In today's segment, the men arrive in Taipei and receive their instructions on where to go, what to do (and not do) and how to behave. They then head for their hotels and begin to enjoy their time away from Vietnam.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Rest and Recreation (R&R) - Part 2
Today continues the "Holiday From Hell" video about the R&R troops that came to Taipei from Vietnam.
In today's segment, the men arrive in Taipei and receive their instructions on where to go, what to do (and not do) and how to behave. They then head for their hotels and begin to enjoy their time away from Vietnam.
In today's segment, the men arrive in Taipei and receive their instructions on where to go, what to do (and not do) and how to behave. They then head for their hotels and begin to enjoy their time away from Vietnam.
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7 comments:
howdy
Boy, those Holiday Clips sure brought back a flood of memories. Circa 1972, in Tainan. The two bar clubs that I remember were the Lido Club and the New York Club. The Lido served the best Tacos and Enchilladas in PACAF. There were a few big bar fights in the Lido. Not between the GI's and the locals, but between the GI's themselves . Racial Diversity was a big thing back then . And the service was pretty big on racial diversity classes. The New York Club was pretty nice. GI's could be seen chumming with the local males, most dressed with casual suits and the like . The local girls we met downstairs, I believe were "Nice Girls" as opposed to the "Bar Girl" type one would meet at the bar. The beer we almost all drank, was the Taiwan yellow label, brown bottled , rock-gut beer. American beer on the other hand , like Budwieser was available, but you paid a heftier price. (I was in Taiwan in Jan.'09 and was introduced during the Chinese Lunar Holiday to the Taiwan Gold Label Beer in a green bottle and it was very, very good ). The other main drag in Tainan, was the Happy Store, (furniture, solid brass and marble lamps ,wood and fish bone sculptures, real jade, snake skin pictures etc.). There were bars across the street, but their names I have long forgotten. The Happy Store was still in buisness, up until, what , 2007 ? I think and finally closed up.
Hi Rick,
When I saw those two pictures( A Housing Area Street in Taiwan and What's on the Tainan Flight Line Today) posted in Kent's Taipei air station blog, I found Tainan air base area remained pretty much the same when you were there, except they built a terminal for commericial flight outside of the military air base, the airline companies will use shuttle bus to take passengers from terminal to the apron(use both for military and commercial flight), the route will go pass where it use to be the Housing Area for American servicemen.
So pay a visit to Tainan airport next time you come to taiwan.
David Yang
Anonymous/ David Yang: Yea, I will take a visit to the airport. Also Gene Hirte who apparently lives in Taichung 8 months of the year, said to give him a holler too. He might get me on Tainan and CCK, via an escorted tour. Kent Mathieu and his group hopefully are safe and enjoying their time in the "ROC" with their ex MAAG serviceman return tour. Yep, wished I knew about Kents site earlier. Things might have been a little different when I visited in Jan. "09...
One of the bars in this film, the May Flower was around for a long time. I remember the sign in 1989 when I lived downtown near the bar district.
The Happy Souvenir Store is still in business. A 10 story building, I believe is at the location on the main street and the store in on the South side of an alley going east. The store is only about 25' in the alley. It’s a lot smaller. The husband and wife who owned the store and ran it both have passed away. The son is now the owner and his sister-in-law runs it.
You sure struck a chord with ths video for me; I was part of that scene (Clark and Okinawa, but courier fights to Taiwan), and I still am. 50 years later, and I still live in Taipei! But, of course, it is a "whe new world" here now. Thank you so much!
John
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