The SandGram

Q: can you get a speeding ticket in War? A: Yes

Flashback Monday…Here is a letter from my dad who served over in Vietnam back in the old days.  They are in the process of moving out of their winter home when he came across this little jewel from 47 years ago.  Semper Fi, Taco

PS. I love the L/Cpl’s spelling…also does anyone know a Marine named Robert S. Nesbit?

Redacted Vietnam traffic ticket

I was going thru my desk and saw a piece of pink copy paper wrapped around some old military currency.  When I opened it up, I found the traffic ticket I had received in Viet Nam.  Story follows:

The time had finally arrived for me to meet Mary for R&R and we had decided on Hawaii since I had gotten several great reports on going there. Something had delayed my travel orders and I had to make several calls to get them on track. I received a call to report to the White Elephant to pick up my orders for the flight for that night. Mary was already on her way there due to time differences.    I was running a bit late, and ended up behind a long line of traffic composed of various kinds of vietnamese vehicles and military trucks.  I had a “hot” little Japanese built jeep that I floored and passed somewhere between 11 and 13 vehicles that I can remember seeing zip by as I passed.  I just pulled back into my lane when I saw the military policeman ahead flagging me over to the side of the road.  I showed him my military license and he proceeded to write me this ticket.  As you can see it stated that that my violation was “improper passing and lane usage on a curve”.  Thank goodness for the curve or he would have seen me passing all those vehicles recklessly, speeding etc etc and been able to throw the book literally at me.

I accepted the ticket,  told him I was leaving on R&R that night and asked him nicely,  what would happen if I got another ticket.  Without cracking a smile, he said “Well, Sir, if you get another ticket, you are kicked out of Viet Nam. You would not believe how much I spun the wheels trying to throw up gravel and look reckless as I drove away hoping he would give me another ticket but he just smiled and waited for the next victim.  I called my boss that I knew would be coming along that road shortly after me and told him about the speed trap.  He thanked me since he already had several tickets and assured me that I could go on R&R in spite of the ticket. So goes life in the fast lane on November 7, 1967 in Danang Viet Nam.

UPDATE:  I looked in Together we served and there was a Robert Nesbit, Marine MP who got out a year after he gave my dad his ticket.  I sent him an invite.  What a small world.