When I was a brand new medic in the Special Forces there was a fella (well...more correctly a "character", really) I knew, named Hank. Hank was about 5-6 years older than me who an abosolutely incredible medic. In fact, I've seen him personally leave visiting surgeons in awe at what he could do and had accomplished with patients in the field - sometimes in conditions that could only be termed rank and sepid, at best. He could do wonders with a scalpel & needle, but was also real interested, if not down-right fond of what today would be called holistic type approaches and he'd spend a lot of time learning and using local bio-products in his treatment (tree moss, fungi, flower pollen, crushed leaves sorta stuff).
Although he'd been in the Army a half decade longer than I was, Hank was always below me in rank. Seems he couldn't keep his stripes when back in civilization or around any non-SF officers. I first met him in Panama and we crossed paths a few times in Colombia in the early 80's and then back at Fort Bragg or Fort Benning once or twice after I'd left the SF for the straight Infantry. Hank had served over three full years as a medic with Hmong tribesmen in Viet Nam shortly before we pulled out in '75.
I first met him in an unmarked Pave Low as we skimmed over the outlaw hills and valleys of the Panama/Columbia border on a moonless night. He was drunk at the time and usually seemed so whenever we met up. Yet, it never seemed to effect his ability to function...on a medical level or a flirting level. He loved the native gals and they never seemed to mind him much, either.
I found out from a buddy who retired near Fort Bragg (Fayetteville, NC) that, last he'd heard, Hank was now an ex-pat living in Loh Kroh, Thailand. I got Hank's email address from him and sent off a "howyadoing" to see if he'd respond. I happened to ask him if he'd ever hooked up with a permanent native gal. He responded the very next day, believe it or not! I got the strong impression, though, that he could also type in an inebriated state just as well as he could sew up a wound way back when.
I thought that a few of you might enjoy (or at least find it interesting) to read what it's sometimes like for certain "specialized" servicemen who just can't adjust to civilian or even just "American" life back in the States. Hank had been in Loh Kroh for over a year and was pretty disillusioned with Thailand. He said he had come to Thailand looking for a good steady wife to take care of him in his old age, but now, he was 'gonna go and write to the Thailand Tourist Authority and ask for the money back'. Here's Hank's story...read it with a wink and thank God for what you have...or maybe DON'T have!
I'm calling his questionable yet well-rounded wife-finding mission: "Trying to Wear a Permanent Thai"
Yo, Sgt Ab!
(Early mistaken memories of Hank & I together, some rather prolific, if general, name-calling and a great deal of creative vernacular to narrate other updates and remembrances has been deleted for the well being of all involved...errr...that'd be you and very much ME!
)
"Well, first there was Dao. I met her in a bar in Patong. She came right home with me that night, told me I had to pay a 'bar fine', heck I was kinda drunk (Note from Art: I'd stopped noticed this phrase long before this point in his tale) so I just paid the drinks bill and we left. In the morning she asked for sum money, so I gave her a little sumfing. We lasted a week, me paying her 'a little sumfink' every day 'til I realised I ain't no sucker and dumped her.
Then there was Oo, she was this massage gal who ended up giving me a 'special body massage'. Hot damn. She didn't speak much English but she was a good gal I reckon. She kept telling me 'she want man good take care her', and 'no want lich man, only man love me true and proper'. Soon we was talking about the future and she's wanting a house and gold and money to start a bidness and a car... damn, I figured it's the most expensive massage ever.
Next I met a gal called 'Air', never did find out her real name, but soon we's living together in a guesthouse here in Chiang Mai, though she never told her mama. Said she was a college grad, but she never had a job. After awhile we was gonna git married, but turns out I gotta pay her mama a million baht bridal dowry. She moved out the day after I said I ain't gonna pay for no woman.
