THE LAI KHE SWIMMING POOL

By Don "Doc" Reynolds

The  Sherwood Forest Preserve of Lai Khe was the home of a wonderful Olympic sized swimming pool that had been built by the French overseers of  the rubber plantation there.

It was across the runway from the Robinhoods company area, and was surrounded by the old village of Lai Khe.  It was a perfect place to spend a hot afternoon if you didn't happen to have any responsibilities and were tired of spending money on the hookers and Ba Mui Ba at the whorehouses in the village.

There was a Gazebo with patio furniture on the upper level and on the lower level they sold beer and sodas. I seem to recall that you could buy hamburgers and chips as well.  There were tables and lounge chairs spread around the pool and the water was clean, if not entirely cold.

It was kind of a strange arrangement, in that the pool was surrounded by the old village which was fenced by concertina wire and, in turn, surrounded by the Iron Brigade of the 1st Infantry Division who ran the
pool and snack concession.      

The local population, other than the girls who worked as  waitresses at the pool, were not allowed into the pool area during the daytime, and at night the village itself was off limits to all U.S. personnel. (not that it had any noticeable effect) 

There were exceptions to the off limits orders on at least two memorable occasions when  company parties were held at the pool at night. I believe that they were occasioned by the imminent departure of one or more members of the company.

One of the slicks flying ash and trash would stop by the class six store somewhere around Long Binh and pick up a couple of cases worth of selected hard liquor, purchased with company funds,  a day or two prior to the planned revelry. Some of  the booze was utilized as barter goods with the NCOIC of the local Supply and Transportation Battalion.  I remember that the going price for a case of steaks was one bottle of hard liquor, which sold for the astronomical sum of $1.25 to $1.50 a bottle. The Sergeant, an old SFC, was a reasonable man when there was liquor available.  

We would usually procure a couple of cases of steaks and a couple cases of chicken for the party and barbeque it over at the pool while drinking, swimming, and carousing. Oh yes, the carousing!! While the locals were not allowed in the pool area during the day, when one of these parties was planned, word was passed to the local "female entertainers" that they would be a welcome addition to the festivities on those special occasions, and we would usually host fifteen or twenty of the sweet things at these events. 

Now, given that I was just a young buck of 18 or 19 years of age, and had very little experience with hard liquor, I usually took a little longer in arriving at the festivities than the hard drinkers,  because I was getting stoned with the crowd who preferred to do that instead of drinking. By the time we arrived, with ravenous appetites, the food was well on its way to being cooked, the company cooks having made up potato salad and beans to go with the steaks and chicken, and we ate real good.  

There was music, somebody brought a reel to reel tape player, and speakers were set up in the gazebo.  I have very little memory of the remainder of the evening, and those memories I do retain are vague at best, but I seem to remember singing crazy warrior songs, and eating, drinking, and puking my guts out as if I were a participant in some drunken Roman Bacchanal.

When we partied, We partied HARD!!! and I paid terribly for it the following day. 


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