AMMO BOX USED AS A “PERSONAL BOX”
Judging from the seemingly endless stream of photos emerging on the net, I am not at all surprised that we nailed so few of the bad guys … we were too engrossed in taking snapshots of each other! Just kidding. There were really too few of the wily little bastards to amount to anything, so they had to be extra cunning to survive. But they did. Ironic, isn’t it, that they eventually got the spoils of war? I wonder how many ABUs remember the term “personal box”? How many remember being on guard, OP, or radio watch under a poncho liner with a pilot’s penlight between their teeth writing letters home?
Edgar Lampkin A/1/327
I definitely remember my Personal can. I think they were from M-16 ammo can, weren’t they? I carried my writing material, letters from home, photos, camera, tooth paste and tooth brush in there. I also carried my 101st Airborne issued wallet with the supposedly waterproof plastic inserts in there also. I think I still have the wallet in a trunk somewhere.
Above the Rest, Mike
I also remember the box. One of the things I kept in it was a small reel tape recorder to listen to my girlfriends voice who is became my wife and still is. The box was almost like a safe haven to go to when down or quiet time was needed I think. Very important tool for keeping your sanity. I also had the lighter and kept it until just last year when I gave it to my 21 year old son who road across the country with me to visit the VN memorial wall in DC. Kind of a keep sake item for him to remember my service and to know that I was very proud of being an ABU. Ed Lampkin I remember very well as he made a few lieutenants do some push ups during a steak dinner in the rear that he hosted for us. One of the few real meals that I remember in VN. I have a lot of photos of that dinner and the happenings. It was a good time to remember. ATR. Mil Thornton
It feels strange calling you Ed. I guess some habits die hard. I concur with Mike’s recollection of the M-16 ammo box being used as a “personal box”. His assesment of the contents is right on with a couple of additions. That was the only place I could keep my Winstons dry. Also the “Screaming Eagle” Zippo lighter that we ordered in September of ’70 was stored there. I still have mine and it is a truely cherished possesion. Over the years I have considered sending it back to Zippo to have the paint restored, but this is how it looked when I DEROSED and I can’t bring myself to alter it. Just wondering if anyone else still has theirs.
Still Above The Rest, Wes Byrd
Great topic to comment on, and what grunt could ever forget his “personal stuff”. It seemed this was the only place you could depend on not getting wet, I slept standing up in the rice paddies with water and mud to my waist while doing duty in the lowlands, and water didn’t get in the box. Personally, I kept a little red Guiddeans Bible that was given to me by my superintendent T.C. Edwards, I had 13 in my graduating class, and Viet-Nam was my senior clas trip, he told me to keep it with me at all times, and I still have it, also my writing materials ( I was and still am a non-smoker) and a pocket camera, only to find out when I really wanted to snap a picture was impossible to get to. It also made a great pillow, when curled up under a poncho. And it seemed to do a great job of helping your ruck sack take the weight off your shoulders when you had the opportunity to sit down, made a good stand, thanks again for the sounding board.
Gary (Oak)