So I decided to go use one of them agencies in Bangkok and that's how I met Em. She was only 22, and I'm 55 but it was love at first sight. We were married in a week. Then we went on honeymoon and she brings along her mama, who don't speak English, and kid, which she got from another marriage. Turns out they followed us everywhere and I had to pay for ev'ry fin. She kept asking me when I'm gonna take her back to America, and always asking fir money cause she gotta take care her family. We got divorced.
Well after that I met Or on a beach in Pattaya. Says she was on holiday from Udon Thani or sum place up country. And after a week together I figured this country gal is the one for me an' she's pestering me so we go ahead and get married. Turns out she has a daughter she never told me about, but I figured she kinda cute so I ain't bothered.
Her brother is in real estate and finds this good deal, so what the heck, a family gotta have a house, and it cost only ten thousand bucks so we buy the thing, except it gotta be in her name. Anyways, I had ta go back home take care a some bidness and check up on mama. When I come back she's gone, house is sold, no one in the village seen her. Turns out she had a husband, who was her brother, and family sum place else. Aw shucks!
By now I'm gittin pretty tired of all this. So I stay away from all these bars and discos and stuff, but there's this real sweet shy gal at the reception in the hotel where I once stayed. She nevah asked me fir money or anything, so I started calling her, and sending lots of SMS messages and all, and soon she's calling me ev'ry day asking 'you no miss me darling', but ev'ry time we go out on a date she gotta bring her sister along. And each time it's a different sister, and I'm wondering when I'm ever gonna even get to kiss this gal. Darn it, one night I had enough and just went for one of them special massages and she kinda found out and that was that.
Finally I met Rose. Man she treated me special. And the thing was with this one, she wasn't in a hurry for sex, so I figured maybe that was a good thing. Wouldn't even get naked with me, but man did she have a body, must've had some silicone I reckon. Then one day we both get pretty plastered and she asks if I really want her, and hot damn I'm feeling horny, she keeps mumbling sumpfink about 'a surprise' and 'don't angry me'. Well, turns out she's a ladyboy! Hell, now how 'bout that? Damn transvestite. Man I was mad! Now that sure wasn't in the brochure! Think I'll go sum place else like the Philippines or even back to Viet Nam."
Yall hang loose.
Hank
I received a few pics as well, of his ladies, but could figure NO way to crop or edit them for general viewing!
Art SC
Although he'd been in the Army a half decade longer than I was, Hank was always below me in rank. Seems he couldn't keep his stripes when back in civilization or around any non-SF officers. I first met him in Panama and we crossed paths a few times in Colombia in the early 80's and then back at Fort Bragg or Fort Benning once or twice after I'd left the SF for the straight Infantry. Hank had served over three full years as a medic with Hmong tribesmen in Viet Nam shortly before we pulled out in '75.
I first met him in an unmarked Pave Low as we skimmed over the outlaw hills and valleys of the Panama/Columbia border on a moonless night. He was drunk at the time and usually seemed so whenever we met up. Yet, it never seemed to effect his ability to function...on a medical level or a flirting level. He loved the native gals and they never seemed to mind him much, either.
I found out from a buddy who retired near Fort Bragg (Fayetteville, NC) that, last he'd heard, Hank was now an ex-pat living in Loh Kroh, Thailand. I got Hank's email address from him and sent off a "howyadoing" to see if he'd respond. I happened to ask him if he'd ever hooked up with a permanent native gal. He responded the very next day, believe it or not! I got the strong impression, though, that he could also type in an inebriated state just as well as he could sew up a wound way back when.
I thought that a few of you might enjoy (or at least find it interesting) to read what it's sometimes like for certain "specialized" servicemen who just can't adjust to civilian or even just "American" life back in the States. Hank had been in Loh Kroh for over a year and was pretty disillusioned with Thailand. He said he had come to Thailand looking for a good steady wife to take care of him in his old age, but now, he was 'gonna go and write to the Thailand Tourist Authority and ask for the money back'. Here's Hank's story...read it with a wink and thank God for what you have...or maybe DON'T have!
