In Vietnam, one of our morning rituals in the Field
Artillery was burning the excess powder increments. The Artillery round go a
set distance based on how many Charges (Bags of powder) and the elevation on
the tube. Unless you are trying to reach
out to the maximum distance, there were always a few powder increments to burn
the next morning after a night of firing.
Right after the Monsoon Season, I found myself with back
with my battery and we were located on a hill top west of Kontum, Vietnam. For the most part everything we ate drank or
fired was brought out to us by helicopter.
Our mess section was located in
a base camp in Kontum and on occasion they would send us a hot meal. Most of the time it was C-Rations for
us.
One morning, we awoke to bright sunlight and a valley floor
filled with clouds. It was a beautiful sight
to be higher than the clouds and in the warmth of the sunlight. I think there were smiles everywhere and it
just seemed to be like some kind of a holiday after almost endless days of rain
and clouds. I did my best to see if
there was a way I could add to this wonderful morning.
During one non rainy day the week before, the mess section
brought out a breakfast meal the night before and cooked it for us the next
morning. there was no way we could
duplicate that feat today because the clouds covered the valley and the air
field. But, an old fishing trick put me
on to something.
We managed to snag a three pound can of coffee from the mess
section and I was determined that at least one morning we were going to have
hot fresh coffee. Not that damned
instant kind, the real stuff. On a fishing trip a couple of years earlier,
after a day and night of fishing, my dad emptied out the work can and after a
quick wash in the creek made us some of the best coffee we had ever had right
there in that can over a small fire.
I discussed this with the Chief of the firing battery and he
said that the empty powder cans looked like big old tin cans to him. We lined up three of the canisters and filled
them about 2/3rds with water. We split the
coffee between the canisters and then started throwing powder increments near
them and using the flames from them to heat the coffee. Using a whole powder bag turned out to be a
bad idea as it boiled the water right out of the can. We dug a small trough near the cans and
started cutting the increments open and throwing a hand full of the powder at a
time in it to heat the water. Just right
and when all the powder was gone, there sat three cans of steaming hot coffee. The word was sent out and the battery turned
out to get a canteen cup of the hot stuff.
Many of the guys had packages of hot cocoa out of a C-Ration
and made a hot coffee and cocoa mix right there in the middle of nowhere. I think we all smiled the rest of that day.
At the family Christmas party, I was reminded of a special
gift I was sent for Christmas 1968. My
sister Myrna sent me a bottle of 409 Cleaner.
I wondered what the hell that was for until I really looked at the
bottle. When I unscrewed the lid, I
realized that it was filled with a good Scotch.
Knowing that a cease fire was scheduled for Christmas, I saved it for that special occasion.
On Christmas eve, we all sat around the Fire
Direction center playing cards. I filled
a two quart canteen with the scotch and the rest with water. I sat there with a dumb look on my face and
drank myself into a good night's sleep. I
don't think anyone else really knew what I was drinking, and I really didn't
care what they had in their cups. I'm
sure there was more than just my stash being consumed that evening
I sure loved the smell of cordite in the morning. Someday I hope to meet up with my old
friends at Fiddler's Green and share a cup of muzzle blast and get to swap some
of these stories.
MUD - ORAG
(Old Retired
Army Guy - Field Artillery)
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