"Christmas Party At Thu Duc Orphanage"
18 December 1968

        The sleigh was an olive drab duece-and-a-half and there were no reindeer, but it added up to Christmas just the same for the 800 children of the Thu Duc National Orphanage.

The duece-and-a-half filled with ice cream and “goodies” for the children rolled through the gate at 1:30PM, beginning the party that the company threw for the children's orphanage.

Accompanying the truck were several other vehicles bringing thirty or more MP’s from the company to join the party.

The company, which recently adopted the orphanage, raised some $150.00 to fete the children. One hundred dollars was raised by contributions from the MP’s and $50.00 was sent by LTC (Retired) H. M. Witbeck of Rancho Cordova, California, who contributes annually to the orphanage.

Before the MP’s arrived, the sisters and teachers of the Catholic-run orphanage assembled the children into the large auditorium where they sat and waited for the GI’s.

The soldiers arrived shortly afterwards and passed out ice cream to the excited children.

The MP’s joined the orphans in watching the orphanage band perform several American popular songs. Later, 10 girls from the orphanage, dressed in colorful costumes, and performed traditional Vietnamese dances.

The MP’s, not to be left out, mounted the stage en masse and assembled into a choir formation. The men swung into an off-key rendition of “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.” Then, with a boy from the orphanage sitting in on drums, they sang a lusty, and still out of tune, “Jingle Bells.”

Following the songs, the men distributed more candy and treats to the children.

Edited from The 18th MP Brigade Roundup News Paper, 1969.