How Did the Hat With Four Stars Become a NAIL Hole Trophy?
submitted by: Alva Leon Matheson
The USAF Vice-Chief-of-Staff was visiting all the major bases in SEA and stopped to RON at NKP. Apparently he felt the need to see how his pilots were handling the war. He asked the Wing Commander to take him by some of the squadron off duty areas that evening, and thus the Nail Hole was selected as a point of interest.
While engaged in discussion regarding combat missions over the Trail, the General laid his hat on the bar, which was a major break in etiquette in the Nail Hole. Nails, as quick witted as ever and trained to notice any event that looked out of place either on the Trail, or in the Nail Hole, observed this breach of Nail Hole ROE and promptly took action to correct the situation.
A three Nail team formed without a single word spoken. The first Nail pulled the hat from the bar and tossed it to the floor, while a second Nail squirted the cap with lighter fluid. It was half soaked in lighter fluid before it hit the floor. The third Nail lit the cap with a match. One second the cap was on the bar and the next second it was on the floor under a foot of flame. The Nail Hole erupted into a roar of laughter and celebration at the new trophy. The general was astonished and at a loss for words for a few seconds; however, he quickly recovered his composure and asked the wing commander if that type of hat could be purchased in his BX.
The Colonel meekly replied, that no, he did not believe that his BX carried that item. The general in a stern voice responded to the Wing Commander that he was in a heap of trouble for not having a fully stocked BX to support his wing. A few minutes later the general departed the Nail Hole to continue his inspection of NKP.
The next morning outside the TUOC, I did observe the general without head cover, as I left for another mission over the Trail.