Chocolate Donuts - 1972
.....................................................................................................................................................................................
The details as to who I was flying with on this day, exactly where we were, and the mission specifics are long lost. I’m guessing it was in March ’72 and it was not too far from Long Binh. There were two elements on the ground in the jungle that were separated, and the scout was flying over them trying to give them direction to help them link up. Thankfully, there was no enemy contact. However, it was apparent that the conditions on the ground were brutal. We got low on fuel and had to leave. I can’t remember if we managed to get another team to come out and relieve us.
After we gassed up and parked on the ramp, some of us headed for the roach coach to grab some lunch. I ordered a burger and happened to notice they had chocolate donuts. I have a severe sweet tooth. Of course, I ordered the donuts. You really must have milk with chocolate donuts. So, I ordered a container of that too. Just as we were walking away after having paid for “lunch” we noticed some of the guys who stayed with the aircraft frantically waving at us to get back there ASAP. We thought something must have happened. I woofed down the burger on the run back to our aircraft, threw the milk and donuts under my seat and strapped back in. Off we went back to the AO.
I don’t know what the big rush was because when we got there, things had not changed much. If there ever was a relief team, the guys must have had hot dates or something and left early. We settled back into the overwatch routine. After a while, I remembered my donuts and milk! While the poor grunts on the ground were hacking through the thick underbrush, there I was in the cool air, an Infantry Officer no less, thinking to myself that going the aviation route was a smart choice. Those were some delicious donuts!