While at Takhli, I had the pleasure of working the 2000-0800 shift most of the time, my Hooch was located near the KC135 ramp. Someone placed a bomb in a trashcan in the area near the fuel blatters. It was BAD timing on the saboteur's part. Either the bomb was late or the trashman was early. The garbage truck tried to launch to the moon - all died. This occurred just 100 feet from where I was trying to sleep!

SAC, the "Superior" Air Command, crews were afraid that the NVA were going to move SAM's into the refueling track in northern Thailand and shoot down a tanker. This really irked the F-105 jocks, considering the environment they were flying in. So we fiqured they needed some excitement. So a few of the guys got some strobe beacons, flares and smoke flares. They then made some mud clods with stones in them and attacked the SAC hootchs that night by throwing the clods on the tin roofs which made a racket and a little concussion.

At the same time others were throwing flares and smoke flares under and in the hootchs. While others were just otside with the strobe beacons yelling "MORTAR ATTACK". Panic reined supreme as they all came running out thinking they were really under attack. It was great sport until the Thai Army showed up in full battle gear thinking the Base was under attack. The Thai commander filed a formal complaint but nothing was done. (Photos of the incident will be posted when available.

Japanese electronics and motorcycles were cheap in 1966, so, a friend got a cycle. He decided to make a day trip north on the Military Highway from Takhli (TKI). He was going to a small village that boasted bars, broads and two lakes. The road was paved and he enjoyed the ride. The lakes were populated - one with crocks, one with snakes - boat rides were easy to get and if you kept your arms and legs inside, safe. About the time he decided to return, the rains started. As he headed to TKI, the rain and darkness increased, the road appeared to get rougher. The thump, thump of his tires made him wonder if he had a problem. He stopped, HE DID! The local snakes wanted warm relatively dry pavement to rest on. Hence, the thumping; no more stops! His feet did not touch the ground 'till he got back to the hooch.

Cardboard boxes have a number of uses: some explode, some can provide a bit of extra cash. Flight line maintenance crews normally worked at night under floodlights. Bugs are drawn to lights, right?

The snakes in Thailand are large, bugs equally so. Rice bugs are about 4" long, fly like a drunken pilot, and are eatable. Being crashed into by a Rice bug felt as you were hit by a thrown silver dollar. While the airmen kept the "Birds" in the air; they stuffed cardboard boxes with the bugs. In the morning, they were off to downtown TKI to sell them at the outdoor market.

Because of the hours we worked, 2 house boys/girls were provided to each hooch. Four or more hooches shared a common latrine, usually above water level. Crew members were briefed that theThai Banded Krait snake was as a cousin to the Coral Snake. I can assure you they are about 10 times as long and not near as colorful.

During the rains, they were happy to share the latrine with us... it was warm concrete, we ignored each other. The house girls posed the problem! One of the local crafts was carving walking canes shaped and painted to resemble the King Cobra. Their favorite trick was to sneak into the latrine and slip the wooden snake in under an occupied stall door. Nevertheless, we never beat them with their snake cane.

By the way, I imported a large black rubber spider... they wanted to eat it.

At 7:00 pm, I woke up scared to death. I was still in the gunners seat but it was pitch dark inside the cockpit and it was deathly quiet. I didn't know what was going on. I went down into the crawlway to open the crew entrance door but it would not open. The canopy cover had been put on and the straps kept the entry door from opening. I crawled back to the emergency hydraulic pump and had to manually pump open the bomb bay doors and jump down from the bomb bay. Then I had to go and undo the canopy cover strap that held the crew entry door closed, open the crew entry door, crawl back and pump the bomb bay doors closed. Then I had to close the airplane up, install the canopy cover straps. I had to walk 2 1/2 miles back to the barracks since the buses had stopped running and the squadron had closed up for the weekend. That was the first and last time I ever fell asleep in the cockpit.

Geezers are easy to spot. This is slang for an old man.

During the playing of the National Anthem at a sporting event, they will hold their caps over their hearts and sing without embarrassment.They know the words and believe in them.

They remember World War I, the Depression, World War II, Pearl Harbor, Guadalcanal, Normandy and Hitler. They remember the Atomic Age, the Korean War, the Cold War, the Jet Age and the Moon Landing and Vietnam.

If you bump into a Geezer on the sidewalk, he will apologize. Pass a Geezer on the street and he will nod, or tip his cap to a lady.

Geezers trust strangers and are courtly to women. They hold the door for the next person and always when walking, make sure the lady is on the inside for protection.

Geezers get embarrassed if someone curses in front of a women and children and they don't like violence and filth on TV and in movies.

Geezers have moral courage. Geezers seldom brag unless it is about their grandchildren in Little League or music recitals.

This country needs Geezers with their decent values and common sense. We need them now more than ever.

It is the Geezers who know our great country is protected not by the so-called politicians or police, but by the young men and women in our military that are serving their country in foreign lands, just as they did, without a thought except to do a good job and the best you can and to return home to loved ones.

Each and every one of us should thank God for Old Geezers.