FOREIGN CORRESPONDENCE
(E.Hanson, Gold Beach OR)
After being thrown out of Vietnam, our family landed in Cambodia via Bangkok. We hired a driver and needed to see the coast of Kep, Cambodia as we heard that there was a large French influence there left over from the Michelin rubber plantations there abouts. I still believe that that war was about French Rubber plantations in that neck of the jungle...any ways ...We took an "air nukmam" flight outta Tanssanut air field and did a full military decent into Phenom Pen (tall mountain in Khemer) and found ourselves in a paradise! The only problem was that we were only a few klicks from the Ho Chi Minh high way and the B-52s were making big holes in Cambodia while Nixon was on the T.V. saying that there was no bombin' going on there. I know better as I went back two different times since than and saw a whole lotta new ponds there that are still there today! The noise was intense! Carpet bombing is a nuisance!
Kep Cambodia is still a beautiful place and my Cambodian adopted son (who now holds a P.H.D. in international business) promises me that he will build my family a home on my favorite beach for my retirement.
We will see!
(Mr. Fitz, Rhode Island)
I was teaching in Napoli from 1969 to 72, I think! During that time I had a student who was a real free spirit. He would stop in to inform me he was going to take the day off. He had some interesting days exploring the city. In class we were discussing the Italian national election and its variety of political parties. He offered to go to town and collect posters from the various campaign HQ's. He came back with more than a dozen of them and we hanged them up in my classroom. As you remember, there were numerous competing communist parties. We did not post them! But I learned after I had transferred to Japan and then to Germany, that the CID showed up to inspect the display. They were intelligent enough to realize the posters were not a danger to student's delicate minds. Nor, did our principal, who was also principal in Wiesbaden inform me of the search. This is I guess one of the minor events of the cold war. I don't remember the student�s name. Perhaps he will read this and send a comment.
(Jim C., Suwanee GA)
My father is retired Airforce, flew in WW2 and stayed in the reserves. He retired after 30 years then went to work for the government as a pilot for the FAA. Our family moved several times around the US until 1969 when we were transfered to Brussels Belgium. I attended Brussels American High School till I graduated in 1975.
