Re: [MBZ] OT - another non-political B-52 tale - DON'T DRINK THE WATER

2014-10-30 Thread Curt Raymond via Mercedes
A couple years ago Angie and I went on a cruise. One of the stops was Cozumel 
in Mexico. I noticed at that stop that unlike all the other places we had been 
the ship didn't take on water. We went to a dolphinarium and swam with the 
dolphins and had lunch there. At lunch I noticed that the water we were given 
was bottled.

Later, walking on the street my wife noticed a shaved ice vendor and decided 
she wanted a shaved ice. I foolishly said no, don't get shaved ice. Angie 
about pitched a fit. To her credit we were 5 days into a 7 day trip and it was 
late in the day, she was tired and we were both getting kind of punchy.

Trying not to be insulting to the vendor I quietly informed my wife that if she 
had a shaved ice and it upset her stomach I was going to kick her out and she 
could sleep in the public bathroom. She got the picture.

I don't know if the water was going to make her sick but I certainly didn't 
want to take a chance.

-Curt



 From: WILTON via Mercedes mercedes@okiebenz.com
To: mercedes list mercedes@okiebenz.com; WILTON wilt...@nc.rr.com 
Sent: Thursday, October 30, 2014 6:02 PM
Subject: [MBZ] OT - another non-political B-52 tale - DON'T DRINK THE WATER
 

DON'T DRINK THE WATER
By Wilton Strickland

During the entire three to four months, while flying bombing missions 
from Thailand to Vietnam in Sep - Dec, 1972, we had been told many times, 
Don't drink the local water, because of the danger of possibly getting 
dysentery or some other digestive system malady.
Two of our Thai maids had been saying for quite some time, We want to 
take you to a Thai movie.  Pease let us; when may we take you?
Finally, on the afternoon of Dec 28th, when the women learned that the 
other two members of my Kincheloe crew and I would not be flying that night, 
they insisted they take us to a movie.  We agreed and traveled early that 
evening via a Thai bus to a large city, Rayong, about 12 miles from base.
Before entering the theater, the women stocked up on snacks - candy 
bars, cokes, peanuts, fried banana chips, etc. - quite a feast, I thought. 
We thought they were getting all of that stuff for themselves, but 
evidently, they were trying to make sure we three men were well fed, also. 
The women passed snacks to us continuously during the entire double feature 
movie - even shelled peanuts for us.
The theater was like any movie theater in Anytown, USA - clean, 
comfortable, and cool.  I don't remember what the movies were about - 
American, I think, speaking Thai, with English subtitles.
After the movie and while walking back to the bus stop, we came upon a 
cart café - the owner transports the entire restaurant - food, stove, ice, 
water, soft drinks, table, chairs - everything - on a small cart and sets it 
up on the sidewalk.
Surprisingly, the women said they were hungry and asked, May we get 
something to eat?
I exclaimed, jokingly, Gosh!  We've been eating steadily for the last two  
a half hours, but yes, of course, you may get something to eat, if you 
want.
 We all sat down at the small tables on the sidewalk; the café owner 
placed beautiful glasses of shaved ice and water before each of us and asked 
what we would like to eat.  The women ordered noodles and some other stuff, 
but the other two men and I ordered nothing.  While waiting, I toyed with 
the cold glass of shaved ice and water in front of me.  Ambient temperature 
was about 85F and had been above 95F during the day; I was very thirsty.  I 
thought about the many SAMs we had dodged during the last few days and 
somehow thought, foolishly, of course, If all those SAMs can't get me, 
surely a glass of ice water is OK.
 I also had another fleeting thought, and said jokingly, If it makes me 
sick, maybe I won't have to go to Hanoi again tomorrow night.
I turned the glass up to my lips and drank away.  The instant I put the 
glass down, the café owner re-filled it with shaved ice and water; I quickly 
downed it again - 'don't know when I've ever had better glasses of water. 
The other two guys, seeing me be so brave (or foolish), followed suit.  None 
of us ever felt a thing!  We went to Hanoi again the following night, 
anyway.
 BTW, for those who are wondering - there was nothing else going on 
between us and the women.  They knew we'd be leaving soon and simply wanted 
to show their appreciation for our treating them with great respect and to 
demonstrate some Thai hospitality. 


