Wearing a black turtleneck to work was considered less than good taste when working for IBM in 1968. But when you've lived out of a foot locker and a brief case for four and a half weeks, good taste makes way for common sense. At any rate, the secretaries got a kick out of it - I'm sure that they thopught I would be fired and committed that same day. I survived on both counts.
For three weeks in Florida (Fort Walton Beach) I had lived in a Howard Johnson motel (home for the permanently displaced). All of my belongings had been placed in storage, my car was in Indiana, checking accounts had been closed, good-byes were taken care of, and for a week and a half I sat doing nothing but waiting on orders from the military. I had friends who were drafted in much less time.
Twenty-one year old kids from Indiana don't really understand the way large organizations work. So, I was sure that this would be just another boring day in another boring week waiting to move to Thailand. I was wrong and when I'm wrong I'm really wrong!
I was getting good mileage out of the secretaries with my new dress code and as much as my ego was enjoying the attention my common sense was concerned about how much management was giving my diversion from policy. As though to alliviate my concern, Mel walked by and casually mentioned, "Your orders came in this morning. I'll bring them over this afternoon." Boy, you dress wrong for one day and they'er ready to get you out of the country!
John (Myers) was both my manager and my next stop. "My orders are in", I blurted. (I always did have a way with words). "What do we do now"? Luckily John knew much more about what to do than I did. He was on the phone with the travel agent almost immediately. After assuring the lady on the other end of the line that a "one way" ticket to Bangkok was really needed, he hung up and said that the ticket would be delivered at 3:30 that afternoon. I was to leave out of Baltimore at 7:00 the next morning. You dress wrong and they don't waste any time.
After lunch there was more good news. The flight plans called for an overnight stop in Hawaii; however, the travel agent was not able to reserve a hotel room. Another phone call, this time to the Hawaii IBM office. There was to be a message at the airport when I arrived telling me where to stay. I never bothered to ask what happened if there was no message.
Jim (Pettinger) took me into a conference room which had a map of Thailand. Until then all I knew was that I was going to a small remote town in Thailand. Jim showed me where Nakon Phanom was located. Three hundred miles from Bangkok, but only two hundred miles from Hanoi. That was comforting!
The group I had been working with took me to dinner that night. It was a relaxed evening (I even wore a tie) and it really helped pass the time as the departure time came closer and closer. The rest of the evening was spent paying the hotel bill, making a couple of phone calls, and packing the foot locker and brief case. A little sleep and it was time to go.
It was an hour to the airport, so I was on my way at 5:30. I parked the car at the rental car return area and began my trek to the airport with the footlocker an brief case. After paying for the rental car, there was only time to check in and board. I was flying first class and I was impressed. I can't remember what I wore - but they didn't throw me off the plane.
It was a smooth flight and we arrived in LA on time. Although that flight continued on to Honoloulou, my seat had been sold so I was scheduled for an hour layover and then catch the next flight. It is always boring to kill an hour in an airport especially when you are by yourself. Soon I was on my way.
We watched the Mary Poppins movie and I had my first macadamia nuts. This also was a good flight and we arrived on time. Unlike the TV shows there was no pretty girl to kiss me hello, but the weather was super. I waited for the foot locker, lugged it through the airport, and found a message board. They had found me a room and I needed it.
Dinner, a walk in the tropical breezes, and off to bed. My flight left early the next morning.
I drug my foot locker and brief case to the airport and checked in. I wished silently that I could spend a couple of days here- but on board and away we went. There was no movie and we all settled in for a long flight. I had spent a night in Canada once but that did not prepare me for hours of nothing but water and clouds out the window. Until yesterday the longest flight that I had been on was Indianapolis to Washington D.C. I had no idea that your butt could get so numb and sore.
It was still daylight when we landed in Tokyo. The plane was to be on the ground for an hour and I welcomed the opportunity to walk for a while. I had never been a photographer, but Deri (Barringer) (whom I worked with) told me that I needed to by a 35 mm camera - specifically an SLR (single lens reflex). I had no idea what I was doing, but I was in the duty free shop buying a camera. With little else to go on I bought the one that felt the best. With deep satisfaction from making my first international purchase, I headed back to the plane.
Reading the instruction manual and loading film helped pass the time on the way to Hong Kong. It was dark now and the Hong Kong lights were beautiful during out approach to the runway. I stayed on the plan and then off to Bangkok.
It was after midnight when we landed in Bangkok. I was both excited and afraid. For the last two days there had bee little to do but read on airplanes. Everyone I had ever known was 48 hours behind me and I knew no one where I was going. I was starting to feel a little lonely. Now came my first experience with passports, visas, shot records, and Asian people.
The first part went smoothly and I was about to be reunited with my foot locker. A strange little man came up and wanted my claim check - I let him have it. I watched and waited as people and their bags left to go through customs - but no footlocker. After describing a black rectangular foot lock FOUR times it finally arrived - 45 minutes later.
I knew that everyone else had left with their bags but as I turned around I saw only and empty airport. The area was huge but only three people remained: myself, the small man struggling with the foot locker, and another oriental gentleman behind a desk about a quarter mile away. My helper yelled to the gentleman behind the desk who motioned for me to go on through. No customs check? I was certain that it was a setup and I expected to be arrested any minute.
