Here I am posing behind a rock-n-roll band made up of American soldiers. You can see the audience sitting on the ground out in front of the band.
You are probably wondering how a band like this one was even formed. After all, we were in a combat zone. Well, musicians are very dedicated to their craft. I know, ...my son is a professional musician. Even in Vietnam, musicians found a way to get instruments and play. I'm sure they were based in the rear somewhere, working for a support group. Infantry soldiers could never have pulled this off. I'll bet they started by getting together after work to jam. What began as jamming sessions built into a reasonable repertoire of popular rock-n-roll tunes. Others began to stop by and listen to them. A few supply sergeants liked what they heard so found a way to get them the amplifiers, drum kit and keyboard they needed. Before the group knew it, they had created for themselves a part-time job traveling between firebases playing for grunts.
I never did see Bob Hope while I was in Vietnam. He played the big Air Force Bases and Navy Bases, ..not the small firebases where I spent some of my time. So what we got was Vietnamese rock-n-roll bands when we were at the VIP Center in Bien Hoa. This was the first and only time a band actually came to us. It was nice! I remember thinking though that they were like sitting-ducks up there on those storage boxes. Vietcong soldiers could have easily hit them with rifle fire. Well this time anyway, it didn't happen.
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