1N VIETNAM AND MY SANITY

I had not been in Vietnam a week when I realized my life for the next year was like playing Russian Roulette. No matter how cautious I was, there still was that potential random act of terminal violence to contend with and nothing other than leaving Vietnam could affect it. With death and destruction, a daily occurrence, I realized early on that if I wanted to keep my mind, I had to stimulate my brain with non-war-related interests whenever the opportunity came along.
The countryside from Saigon to Tay Ninh was my area of operation, and the types of terrain varied from rice paddies to jungle the closer one got to the Cambodian border. The various species of palm trees, banana trees, and the endless wild orchids enhanced the beauty, but it was undoubtedly the various shades of green that I remember the most. Never in my life had I seen so many breathtaking shades of color in nature, and I captured that beauty by taking as many pictures of the foliage as possible.
People-watching was my second favorite activity. I loved to study the people and it made my day if I could get one of them to smile or laugh. Whenever I had some free time, I would take my Nikon and head to the market in Tay Ninh East. It was there where I melted into the population even while wearing my uniform. I would take hundreds of pictures, and on a future visit, I would give my subjects a picture of themselves. I especially loved the children, and I would always try to get them in my pictures. Once the word got around that I cared about the locals, I would be offered food and an occasional smile. The young girls on their way to school wearing their traditional white áo dài were a remarkable sight. I still do not know how they kept them so clean. Watching the monks in their orange robes wandering through the market always got my attention, and I liked to trade them my junk food in exchange for a blessing.
Occasionally, I would spot one of the beautiful round-eyed Vietnamese women who had French blood running through her veins. During the French occupation of Vietnam, there were thousands of children born out of wedlock, and the beauty of these women in 1969 exceeded the prettiest of any Caucasian woman. Their excellent looks enabled these women to get the choicest jobs in the major cities, so I usually only spotted them on my Saigon trips.
Overall, I can honestly say that the Vietnamese people are a beautiful and friendly race. It is a shame that so many innocent people had to die before peace finally came to the country.