I spent over 3 years in beautiful S. E. Asia during ‘Nam, and never left until I was getting out of the service. When I was ready to come home (ETS), I took a gov’t vehicle to Bangkok and had a CIVILIAN flight home (PanAm). Man-o-man, hot stews (back in the days when they were REQUIRED to be young and good looking), as well as nice hot meals served.

We left Bangkok and the next thing I knew, we were landing in Guam (I figured to refuel?). A danged Jeep with General’s flagging whipped up to the plane, a couple MP’s boarded and they called out my name. They pulled me off that cushy flight and zipped me over to General “Whatshisface”, escorted me into the office and left. In the meantime, my flight was departing.

The General told me I was the only one, passing through Guam within the next 72 hours, who had a security clearance high enough to transport a certain package to General Mucky-muck in Hawaii. (I had the highest clearance that existed at that time - Top Secret Crypto. I informed him I’d already been debriefed and he said, “Well, consider yourself RE-briefed!” (So much for military protocol ) I was given a briefcase, a .45 to strap on my waist, a crappy box lunch and escorted to an awaiting C141 along with orders to let NOBODY board that aircraft in Hawaii until the General relieved me of the “package”. I spent the flight strapped into one of those fold-down web seats on the side of the fuselage with just the flight crew and myself aboard.

I delivered the package as ordered and spent an extra day in Hawaii, until catching my flight to Oakland, Ca. to process out. To this day, I have no idea what was in that briefcase. Thinking back, they never debriefed me after I’d been “re-briefed” either! (they did make me return the .45 though)


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