The Tay Ninh convoy used to leave real early in the morning like 0330 hours [3:30 AM] or so.

     One morning I was leaning on my jeep waiting for all of the trucks to arrive and I was half asleep. I heard someone talking and looked around and a three star general was walking down asking everyone about the food and if they had eaten.

     Startled, I just said "yes, it was OK." The general then asked the older guy I was working with (he was maybe 23). He pushed his helmet up and with bloodshot eyes said to the general, "who the hell could eat at this time of the day!"

     The general laughed and said "I'm with you buddy."

     SP/4 Robert C. Schlag, Jr. was in the jeep behind me, his call sign was "Smooth Glacier 9."

     The escort radio net had been a source of entertaining goofiness all day and SGT Norman J. E. Eck came on the net and warned all, "the next person playing on the radio will answer to me."

     We cleared a portable bridge next to a blown one (convoy progress check point) and reported "Smooth Glacier 8 clear [passed] Charlie Papa Echo."

     SP/4 Schlag then reported, "Smooth Glacier 9 clear Charlie Papa Echo.... echo, echo, echo, echo, echo, echo, echo."

     I can still remember seeing SGT Eck standing on the top of the bridge at the Newport Docks waiting for us to get there.

SP/4 Charles R. Patrick, A Company, 720th MP Battalion, 89th MP Group, 18th MP Brigade, October 1966 to October 1967.