I was in www.popasmoke.com viewing some photos taken by David Hugel, HMM-261, during the Summer of 1963 and noticed one he had identified as The 5P Girl.  He had written that this young lady was well endowed for a Vietnamese and would show the real thing for a small favor of 5 piasters.  A year later when HMM-364 was in this same role, the young lady was still plying her personal wares with us.  We were much more to the point and direct with our description of her show calling her simply, “Big Tits”.  She was a cowgirl that herded government cows to pasture and looking after them during the day.  We carried these same cows to the Special Forces outposts for their on the hoof meat supply. She would swing her cows close to the back of our barracks in the evening on her way back to barter with the Marines.  Many different things would cause the black blouse to rise above her chest, empty beer bottles, an apple or orange, and various c-rations.  I am sure that various bills of the Vietnamese monetary system also worked.  She would generally have a couple of young boys with her to inspect and collect the items of payment prior to the show.  She never would come real close to the fence and would never go beyond the topless show.  Apparently she had been warned of the Marines or suffered negative results from prior squadrons.  For some unexplained reason I never approached this visual experience with my Minolta SR-7 tied to the 135 telephoto lenses.  I guess I was just amazed to watch the whole process and determine if the economic system was on the decline or rise.  I wonder how many different squadrons experienced this same social phenomenon.

On the flight line when Air Vietnam landed the call went out down the line, “show time, show time”.  In the evening when the cows came home the call when out, “hey Big Tits is here”.  .

Photograph by, David Hugel