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Re: [MBZ] OT - another non-political B-52 tale - DON'T DRINK THE WATER

2014-10-30 Thread Meade Dillon via Mercedes
We were told the same thing in Italy, between '96 and '99.  We were sternly
warned to only drink bottled water, brush our teeth with bottled water, use
bottled water in any food that wasn't heated to boiling.  After I'd been
there a bit and befriended a doctor and some other folks who worked at the
Naples naval hospital, I learned that some local water would fail tests
once or twice a year.  After considering the odds for a bit, I started
drinking the water from the tap when needed.  Never got sick from the water.

When I was in the sand box for a year, working in one of Saddam's
palaces, we got the same warning.  There was an Army colonel that I worked
with who was a Ranger and thought himself pretty tough.  He drank the water
in the palace every day.  One day I asked if he ever got sick from the
water, he laughed and said no.

I suffer from years of sun exposure on my Irish skin, and develop
pre-cancerous spots on my face, neck and hands which my dermatologist
freezes or burns off every year or two.
The military dermatologist didn't have the patience I guess, and prescribed
a cream for me to apply to my face for two weeks.  This cream is basically
a very strong chemical peel, sunburn in a tube I called it.  After the
first week of applying this cream, my face was bright red and quite
painful.  By the second week, it was blistered and really looked awful.

During this painful episode, Colonel Ranger asked me one day if I was ok,
and what happened to my face.  I told him I started following his example,
washing my face and drinking water from the palace bathroom.  He turned
pale and his eyes got big, but I couldn't keep a straight face and started
laughing, and told him the real story.  I will never forget the look on his
face.

Max Dillon,
Charleston SC
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Re: [MBZ] OT - another non-political B-52 tale - DON'T DRINK THE WATER

2014-10-30 Thread Curly McLain via Mercedes

We were told the same thing in Italy, between '96 and '99.  We were sternly
warned to only drink bottled water, brush our teeth with bottled water, use
bottled water in any food that wasn't heated to boiling.  After I'd been
there a bit and befriended a doctor and some other folks who worked at the
Naples naval hospital, I learned that some local water would fail tests
once or twice a year.  After considering the odds for a bit, I started
drinking the water from the tap when needed.  Never got sick from the water.

When I was in the sand box for a year, working in one of Saddam's
palaces, we got the same warning.  There was an Army colonel that I worked
with who was a Ranger and thought himself pretty tough.  He drank the water
in the palace every day.  One day I asked if he ever got sick from the
water, he laughed and said no.

I suffer from years of sun exposure on my Irish skin, and develop
pre-cancerous spots on my face, neck and hands which my dermatologist
freezes or burns off every year or two.
The military dermatologist didn't have the patience I guess, and prescribed
a cream for me to apply to my face for two weeks.  This cream is basically
a very strong chemical peel, sunburn in a tube I called it.  After the
first week of applying this cream, my face was bright red and quite
painful.  By the second week, it was blistered and really looked awful.

During this painful episode, Colonel Ranger asked me one day if I was ok,
and what happened to my face.  I told him I started following his example,
washing my face and drinking water from the palace bathroom.  He turned
pale and his eyes got big, but I couldn't keep a straight face and started
laughing, and told him the real story.  I will never forget the look on his
face.

Max Dillon,
Charleston SC
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THAT, SIR, is a GREAT one!Worthy of a MASH prank!

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Re: [MBZ] OT - another non-political B-52 tale - DON'T DRINK THE WATER

2014-10-30 Thread M. Mitchell Marmel via Mercedes
On Thu, Oct 30, 2014 at 5:55 PM, Curly McLain via Mercedes 
mercedes@okiebenz.com wrote:



 THAT, SIR, is a GREAT one!Worthy of a MASH prank!


Agreed!  Worthy of an ATTABOY!  even if it isn't a MB repair...  :D
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