4 The legend of Hua

by Dwight F Davis
1969-70

The Legend of Hua
by Dwight F. Davis

We had a "Kit Carson" scout named Hua who was a very good man and serious fighter. Hua became a legend one day chewing tobacco. We had taught Hua how to chew tobacco and encouraged him to do so when we were moving through the boonies because the smell of cigarette smoke carried quite a ways and potentially gave away your position. On this occasion we were being airlifted from the rear to the boonies. Hua and I were sitting next to each other on one side of the helicopter. A few minutes after we took off, Hua decided it was time to spit out the tobacco. We had explained that swallowing it was a bad idea. He gave a good spit right out the side of the helicopter and the rest of what happened was like a cartoon. The spit went out a couple of feet then, with the force of the wind came back into the helicopter and hit the door gunner in the face. He was not a happy camper. When we hit the LZ, Hua and I boogied off at an angle so the door gunner could not shoot us with his M-60 machine gun. Hua became very good friends with one of my squad leaders, John Stone. He told Hua he wished he could take him back home to Texas with him. Hua, whose knowledge of the U.S. was limited to movies he had seen said: "Ah, Texas Number 1 (very good -- Number 10 is very bad), GI shoot other GI and take money, Number 1!" Apparently, he thought that armed robbery was legitimate in Texas.