I'm calling his questionable yet well-rounded wife-finding mission: "Trying to Wear a Permanent Thai"
Yo, Sgt Ab!
(Early mistaken memories of Hank & I together, some rather prolific, if general, name-calling and a great deal of creative vernacular to narrate other updates and remembrances has been deleted for the well being of all involved...errr...that'd be you and very much ME!
)"Well, first there was Dao. I met her in a bar in Patong. She came right home with me that night, told me I had to pay a 'bar fine', heck I was kinda drunk (Note from Art: I'd stopped noticed this phrase long before this point in his tale) so I just paid the drinks bill and we left. In the morning she asked for sum money, so I gave her a little sumfing. We lasted a week, me paying her 'a little sumfink' every day 'til I realised I ain't no sucker and dumped her.
Then there was Oo, she was this massage gal who ended up giving me a 'special body massage'. Hot damn. She didn't speak much English but she was a good gal I reckon. She kept telling me 'she want man good take care her', and 'no want lich man, only man love me true and proper'. Soon we was talking about the future and she's wanting a house and gold and money to start a bidness and a car... damn, I figured it's the most expensive massage ever.
Next I met a gal called 'Air', never did find out her real name, but soon we's living together in a guesthouse here in Chiang Mai, though she never told her mama. Said she was a college grad, but she never had a job. After awhile we was gonna git married, but turns out I gotta pay her mama a million baht bridal dowry. She moved out the day after I said I ain't gonna pay for no woman.
So I decided to go use one of them agencies in Bangkok and that's how I met Em. She was only 22, and I'm 55 but it was love at first sight. We were married in a week. Then we went on honeymoon and she brings along her mama, who don't speak English, and kid, which she got from another marriage. Turns out they followed us everywhere and I had to pay for ev'ry fin. She kept asking me when I'm gonna take her back to America, and always asking fir money cause she gotta take care her family. We got divorced.
Well after that I met Or on a beach in Pattaya. Says she was on holiday from Udon Thani or sum place up country. And after a week together I figured this country gal is the one for me an' she's pestering me so we go ahead and get married. Turns out she has a daughter she never told me about, but I figured she kinda cute so I ain't bothered.
Her brother is in real estate and finds this good deal, so what the heck, a family gotta have a house, and it cost only ten thousand bucks so we buy the thing, except it gotta be in her name. Anyways, I had ta go back home take care a some bidness and check up on mama. When I come back she's gone, house is sold, no one in the village seen her. Turns out she had a husband, who was her brother, and family sum place else. Aw shucks!
By now I'm gittin pretty tired of all this. So I stay away from all these bars and discos and stuff, but there's this real sweet shy gal at the reception in the hotel where I once stayed. She nevah asked me fir money or anything, so I started calling her, and sending lots of SMS messages and all, and soon she's calling me ev'ry day asking 'you no miss me darling', but ev'ry time we go out on a date she gotta bring her sister along. And each time it's a different sister, and I'm wondering when I'm ever gonna even get to kiss this gal. Darn it, one night I had enough and just went for one of them special massages and she kinda found out and that was that.
Finally I met Rose. Man she treated me special. And the thing was with this one, she wasn't in a hurry for sex, so I figured maybe that was a good thing. Wouldn't even get naked with me, but man did she have a body, must've had some silicone I reckon. Then one day we both get pretty plastered and she asks if I really want her, and hot damn I'm feeling horny, she keeps mumbling sumpfink about 'a surprise' and 'don't angry me'. Well, turns out she's a ladyboy! Hell, now how 'bout that? Damn transvestite. Man I was mad! Now that sure wasn't in the brochure! Think I'll go sum place else like the Philippines or even back to Viet Nam."
Yall hang loose.
Hank
I received a few pics as well, of his ladies, but could figure NO way to crop or edit them for general viewing!
Art SC
