Temptation at the Water Hole

The picture was taken at the river near Buttons where we had a water treatment truck that turned river water into drinking water.  Army truck drivers were there every day to pick up treated water and transport it back to Buttons.  Young Vietnamese girls were there every day as well.

I took the black death seriously.  That is the name of the venereal disease the Army said you would catch if you fraternized with Vietnamese girls.  Catch it, they said, and you would not go home when your tour was up.  I believed it but I know that others just did not care.

It was lucky in a way that I spent most of my time in the jungle.  There, I didn't have to deal with all of the temptations that those who worked full time on Buttons had to deal with.  And that includes dealing with hard drugs such as opium and heroin.  Get hooked on those drugs and you had to stay in Vietnam until you were dried out enough to go home.

This is another example of something sad about our stay in Vietnam.  Why did these girls feel the need to offer themselves to American soldiers?  Or maybe I am just a prude and always will be.