| The coastal city of Phan Thiet, III Corps, February
1971. The US Army airlift liaison folks at FSB Phan Thiet, (75 nm northeast of
Bien Hoa), on the outskirts of the city of Phan Thiet, were instrumental in Caribou crews obtaining the freshest and sweetest rock lobsters in all of Vietnam.
Getting the lobsters from Phan Thiet to Cam Ranh was quite ingenious.
A squadron's morning flight from Cam Ranh to Bien Hoa, would surreptitiously, and with great aplomb, drop into Phan Thiet and leave the necessary monies for however many pounds of lobsters were to be consumed at that evening's lobster feast.
(Red Lobster, the nationally renowned restaurant chain, would have been proud of our innovative culinary skills). A crew from the same squadron coming from
Bien Hoa or Can Tho on its way to Cam Ranh that evening would likewise drop into Phan Thiet and pick up previously reserved lobsters.
Everyone assumed 834th Air Division (the TAC airlift controlling authority better known as Helga, Helga, Helga), would have always approved such operations so crews never cluttered the already congested HF frequencies with spurious requests to conduct such operations. |
