Air Vietnam

When I first saw this postcard I immediately thought CIA, but quickly realized, no that was Air America.  Anyway, I'm kind of a transportation buff, and I like old airplanes, so what the hell, I bought it.  Air Viet Nam, as it's spelled on the back of the card, was founded in 1951 with a fleet of Cessna 170's.  Not an ambitious start, but then the original purpose of the airline was to connect small, rural villages with cities.  With the beginning of the Vietnam war, the airline had a major expansion.  Lot's of soldiers needed to be moved.  For flights in country, they mostly used prop planes, like the Douglas DC-3, 4, 5, and 6.  For overseas flights, jets. 

So, the captions, "AIR VIET NAM,  Douglass  DC-6, XV-NUD,  MSN 42876, Saigon 1970."  "Photo Courtesy: David C. Goss" 

Vietnam, A Land of Conflict 4

I've got to wonder, who would receive this small folder of images.  It would almost be cruel to send pictures of combat to a relative, especially a mother.  Maybe high school buddies.  Kind of a "Look what I'm doing!" thing.  Anyway this is the last post from the folder.  Remember, click on either Vietnam or Vietnam War in labels to see Vietnam, Pearl of the Orient.  Too,for those interested,  I've got a couple of photos from the war on my Fair Use blog.

Vietnam, A Land of Conflict 3

Gotta wonder how that last picture made it into a war photo collection.

Vietnam, A Land of Conflict 2

I bought two of these postcard folders about Vietnam, and posted the other one way back in November of 2013.  Hey, what can I day, I just plain forgot to follow up sooner than this.  Click either Vietnam or Vietnam War in labels to see it.  And that line in the third image is a crease in the folder.

Vietnam, A Land of Conflict 1

I missed an important date last week.  April 30 was the fiftieth anniversary of the fall of Saigon, the end (sort of) of the Vietnam War.  We Americans often look at the world through the lens of 1945.  Wars end when the enemy surrenders, signs a piece of paper, and submits to an occupation.  The reality is, most wars end when one or both sides decide it's just not worth it anymore.  We decided it wasn't worth it anymore a lot earlier than 1975.  It took a few years to negotiate a peace agreement because national honor kept two Presidents form just walking away.  The Paris Peace Accords that ended American combat operations were actually announced on January 23, 1973, a date I'll always remember because it was my eighteenth birthday, the day I became eligible for the draft.

Vietnam, Pearl of the Orient 4

This is the last from this particular Vietnam postcard folder.  I've got another one, but I'm going to put off doing that one for awhile.  Is it just me, or are other photo bloggers having problems with images being darker than the scans?  It just seems like it's been in the last couple of weeks.

Vietnam, Pearl of the Orient 3

A few years ago, a friend of mine told me he had a heart condition and asked me when I had realized that more than half my life might be over.  I thought it over for a minute and said, "Fifteen."  I was born in 1955 and in 1970, it had become obvious that Vietnam was, in many ways, a class war.  There were so many exemptions, and easy access to draft lawyers and challenges for those of a certain income and above.  I was a small town kid , being raised by a single mother in a sub poverty income household.  I may have been the ultimate draft bait, but I got lucky.  The Paris Peace Accords that ended American combat operations was agreed to on January 23, 1973, my eighteenth birthday.  It was signed on the 27th.  Two years latter, like most Americans, I sat and watched the fall of Saigon on TV.  I can remember thinking, "I'm glad it wasn't me."

Vietnam, Pearl of the Orient 2

I'm sure these postcards were meant to be reassuring for the folks back home, but it's also  nice to remember that most Vietnamese weren't the villains we made them out to be.  They were just ordinary people trying to get by in a very bad situation.

Vietnam, Pearl of the Orient 1

I'm not quite sure how I'm going to put this one up.   Anyone of a certain age, who ever drove cross country, will be familiar with these multi-image postcard olders.  My guess, this particular one was purchased at a PX in Vietnam.  The perfect set of images to persuade a worried mother that things weren't so bad in Vietnam, the pearl of the Orient

The North Texas State Normal College Album 28, The Loose Ones

It's time to return to the North Texas State Normal College Album collection.  The actual album pages have all been published, so once again, it's the loose photos that were stuffed between the album pages as they came out, not placed in any order.

The top photo has a studio stamp on the back, "Koen's Studio, MAR 13, 1943 Plainview, Texas"  I'm not very good at judging a child's age, but I'm betting the little girl in the photo was probably born in '40 or '41.  The other two labeled photos are the "School Days" picture and the young soldier.  The girl is labeled "Etta" and the soldier, "PVT. Denny R. Garner June 13, 1966 Ft. Polk, La.  To Aunt Etta."  I suppose it's possible that she's that Aunt Etta, but I'm thinking she might be a cousin Etta to young Denny.  Another relative with the same name.  But it's Pvt. Garner that's a bit more interesting.  Click on NTSNC in the label's section to bring up the collection.  Take a close look at post number 27.  The last photo in that post is "Denny, age 11" Take a look at the chins.  Same person.  I went on line and looked for Dennis R Garner, and I think I found a hit.  Dennis R. Garner, born January 10, 1949, Vietnam veteran, died age 47, November 17, 1996, buried Barrancas National Cemetery, Pensacola, Florida.  I couldn't find an actual obituary, just the bare facts in the cemetery data base.