Most viewed - Leon "Lee" Dixon
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Jet.jpgChina/Taiwan Airline228 viewsMany of us had never seen a "China Air Lines" jet before, thinking of the bitter enemy at the time, "Red China". It caused a little stir and a lot of cameras were clicking away as it rolled past. But Taiwan is the base of China Airlines.
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Dixon43.jpgLZ English - Bong Son224 viewsBong-Son was a scary place and we had a lot of weird things happen there, so I kept armed to the teeth 24/7! We were spoiled by the perimeter bunkers we built at Duc Pho. At English, all we had was a flimsy culvert section and some worn-out sandbags with broken-down barbed wire for protection. ONE AK-47 round probably would have gone through this like cheese! I was always told that I was exempt from guard duty due to my critical MOS... but that meant nothing when I got to Viet Nam- especially at Bong Son! Here is an example of my perimeter guard post. Note the M-60 machine gun and ammo, M-79 grenade launcher, flare, box of C-rations, bug spray, etc.. And EVERYTHING looked like it was moving out there at night!
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Dixon57.jpgGI Blues go away224 viewsThis show was hosted by a Hollywood actor and three starlets. Don't remember any names. They sang, danced, told jokes and enthralled the GIs who desperately needed some cheering up and American entertainment.
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Dixon4.JPGMy Uniform223 viewsHere is my uniform with 2/9th shields on the epaulets and BOTH 25th division & 4th division patches due to the fact the 3rd Bde, 25th ID spent so much time in 4th Div territory (and 3rd of 4th spent so much time in the 25th area) they simply swapped during the time I was there {1Aug67}. The specialty braid in red is not exactly correct for me since I was a Signal Corps guy (which was orange) but I was told by my CO to wear the red braid in honor of our artillery unit rather than my training. They made me remove the orange braid.
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Dixon52.jpgTraffic Jam223 viewsThe local street toughs that the GI's referred to as "cowboys" used to give me a motorcycle to ride around on. HERE is what is looked like out on the streets in the embassy district near the U.S. Special Services compound in the late afternoons. Traffic jam, South Vietnamese style!
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Dixon7.jpgProperty of 2/9th KIA Charles McClurg221 viewsMy friend Charles McClurg felt that he was not coming back after being re-assigned to the field with an FO party. so he gave me some of his personal belongings. I have kept them to this day.
{Please see TAPS - McClurg for more info}
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Dixon46.jpgLZ English - Bong Son221 views(cont) Kapow-kapow-kapowww-kapowwww- rat-tat-tat-tat-tat! Gunfire breaks out from off in the distance and bullets are whizzing everywhere!
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Dixon59.jpgWell, you saw me!220 viewsDuring the melee, I tried to take photos but that was impossible. Somebody ran onstage and covered the redhead with a camouflage top and she was hustled offstage...and that was that! So, you get the camouflage shot!
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Dixon32.jpgBack For More219 viewsHere is driver Derwyn Kaiser on a visit to our tent area (he was with another unit) at Duc Pho Montezuma after his recovery from the Double-Deuce explosion.
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Dixon36.jpgDowned Chopper219 viewsOff in the background of this shot is a rice paddy with a Huey helicopter laying upside-down in it. Guys who stood guard on this part of the Montezuma perimeter will recall the downed chopper. As far as I know, it was booby trapped and never recovered. This is me and commo buddy "Philly" from Philadelphia standing on top of a bunker on the perimeter.
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Dixon53.jpgA Military Bus in Saigon219 viewsMost GIs never saw such a clear view of the city because unlike in the movies and stories I've read, we had to ride in military busses with thick screens/grates over the windows. The screens weren't for keeping out bugs... they were for keeping out bombs and grenades thrown by VC nuts! THIS was our usual view from the military busses.
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Dixon28.jpgClub Card217 viewsMy membership card at the NCO Open Mess Club at Camp Enari... that kinda reddish brown hue on the card is from... welll... you know what it's from! Wasn't EVERYTHING in Pleiku that color?
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