Monday, April 22, 1968
Doc Driscoll, our younger Corpsman, came back from Da Nang with a dog. He said he bought it in a market for a dollar and was saving it from being roasted for a Vietnamese dinner. I had heard these stories but didn’t know if they were true. I asked Mama-San if it was true, and she took it personally and said, “NO, No, no, I never eat dog.” She was emotional about this issue, and my question upset her.
Later when talking with Papa-San over Caphe, * I asked him about dogs being cooked, and he avoided answering. I think it probably did happen, but it was considered a taboo. The Vietnamese diet didn’t contain much meat. There were pigs, chickens and ducks being sold live at the market. From my observations, the majority of food exchanged at the market was rice and vegetables.
That afternoon Doc Driscoll was told, “the dog can’t stay.” Lieutenant Martin said the dog was a security risk and needed to be gone by noon tomorrow. Doc asked me for advice on how to get rid of the dog, and I suggested taking it to Dai Phu at the base of our hill. “Give it to the kids” was my recommendation.
At sunset Kilo battery had a large fire mission. The rounds were targeted to the southwest about three miles away, and with the sun below the horizon, we could see them detonate close to the river. We could hear cheering from the Exec Pit, and learned of the surveillance confirmation . . . 17 enemy KIA, caught crossing the river into Arizona territory.
* See previous “Papa-San” blog (January 20, 1968)
My Vietnam Experience 