Free Gas

[frisco-kid]

All the talk about the price of gasoline right now reminded me of this incident:

I'm manning a 60 machinegun on a gun jeep as part of the security for a convoy of tanker trucks headed from Cam Ranh Bay to Ban Me Thuot in the Central Highlands. We head north to Nha Trang, hang a sharp left, and start up into The Highlands. Just before the trucks have to start one of the steepest climbs, we stop for a break. In every truck, besides the driver, there's an armed rifleman. Part of the security force that I'm a member of. Everybody has a chance to get out and stretch, grab a bite of C's, drink a soda, the drivers can check out their trucks, etc..

By this time there's alot of civilian traffic on the road in both directions. Most of it is motorbike traffic. As they pass the convoy of 30+ tanker trucks, alot of them wave at the GI's. They, in turn, smile, wave, or give wolf whistles to some of the prettier girl going by. Stuff that American soldiers have done in every foreign country they've ever been in.

At one point, a guy on a motorbike stops near the end of the convoy where I am. He's got his girlfriend or wife on the back of the bike. They're both in there late teens or early twenties. About most of our ages. They are both dressed very well, suggesting that they are probably from well-to-do families. Alot of us are wondering why he's not in an ARVN uniform. I used to resent this ALOT when I would see male civilians about my age.

Anyway, this guy strikes up a conversation in broken English with the driver and security guard from the truck in front of me. Some of us keep a wary eye on them, as we usually did when civilians would approach us. After a couple of minutes I see the guy jesture to his bike and then to the tanker trailer, obviously asking for some gas for his bike. The driver shakes his head no, but the guy riding shotgun says something to the driver and they nod their heads yes. But they go to the next truck forward. I climb off the jeep to watch them, curious. As they bring the bike up to the side off the truck where the valves are, I notice that the trailer is stenciled in big letters "JP4". I just shake my head and grin. They fill the guy's bike up and he and his girlfriend takes off, happier than pigs in mud. The GI's stand there waving good-bye with shit-eating grins on their faces .