Steve Stricker

By Steve Stricker

Columnist

 

Even though I live on a high hill in South Oaks, near forever record-breaking rainfall every day, I am so thankful to have my Storm 17’ sea-going kayak with rudder at my back door (Ark). The 30-year average rainfall in Oxford for the month of May is 5.33” – we received 7.24” in 2025.  For June, same average is 5.04” and so far, we have had 6.62” as of Wednesday, June 18, 2025…. This is monsoon stuff!  Where’s my life jacket, paddle, Jeep, M16, .45, flak jacket, steel pot? 

Graduating from Southeast Missouri State University (SEMO) in August 1968 – immediately drafted into Uncle Sam’s Army, (CRAP) enlisted (extra year) to choose an MOS that hopefully would keep me out of Vietnam which was raging…nope. 

Once in, I was a great soldier. Basic training Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri October 1968, AIT (Class Leader), Permanent Party until July 1969 and orders for Vietnam.  Home on leave to see Neil Armstrong on black and white TV walk on the moon, then jet out from St. Louis to San Francisco, stop in Seattle, WA to repair an engine (gulp) to Okinawa, Tokyo, Bien Hoa, South Vietnam, and for me, my death-Fraternity boy to dying…. 

Crossing the International Date Line, was not sure of day or time – but landing at Bien Hoa in the wee morning hours, took an old blue Air Force bus to the Long Binh 90th Replacement Center for further assignment – received instructions what to do in case of attack (!!) there was wire mesh over the windows to prevent Viet Cong RPG’s (rocket propelled grenades) from entering the bus…! I was there. 

At the 90th POC Replacement Center, each day we stood in formation to discover where we would be that horrific year.  After several days, my assignment – the 18th Engineer Brigade Headquarter Co at Dong Ba Thin, Cam Ranh Bay!  Hell Yes!  This was one of the safest places in Vietnam (wrong) and hurriedly got off a letter to my hero mom, Gert. 

Next day, took a C-130 to Dong Ba Thin, found temporary POC sleeping quarters – This was the monsoon, rainy season in Vietnam and it was, raining.  Word of mouth, a USO group was performing that night on a small stage area and I went – wore a poncho and took a seat on some small, uncovered bleachers just in front of the covered stage – miserable, lonely, home sick…hood up. 

The swell group featured a very attractive talented black singer, who after several awesome songs, grabbed an umbrella, mike, and ventured out to we drowned rats in the bleachers.  For some reason, (looked miserable, lonely, homesick) she zeroed in on me, and while singing, came up to me, pulled my poncho hood down, and kissed me smack on the lips!!!  I will never forget that wonderful moment. WOW! Thank You! 

In the process of checking in the next day, I discovered a guy I sort of knew from Southeast Missouri who invited me to stay in their much nicer, larger tent – swell.  Early that morning, (so much for being a safe area) the largest rocket, mortar, sapper attack ever to hit that area dropped right on top of me!  The concussions were so close they bounced me into the air – I should have been dead right then!  At one point when they subsided, we ran out of the large tent and dove into the first foxhole we came to – five guys who I barely knew, M-60 in the center of the pit, they had M-16’s, I manned the ’60. Letter from Gert which made all the news at home. ..”I thought you said you were safe….” 

The next day I was transferred back to Long Binh and attached to the United Stated Army Engineer Command Vietnam Headquarters  (USAECVHQ)14 miles from Saigon, for the rest of that horrific year where we were hit with rockets and mortars once a week, pulled guard duty every five days in our perimeter bunker (I’m an Engineer not a grunt) so many deadly experiences, and having my own jeep to pick up my hero major Joe Cabrina every week in Saigon, or Bien Hoa, so many additional deadly incidents. 

There are two seasons in Vietnam – rainy and dry.  Rainy and monsoon starts in late April and lasts until November.  I landed in Vietnam, July 1969-July 1970, in the monsoon season. Like here lately, it rained every day, but unlike here, at times the wind-driven rain was so hard it was blowing sideways, stinging my face as I drove about in my open Jeep; had to shield my face with my had and of course, change my jungle fatigues for dry ones back at my screened-in barracks 

Vietnam, for its ugliness, was beautiful, green and lush because of all the monsoon rainfall and had three rice seasons. There were times out in my awesome Jeep during the monsoon season, that I could see rain pouring straight down like a wall and could almost drive within meters of the pouring rain, reach out and touch it, before driving into it. 

This “rainy season” monsoon here in Oxford is, however, giving me time to regain my energy from two pacemaker surgeries, back-to-back recently, and avoiding replacing my 1964 IIA Land Rover swivel ball assemblies and yard stuff.  PEACE OUT