Our platoon (and maybe others) took a one-day R&R to some place in the Saigon area. I should mention that I am chronologically challenged: I remember things that happened, but I don't remember exactly when they happened. Since these photos are in color, they were probably taken later in my tour. I don't remember the month. Anyway, here are the pictures I took, in the order in which they were taken.

One note of complaint: I never got to take a real R&R. I heard that Australia was going to open as an R&R site, so I waited. R&R requests were supposed to be granted according to your time in-country, not by rank (at least that's what we were told). When Australia became available for R&R, I signed up. I saved money and, toward the end of my tour, I was supposed to go. However, I got bumped by some lieutenant who had been in-country for less than six months! I never got to take my R&R! I want a do over!

We took Highway 1A south out of Long Binh. Somewhere along the route we crossed a river.

This will ring a bell for a lot of folks. South Vietnam's war memorial. I remember we made fun of the fact that the Vietnamese solider is sitting down.

Further down the road, a temple on the hill.

The one on the left is McKinney, (he wore the same shirt on pass to Bien Hoa) the name of the guy behind McKinney is (I think) Fretag or Friday, then Chet Sell (you can barely see him). The guy in the sunglasses might be Shaffer? Jess Chamberlain is in the center back (green plaid shirt). On the right is Smallwood. He and I bunked together, but we didn't hang together. This is the only good picture I have of him. I wish I could name the others.

One of our people at the center.

Saigon R&R (Page Two)