The General Gets an Ear Full

submitted by: Alva Leon Matheson

---

---

Sometime during my time at NKP (maybe someone else remembers the date) we were all “invited” to attend a meeting with the commanding General of 7th AF (I think it was Momeyer). It was in the briefing room in the Tactical Units Operations Center (TUOC). We all stood at attention when the general and his entourage of a brigadier general and several colonels, came into the room. After the usual cliches about how glad he was to be there and telling us what a great contribution we were making, the general asked if there were any questions.
After a few minutes silence, one of our Nail lieutenants asked, “How come I have to buy my own binoculars?”
There is another silence you could cut with a knife.
The general asked him to elaborate. “Well sir, I’m a FAC with the 23 TASS and during day missions I often need binoculars to identify targets. Since we didn’t have any available, I went to the BX and bought a pair that aren’t the greatest.”
The general pointed to one of his colonels and said that he had better look into that. That broke the ice. Someone else stood up and asked, “Why can’t we get the dishwasher at the club fixed. It has been broken a long time and we all get the GIs.”
Next came the question on why we couldn’t get the right ordinance? We needed more “funny bombs” (WWII and Korean era magnesium cluster bombs that were very effective against trucks).
At this point the general told us he had to cut off the discussion and head to Udorn for the next meeting.
A few weeks later a carton of Bauch&Lomb 10X50 binoculars arrived. They were big, heavy and expensive. I don’t believe anyone signed for one. I continued to use the small 6X30 Japanese binoculars I paid $30 for at the BX. At the club the food came on a paper plate, and by an unwritten agreement, the use of funny bombs was expended only when we had at least five trucks to attack.