their head into my bed cubicle and asked, "Hey, we got a spare ship and a few guys going down river to see Bob Hope at Dong Tam. Wanna go?"
I had no idea who he, or the other guys were, nor what or where Dong Tam was, but I jumped at the chance!)
Beautiful, Donna! And the more of a Buckeye somebody is the more they'll absolutely understand that joke.
Thank you again for the Hemingway photo. I swear I was crying so hard I could hardly type my thank you note.
This is such an utterly fabulous day. It could turn utterly tragic but, as my mother once said to me, if you're going to love someone or something, some day your heart will be broken. And as several wise souls have written, grief is just another expression of love.
So we takes out chances, and we plays the game, because that's what kind of critters we are, regardless of where you do or do not go to church.
And we are damn straight lucky to be Buckeyes and to come from where we come from no matter which way it goes in five, four, three, two......
That is one fo the funniest things I have ever read. You made my day!
P.s. Remember where I live now - it's either "Gamecocks" or "Tigers" down here. A few "Gator" fans are tolerated - just barely - but Lou "Satan" ("Tide") fans are NOT welcome. I just happen to be freinds with lots of "Tigers".
You would all get a kick out of the number of Ohio State bumper stickers down here - including ones (I think I showed before) of the red and white striped Harbour Town lighthouse forming the "I" in OHIO bumper stickers.
They are eveywhere down here, and there is a restaurant out on the Island that is an Ohio State place - Mangiamo's Pizza. When you walk in you would think you have stumbled into an Ohio State Athetic history museum. The walls are covered with paraphernalia - framed and autographed Heisman trophy winners jerseys, photographs, and memeorabilia of all kinds. There is even a tiny shop (once a coat closet, me thinks) where they have Bobble-Head dolls, T-shirts, and bumper stickers for sale.
There are only two problems with the place; First, on game days (especially tonight) you cannot get inside the door. And second; the pizza is the worst I have ever had.
While I was back in Cbus over Christmas the weather was fantastic with lots of sunshine and blue skies. The first few days were quite cold and I had to go visit my favorite photo-op, Hayden Falls, thinking that the falls would be frozen. Having captured this area on camera from totally dry, flowing fast and full, dripping and entirely frozen, I had not seen the falls as they appeared on this visit: half frozen and half flowing (or close to half). It goes to show that re-visiting an area never fails to surprise and offers new experiences.
Glad I packed my tripod!
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL (despite the Buckeyes loss last night)!
Dave, Rowan, is not related to me. He is the grandson of one of the members of the men's group, Natural Passages, that I meet with four times a year. We correspond via email and the prayer request arrived a few weeks ago. His story got to me and I instantly thought of the folks on the Watterson site as some of you know a little bit about praying. It was a no brainer. He's still hanging in there. The courage of his parents, knowing what awaits them in the future is admirable. But they made the decision and here we are. Years ago there would have been alternate choices, but with the medical knowledge that exists today made a difference in the direction they decided to go, and I felt the least I could do was try to generate some positive vibe in the ether for the little guy. So, thanks to everyone who has responded. I can say for certain his family appreciates your concern and prayers.
Also, I saw Bob Hope in Long Binh. With Gloria Loring, the late Lola Falana, Johnny Bench, and the Golddiggers. It was quite the event. I'd heard later that the periferal mortar and rocket attacks were staged to elicit support for the troops and the war. But it may have just been a rumor. We had a few well timed booms in the distance, that seemed rather supportive of that theory though. Of course Bob played it off as criticisms of his and Crosby's road movies. Comedy is often couched in tragedy. I felt it was the highlight of my tours. Not much to smile about back there.
And glad you posted about the Bob Hope show - but I was hoping you'd include your story about the telephone pole at the show. That's too funny of a memory to keep from our classmates.
