are rocking my world- who is rocking yours?
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| Pretty sure these images are Vietnam but the second was the first choice that popped up in a search for America war Cambodia. An old Army buddy was in Cambodia and Laos both. In a time when rules of land warfare were pretty well disregarded at every turn by all parties involved you simply would not believe the atrocities that followed warfare in those places. The isolation and secrecy fueled a lot of bad things I think. There was also a lot of glee taken in getting to kill folks who previously were always a step ahead and who then would slip over the border to safety- into Laos and Cambodia. Yep, he literally told stories of cutting off heads and placing them on stakes along trails for the enemy to find- and then they'd straight up ambush and murder those guys. I believed and believe every word. |
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We had a fam friend who was a college chum of Dad's who worked for Air America. He always wore Rolex watches, and if mem'ry serves, tried to convince Dad to let him get him one for cheap. (As it happens, Dad didn't take him up on that, but got one anyway when he retired.)
As a kid, I thought that that AA was some kind of airline, albeit in another part of the world. Of course now I know it was a bit more complicated and a lot more interesting than that.
Anyway, roundabout the late '60s, a parcel arrived at our house, about 36" x 3" x 5" - lots of cool stamps.
Inside was a primitive flintlock rifle, roughly .33 - .35 caliber, with a sliver of wood for a stock. Some type of animal hide formed a makeshift fore-end. A crude, flattened powder horn with a thong lanyard had extra flints embedded in a hard wax recess at the wide end, with a small number of lead balls. But apparently, the gun was used as often or more with small smooth pebbles - more readily available. Notches in the stock possibly tallied animals killed with the weapon.
Amazingly, the powder horn was about a third full of black powder.
We were told it had belonged to a mountain tribesman in Laos. Today, I suppose we would know them as Hmong.
I wonder what tales that rifle could have told.
I haven't done a ton of study of SE Asia, but I am fascinated by the stories of the 'tunnel rats'.
Hey Don- Wow, where is that gun now?!
There is a good book about the Cu Chi tunnels. I think the title is simply enough- The Tunnels Of Cu Chi.
Oh, and PS- The word on the street is take all the, I was tunnel rat in the 'Nam stories with a grain of salt.
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