In 1970, Christmas day was on a Friday. Long Binh, being the largest military facility in South Vietnam was treated to a Bob Hope Christmas show, complete with the Gold Diggers and other well-known and easy on the eyes celebrities. There was nothing else in Vietnam to compare with a Bob Hope show, but we were nowhere near Long Binh. Sam Kemp was not going to let Christmas Day go by without some kind of celebration.
Through his contacts with the 5th Special Forces, Kemp arranged for everyone to spend the day at a villa that was leased by some Filipinos who did contract work for the US Government. The villa was downtown, which was off limits to US personnel at that time, near the airbase. Kemp even arranged for special permission to waive the off-limits restriction for the platoon.
The villa had a patio with a pool table and a large room with a juke box, tables and chairs. The Filipino hosts had obtained a small pig, and Staff Sergeant Bert Enos was the main chef behind the barbecue. There were also grilled steaks and large shrimp called ‘prawns,’ potato salad, and tossed salad. Dessert included several kinds of cakes and pies. Chips, peanuts, soft drinks and other beverages were also available. It was a good day. At the end of the party, the platoon returned to their own club and continued to celebrate.
1970 came to an end a week later. That year, 6,173 American lives had been lost in Vietnam, including two members of Radio Research Units.
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