Posted on 08/31/2026 1:06:25 PM PDT by DUMBGRUNT
The Abraham Lincoln is due to dock on Wednesday at nearby Laem Chabang, with two accompanying Navy vessels, to allow nearly 5,000 sailors and Marines aboard to rest and recuperate after over 200 days at sea,
Shore leave is typically staggered, meaning not all personnel will step off the vessels at the same time.
In Pattaya, a fishing village partly transformed into a tourism center on the back of U.S. service members seeking succour during the Vietnam War, some are hoping for a financial boost.
The overall commercial impact on Pattaya, which has over 300,000 rooms...
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
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Thailand is going to run out of beer.
—”That’s prime liberty.”
After 200 days, they earned it!
And I hope that every man jack one of them has a good time.
After making regrettable decisions in Thailand, you must leave to get your shot. Ergo, “Shot leave”
—”Thailand is going to run out of beer.”
Good all around; the locals can make some money and maybe keeps some of the men from being overserved.
since the early 80s, every visit consisted of “illegal activities” with 2 or 3 at a time. the best times were when you start with 1 or 2, and then go somewhere unfamiliar to all participants and have them pick out a number 2 or 3...
Sigh... gonna have to wait for my next life for the next trip!!
I guess it’s safer to have Panarat writing pap than driving an 18-wheeler.
I lived in Coronado, CA. and when a ship arrived, I quickly learned it was time to read a long novel !! They’d follow us into the grocery store!! I was 15 years older than most of them and my roommate 25 years older...but we’d get home and laugh for hours from the comments received!!
True...heh, you must have just come from that other thread!
Hahahaha, right...”Hey, is the Chief coming? Phucket! Let’s go!”
Dang! That was a lot of money back in the day!
North Korea offered a liberty port but Pete said no.
Thailand’s adult industry can easily handle this. It is set up for it. They have been doing this for a “long time”.
Shot leave with beer chaser.
Aureomycin used to work on those infections that the Marines picked up in Thailand. Some of the strains were difficult to treat with our limited access to antibiotics. We did a lot of experimenting until we earned our merit badges. Our job was made more difficult because everything was handled quietly. If we sent them to the rear, there would be a record. We had to lie like hell to get antibiotics.
The Army brought some arty out to the Rockpile and it wasn’t long before they started coming to us for treatment.
One of my Army ‘patients’ gave me an AR-15 plus ammo.
That was when the Marines still had the M-14.
3 best liberty ports when I was in: So. France , Thailand , and Israel. A lot of others were great also, especially South America.
FYI The French in the south are not stuck up.
Admit it. You must have liked it at least a little.
Dang! That was a lot of money back in the day!
Never thought about it, until just now...
$200 in 1969 is worth about $1,819.72 today
In country, money did not mean much.
Once on a stand-down, I became involved in a bet against a REMF in a sit-up contest. As it progressed, we increased the wager... Little did I know that calisthenics was what he did in his off time. As we passed 500, he increased his pace like a wild man! Around 600, I threw in the towel and was down $500. I believe he set me up, not for the money, but to take his place on the perimeter guard the night of the stand-down party! Which I did to cover the $500.
When on stand-down, the REMFs did all the duty.
How many times will the sincere declaration “I love you long time” will be expressed within the first hour of the ship docking
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