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Christmas in Saigon: Troops found ways to stay cheerful in Vietnam
Stars and Stripes
December 21, 2017
South Vietnam, December, 1969: Soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry gather around their Christmas tree at Patrol Base Kotrc, near the Cambodian border. The tree was a gift from a women's organization in Seattle. (Tom Benic/Stars and Stripes)
Another holiday season is upon us and with it, plenty of reasons to hug our loved ones. Some people, like the deployed Marines, sailors, soldiers, airmen and Coast Guardsmen that make up the U.S. military will not get that chance this year. Yet, Christmas cheer knows no geopolitical boundaries.
We’ve showcased how the troops from World War I and World War II celebrated Christmas while deployed. Now take a look at how those fighting in the Vietnam War managed to keep the holiday cheer alive.
South Vietnam, December, 1969: Soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry gather around their Christmas tree at Patrol Base Kotrc, near the Cambodian border. The tree was a gift from a women's organization in Seattle. (Tom Benic/Stars and Stripes)
South Vietnam, December, 1967: Pfc. Orville Painter, 22, of Modesto, Calif., leans out of his bunker at Ka Tum, 50 miles northwest of Saigon, to hang his Christmas stocking. He jokingly pointed to the sky and said, "Santa Claus will assault from there." Painter is with C Company, 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry, 25th Infantry Division. (John Olson/Stars and Stripes)