Outside, I tipped my assistant and found a taxi. The driver seemed confused that I didn't know what hotel I wanted to stay at. He was even more confused when I said that I wasn't interested in the massage advertised in the brochure he handed me. I was too tired to do any exploring. The drive from the airport to downtown was a long one - but then I had lost all appreciation for time. At 3:00 am I checked into the hotel dragging the footlocker and briefcase.
By my clock it was now 9 am on Saturday when I woke up. I felt as though I could sleep all day but decided against that. I actually found a phone book in english and found a number for IBM. So I called. The phone rang many times but no one answered. At some point I realized that I had crossed the date line and it was actually Sunday. With nothing else to do I decided to try and find my way to Nakon Phanom. I could really use a friendly face. Dragging the ever present footlocker and briefcase I left the hotel, found a taxi, and was off for the airport.
In the daylight I was able to enjoy the scenery on the drive. That is, during the moments when fear allowed. I enjoyed the scenery - the driving not so much. This taxi drive really convinced me how apprehensive and alone I really felt. My mind focused on the more immediate problem - how to get to Nakon Phanom. All I knew was that I was to take a military flight. My decision was to go to the airport and find someone in uniform and ask questions.
I get to the airport and begin my search. Wandering through an airport while lugging a foot locker and briefcase is not that easy. I had gone all the way down one corridor and was almost all the way back when I finally spotted a couple of guys in Air Force uniforms. I hurried (as much as possible while lugging a foot locker) to catch up to them. When I did I asked how to find military flights and they said that I needed to go to the C-130 terminal. I had never heard of a C-130 and it sounded to me like some strange word like "seewonthurdy" to me. So I just remembered the name as best I could and asked how I got there. They said to go out of the airport and get a taxi and ask to go to the "seewonthurdy" terminal. So lugging the footlocker and briefcase I did that and the taxi driver seemed to understand. He drove out of the airport and about a half mile down the road where he pulled to the side of the road and stopped. At that point I had to change taxis to down the side road to this other terminal. (It seems that only off duty military were permitted to provide taxi service to this area).
So after moving the footlocker from one taxi to another, I continued on the the little military terminal. Again, I have no idea what I am doing, so I got into a line to make my way to the counter. Behind the counter there was a map of Thailand with airport codes displayed, none of which meant anything to me. When I arrived at the counter I told them that I needed to get to Nakon Phanom and gave them a copy of my orders. I was then informed that today's flight was full and I would have to come back tomorrow morning. At this point I was totally dejected and exhausted. I sat in one of the plastic chairs in the waiting area with my brief and footlocker and seriously considered sleeping there that night. Finally deciding that wasn't a good idea I went outside and had a sandwich at a little open air restaurant.
So I found a taxi and asked to go to a hotel. Again, the driver wanted to know what hotel and I said that I did not care! He took me to a pretty new looking place not very far from the airport. So I lug the foot locker and briefcase up to my room. Feeling totally alone, I had no idea what to do. I took out my new camera and took a couple of pictures of the lamp in my room and decided to take a little walk. Exiting the hotel I walked across the parking lot to the street. I looked to the left and that didn't look like a good place to walk so I looked to the right. That looked worse! So I started back across the parking lot. There was a guy there laying across the hood of his car and he asked if I wanted to take a tour. I asked what kind of tour and he said of the temples around Bangkok. I asked how much and he said a hundred baht (which was $5). I was very apprehensive but I had nothing else to do so I got my camera and off we went.
It was a very pleasant afternoon. He took me to three or four temples and the week-end market. I took lots of photos and enjoyed the sights. Returning to the hotel, I had a hamburger for dinner and went to bed. Getting up early I made my way to the C-130 terminal with the briefcase and foot locker and got checked in. I saw them put the foot locker on a pallet with other luggage and strap it all down. It was finally time to board. I followed the line of air force men to the plane and boarded. I was beginning to wish that I had not heard of a C-130. We sat on webbed seats with aluminum bars supporting the webbing. It was very hot and uncomfortable waiting to take off. We finally did take off and the announcement was that if the alarm bell sounded three time, we were going down. Very comforting!
After we took off the temperature was comfortable. The flight was very loud and there was no conversation by anyone. I had not talked to anyone that I knew since Wednesday and it was now Monday. I had no idea what I was doing, but I was on my way somewhere. After an hour or so we landed and I could not understand the announcement of where. But I noticed that there were two types of tickets and the people with ones that looked like mine were not getting off, so I stayed put. It got very hot again and a few people got on. We were ready to take off again and got the same comforting announcement about the alarm. This was a shorter flight and we were landing again. People with tickets like mine were getting off (I think that everyone got off) so I did also. As I stepped off the plane and looked around, I was sure that I was in the twilight zone. The runway was red clay with some sort of corrugated metal landing surface rolled out. All of the airplanes looked old and they all had propellers - not a jet in sight. Anyway, I made my way to the little office and asked if they had a phone. They did and I asked the operator for a number for IBM. I got one and called - but no one answered. I tried again and no answer. So I got the operator and asked for a different number. After he first gave me the same one I finally got a second number. I called and I got an answer. I told them who I was and they said that they didn't know that I was coming yet. They asked where I was and I said, "With any luck I'm on the same air base that you are". Lou said they would be right up to get me.
Things improved greatly and quickly. The long ordeal lugging the footlocker and briefcase was over. It turns out that there was a lady who handled people going to Thailand. She arranged to have them met in Bangkok, spend a couple of days, and them show them how to get to Nakon Phanom. Guess who was on vacation when I left the states! At any rate, I found my way and decided that maybe I could actually take care of myself.