Okay Dave, pour tu. My day at the Bob Hope show started with someone suggesting we go to Long Binh and see the show. So, a few of us piled into our shop van, a duece and half, with a box on the back that was used as an artillery repair shop. I drove the 30 or so miles to the show. I always liked that drive, we'd go through several small villages and a brick making enterprise that impressed me. One guy pushing a sampan around a large mud puddle, scooping mud into his boat. He would manuever it to shore, empty it and combine the clay with straw and set the bricks in the sun. I envied that guy. Alone, he worked all day in the mud and water barefoot in a pair of shorts. Making bricks. The kids herding their brahma cows and water buffalo along the roads with just sticks. Three wheeled lambrettas putting along stuffed with all sorts of things, from pigs to coffins, sugar cane, fruit, you name it. The smell of diesel exhaust hung heavy in the air as always. We arrived to our destination off highway 1 along the base camp. Long Binh was immense and doubled in size with Bien Hua airbase. It was a huge military city. When we entered we could see the makeshift amphitheater with seating for about 20,000. I noticed the poles they mounted the speakers on and it gave me an idea. In the shop van I had a set of climbing gaffs used by linemen. Having been a lineman in civilian life, I decided to bring them with me just in case. It turned out to be a good decision. When we walked into the amphitheater I was checking out the poles. They were wooden, but they were square. Typical military baloney. Civilian poles are round easier to climb. I strapped on the hooks and took a few steps. They dug in deep enough and as long as I kept my feet at 90°I would be okay, so up I went. I was the first guy up one of the poles. After a few minutes the OIC of the amphitheater, stepped up to the mic and suggested that I should get down, suddenly the crowd erupted in boos and catcalls. It was very funny. He rationalized that I would feel bad if I knocked out the sound system and ruined the show for everyone. Suddenly he decided I may have been one of the guys who set up the sound system and I probably knew what I was doing so I could stay up there. The crowd cheered and within 10 minutes most of the other poles were occupied by other climbers. Then some officer asked to hang his sign saying Merry Christmas to his family in Pittsburgh. I've seen the footage of the show, and there are a few long shots of me standing on my pole. All tolled I spent about two and a half hours up there and really enjoyed a great show. I had seen Hope in Columbus as a kid at the Ohio State Fair. He used to do the fair every year back then. Although Leslie Townes Hope was born in England, Bob grew up in Cleveland. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. The drive back to our base was uneventful and the guys who went had a wonderful memory. Of all the crazy things that happened over there, that one moment of sanity and escape will always be with me and to Bob Hope, thanks for the memory.
I was in and out of Long Binh a few times - my arrivals and departures were at that Air Base, and a couple of strange drop-offs - once on the heli-pad right there in that big 3-building MACV Hedquarters complex, (with a guy from our unit who we were delivering - in a straight jacket - to armed guards - headed for the infamous "LBJ" (Long Binh Jail). Also landed once at the big hospital - I think that would be Long Binh Field EVAC - with a young, seriously wounded pilot - the only Black, Warrrant Officer, Rotary-wing pilot I ever saw.
For those unfamiliar, Long Binh was the nerve center of American Armed forces in Vietnam, a huge complex just north of Saigon. That would allow for such a big audience for Bob Hope's show. Down in our neck of the woods, our crowd of about 2,000 seemed huge and I might be overestimating that number. Mind you, Bob and a few of his "Hollywood traveling party" would fly into these tiny forward bases and visit with 20 or 30 guys for maybe half an hour - usually unannounced for security reasons. No show - just a quick, high risk effort to say hello to guys who could not get to a peformance.
This also brings to mind the stories of Martha Raye, the famous "big mouth" singer and comedian. She was a a registered nurse AND an Army officer - eventually a full Colonel. She did a number of "tours" in Vietnam where she would put on a show at night and be in the surgery next morning to assist in serious operations. She too was a legend in the minds of many but never got the attention that Hope got - I suspect because she did not make TV episodes of her trips. But I think she did appear with Hope a few times - they were close friends. She was remembered for taking charge in difficult situations and being questioned by younger male officers. She would grab her collar and flash her rank at them and start barking out orders. She gained a great deal of respect among the troops she cared for and entertained.
She is the only woman burried in the Green Beret cemetery at Fort Bragg, NC.
This is her in her Lt. Colonel rank (silver oakleaf) photo - she eventually became a fulll Colonel
Thought for today. May we all live like horses someday.
(If I am repeating here I apologize. This again is from one of Pavoratti's "War Child" concerts, given in Modena, Italy (his home twon I think) for about 8 years back in the "90's to benefit his children's music school in Sarajevo. I think he recorded an album for each year with an odd mix of pop and rock talent from America, Italy, and the rest of Europe. On the stage her you see Liza Minelli, Joan Osborne, John Secada, Cheyl Crow, Zucherro (a favorite of mine from Italy) and others. His other shows included U2, Stevie Wonder, Brian Adams, Micheal Bolton, etc. including a couple of terrrific young female Italian pop singers - Gerardina Travato and Giorgia. I'll post a couple of their performances in the future.
Note: If you look closely in the back and to the side you get a few quick shots of some guitar player from England who married a girl from Watterson and spends part of their lives raising kids in Powell. Rumor has it tht he was a pretty fair guitar player in his own right. - (close shot of him at about 3:56 on the timer)
Nice to see the music being mentioned here. This post is a bit more somber than others. I may have posted this interview before. If so, I hope you will understand and forgive me for posting it again, given the light it sheds on today's events.
I feel very privileged to have seen this man perform. That's the good news.
Here's the bad news: I doubt that he will ever be able to come to this country again.
After having just re-read the piece from your magazine article, I am struck by tow things;
First, How much I agree with his assessment that music is essential to the peace and culture of all mankind.
Second, how instersting your timing is - that if it had been more recent, how he might have responded to our recent betrayal of the Kurds (you implied taht he was Kurdish).
