Christmas 1968 was quite an experience. I remember that our platoon was at Di An, in support of Big Red One [1st Infantry Division] for convoy operations to Phuoc Vinh, Quan Loi, Lai Kai. I don’t recall how or why, but for whatever reason, I was at a protection detail for Miss America and 6 runner-ups on a tour of Nam for the USO just before Christmas. They autographed a flyer with their pictures and it was great.

   Our platoon received “care" packages from the Lions club of Bluefield,West Virginia. I wrote a nice thank you to them and details of our duty assignments. Ten years later I was President of Lions Club of Marysville, CA. Strange how things go around.

   Twenty-three years later, Christmas of 1991, our local paper ran several pages of names and APO's for guys from Beale Air Force Base here and local men and women in the military for DESERT STORM. I found a Guy in 101st Airborne MP Company to write to as I figured we could relate. I ran a copy of the pictures of Miss America and said I had real tough duty Christmas of 68. He wrote back and said he was born December 18, 1968.

   1LT Herb W. Bradley, III, C Company.