A Christmas Story (Not Auto Mag)

A Christmas war story

Pie Anyone ?

It was Christmas Eve 1972. I was at Ubon Air Base in Thailand fixing fighter jets. I repaired the ECM (electronic counter measures) equipment on Phantom jets that were bombing the Ho-Chee-Minn trail. One of my other jobs was to drive to the chow hall and pick up the box lunches that we would then distribute to all the Avionics Maintenance personnel on the flight line and then to the shops. It was over 100 lunches that were packed in North Hollywood, CA, about two miles from where I am right now. A staff sergeant and myself picked up the lunches when a grizzly cook came over to us. He said, "MEN, come with me." He took us to a room the size of a basketball court with three long tables running the length of the room covered with pies. He pointed to the tables saying that one table held apple pies, the second held cherry pies and the third table held pumpkin pies. Why are you showing us this my partner asked. The cook said that the damn officers had him make up these pies for their Christmas party. He said he had three men working for two days to make up the pies and there were three times more pies then they needed. Again my partner asked the cook why he was telling us this. He replied that he was going on break, and if he returned and found so much as one pie missing, there would be HELL to pay. When we got back into the truck, sarge said let's wait a few minutes. Why I asked?  Sarge told me, I know you listened to the cook but you didn't hear what he was saying. We walked back in and took a pie to go with every box lunch. As we drove by the bunkers that held the Phantoms we would pass out the lunches and a pie of your choice with each lunch. When we got to the end of the flight-line all work had stopped as all the maintenance workers were sharing in the pies, along with the Thai guards. It was a beautiful silence. Everyone thought it was a kind gesture of the Air Force on Christmas Eve. We never heard another word about it.

By Bruce Stark

8 April 07’