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David Mitchell
Mash Memories
I just watched a sort of documentary on the making of the film "M.A.S.H". Full of interviews with the cast and writers (looking much older than back in the day). It was very nosatlgic in a wonderful way. Probably one of the best things we ever saw on TV. It made me recall what a unique and wonderful cast it had.
I was late to the TV series. I never watched it during it's original prime time run. I never started to follow the series until it came back on late night TV - I don't recall why.
But I did expereince the original Hollywood Movie film when it came out on the big screen - but not right away. Some of you may recall that it was banned on military base theaters at first.
Just when the ban was lifted, I happpened to be traveling through a large base where it was showing. It was Tan Sa Nhut ("tawh suh noot") air base near Saigon, and I was wasting hours waiting for my flight to Sydney, Australia (my first of three R&Rs - in about July of 1970). Tan Sa Nhut was huge at the time and contained not only the world's busiest airport (both civilian and military) but also, housing, a shopping center, and the theater complex.
I was seated next to an Army staff sergeant and we laughed so hard he kept poking his elbow into my arm. He must have said "Excuse me sir" a dozen times and I kept saying "it's okay".
This documentary (currently on You Tube) made me realize how much that show touched my heart - for both it's comedy and it's serious episodes.
I miss Radar. I miss them all.
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p.s.
I was going to Australia in July to go skiing (their winter "down under"). I spent 3 of the 6 days at Australia's largest ski resort, a place called Thredbo, with about 2,000 foot vertical and maybe 6 chairlifts - a respectible sized mountain by any measure. I met an "older" Australian couple (in their 30's or 40's) who sort of took me under their wings - Australians loved American soldiers. We skiied together two of those threee days and they took me to dinner the last two nights.
The first night in Sydney I went to a "Pig Party" at the invitation of a local military hostess and met a really cute girl. After my trip to Thredbo I spent the last three nights back in Sydney and called that girl - Kate - and we spent all three nights together - out almost all night long. I fell hard and gave serious thougth to going back for her after I returned home from Vietnam. I still have a Christmas card she sent me at my home address after my return.
July 1970 - Thredbo, in New South Wales (Niew South Wiles as they pronounce it).

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