

© By
Bob Alexander
Assault Pioneers 1st Tour
It was October, 1966 and I was on
patrol with a platoon from A.
Company. There were two of we
Assault Pioneers attached to the
platoon because intelligence
believed there may be booby traps
and tunnels with which we may have
to contend with.
I was smacked in the leg one morning
and it necessitated me being 'dusted
off' to
Nui
Dat for a preliminary
examination. They decided I would
have to be sent to the coast and I
was 'choppered' to the US 36th
Evacuation Hospital in
Vung Tau. The Yanks were
fantastic and had me on the
operating table in no time to stitch
up my Achilles Tendon before
complications set in.
A few days after the operation, as I
was recuperating in the main ward,
one of the more gorgeous nurses came
to see me. Now you would understand
I had not seen a decent round-eye
for six months and this Sheila was a
knockout.
She came up to me and explained that
the nurses were having a baseball
match against the doctors the next
day and although she knew I
wouldn't be able to see her play,
she wondered if I would root for
her. My eyes glazed, my mouth
went dry, and all I could do was nod
a very definite yes! and in my
naivety asked where and when.
After
she had gone away I asked a Yank in
the bed next to me if she was fair
dinkum. He then explained the
different meanings for the same
word. Someone must have told her
about our meaning because she would
not look me in the eye for the
remainder of my stay.
TALES FROM THE TIGER
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