In the spring of 1968, after the Snake Platoon had lived in tents for nearly two years, the SEABEES built them real hooches, complete with screened sides that were actually connected to the floors, real doors, and a metal roof. Now, their accommodations surpassed at least some of those they had when they were ‘in the field.’ They were uptown – no more varmints slipping in under the tent walls, and they had daylight indoors.
For some reason unknown to mortal man, some of the guys in the Snake Platoon decided that they needed a goat. The reason may have been as simple as to further agitate the First Sergeant of the 330th, but that is only speculation. So, John Parker and others went out to a Montagnard village to see about buying one. The goats were penned up, and the guys had to chase one down. After the goat was properly captured and secured, the men of the village invited the guys to stay and have a drink of what was probably rice wine. It was kept in an urn in the middle of the village and had a long straw in it, which had a stick across it. To drink the wine, one had to suck on the straw down past the cross stick about an inch. They were not at all thrilled about this prospect but felt it would be insulting to decline the offer. So, they partook. The report is that the wine was warm but otherwise ‘not bad.’ They paid $20 for the goat and returned to Engineer Hill. That seems like a lot for a goat, considering the time and place. Perhaps the wine was a tribal negotiation tactic. I seem to recall that the goat’s name was Billy.
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