Dessert Anyone?

by Vaughn Brauer
1966

The entire company was in the air, heading for another bare spot in the jungles of the central highlands of Viet Nam to assault and secure. With the accompanying gunships, we were quite the sight. As we were flying along, I noticed a lone helicopter flying in the opposite direction. I thought that if he was heading for the LZ we had just left, he was going to be surprised to find no one there. I watched him for a while and, eventually, he turned and began following our group. He was quickly forgotten as the gunships darted forward and began strafing the LZ. We landed with door gunners blazing away at the tree line, and we charged into the trees while our copters departed. As we were beginning our sweep around the tree line, the lone copter landed in the middle of the LZ, a door gunner got out, set something on the ground, got back in and the copter departed. Two men were sent to find out what they had left and came back hauling a marmite(sp?) can full of ice cream. The men of Company B were able to finish the sweep, secure the LZ and eat the ice cream before it melted. CATCI BLUE soldiers were MULTITASKERS long before it became a buzz word.



Vaughn Brauer

B Co 2/35th

1966