Thai temple

By early 1971 the situation in Vietnam became so unstable that I was more afraid of being robbed and killed by one of our Vietnamese Allies than I was the communists. I returned to Vietnam after being discharged from the U.S. Army. I took a job with the Federal Electric Corporation (FEC). This company had a contract with the U.S. Army to assume responsibility for the military telephone system in Vietnam and later Thailand. Basically I returned to Vietnam for fun and adventure; not the money. This company was one cheap Charlie outfit. Anyway I am back in Qui Nhon in early 1971 and I could really sense that something was different in this coastal city.

American was withdrawing from Vietnam. The more U.S. military personnel that left Qui Nhon the more dangerous the city became. There were hoodlums just about everywhere. They were called the cowboys by the Americans. Besides just out and out robbing you these punks would rip off your watch, camera, and anything else you might be carrying. One of their favorite tricks was to jerk your watch off of your arm and run off or hop on a Honda 50. . My boss lost his Rolex this way. As long as you were inside military facilities you were safe but once on the outside you had better watch your surroundings.

As civilian contractors we were not allowed to have weapons. Be assured many of us acquired weapons. In Qui Nhon departing GIs would often give me weapons. I never asked where they got them from. At one time in my villa in Qui Nhon I had 4 or 5, M16’s, 1 AK 47, 1 Thompson machine gun, an Army 45, and a case of grenades. When I was transferred to Saigon in ‘72 I had to leave the weapons behind but once down south I picked up a nice derringer and a Colt Commander. FEC told us the Army and local authorities would protect us. Bunk!

I was a telephone cable splicer working on the exact same telephone cable I worked on as a Soldier. On this contract we had to use the same crap trucks and the same crap telephone equipment the Army used. Matter of fact the Army just transferred their equipment to FEC. I thought we’d be given commercial equipment to keep this telephone system operational. I got to work on this old system for a whopping $2.85 an hour for 56 hours a week. By the way, overtime was paid straight time. Your 40% yearly bonus was paid on a 40 hour week. Some people in company management actually expected us to work like galley slaves and get this system ready to turn over to the Vietnamese Army.

After 18 months in Qui Nhon I was assigned to the company engineering department in Saigon. I actually got paid almost a fair wage in this position. For any of you old FEC or GHO hands who might be reading this I will tell you what I know about some of our employees in company. Over the past ten years I have been in contact with Marvin Curtis, Dick Posey, and Fred Wheat. The following are deceased, Gerry Cronan, Al Kee, Mike Brown, Bob Canlett, and Bob Frase. Gerry and Al are in the VA cemetery in Las Vegas. Mike Brown is interred in the VA cemetery in Riverside; CA. Bob Canlett is buried in Petaluma, CA. I would like to know what happened to Jim Harrison (James C. Harrison, originally from Indianapolis).

Dr. Mike Copper retired from the U.S. Army in 1994. Dr. Copper has a Master’s Degree in Data Communications and a Ph.D. in Computer Information Systems. Dr. Copper currently lives in Delray Beach, Florida. He can be reached at mcopper@bellsouth.net

Tags: cable splicers, comtets, comvets, FEC, federal electric, GHO, qui nhon, saigon, thailand, Vietnamcable splicers, comtets, comvets, FEC, federal electric, GHO, qui nhon, saigon, thailand, Vietnam

Share This

In ancient China, people used to sit or kneel on straw mats on the floor. Starting from around 471 to 221B.C., beds and mats came into being. Then people started to move their daily living from the floor to somewhere of raised heights. From then on, straw mats were used mostly on beds and couches.

Not only chairs and stools, various designs of furniture has arrived its summit in the Ming and Ching dynasties. In Ming dynasty, smooth, flowing lines and elegant ornamentation were the motifs at the time. In Ching dynasty, furniture design turned to richer ornamentation together with more coordinated engraved details. And in more modern days, most Chinese furniture designs are heavily influenced by the above two periods in history.

Since furniture has come in being, wood has been the major material used. With China ’s rich forest resources, it is nothing surprising. There are two main materials being used, lacquered and hardwood. Besides, bamboo and rattan furniture is also common in areas of warmer and sunnier weather.

The most frequently used woods in high quality furniture are huganhuali mu (yellow flower pear wood), jichi mu (phoenix tail or chicken wing wood) and zitan mu(dark-purple sandlewood).

Huanghuali mu was often used in both Ming and Ching dynasties. Huanghuali mu is one of the world’s most precious woods. It can reach up to 36 meters tall with a diameter of 1 meter. This wood is commonly found in Thailand , Burma and Vietnam . In ancient China , Huanghuali mu and Zitan were as precious and costly as gold and gem. Jichi mu is a kind of very hard wood. It is often found in Burma , Thailand , India and Vietnam . This type of wood is of even more rarity than both Huganhuali and Zitan. Its name came into being due to its feather-like pattern which resembles that of birds. Zitan mu is an extremely hard rosewood. This type of wood is just so hard and dense that it sinks in water. It is commonly found in America , Africa , India , Vietnam and Burma . It is said that it is very difficult for it to grow bigger than a diameter of 7 inches. That is why it is very difficult to get big trunks from this tree. It has a tree trunk of yellow color. But with enough exposure in the air, the yellow will change to dark red. It gives off fragrant smell and it is one of China ’s medicinal herbs. With a chair made of Zitan, people will receive good medicinal treatment by sitting on it.

For a long time, ancient Chinese furniture has been treasure of furniture aficionados. However, not much of what was produced in ancient China was kept because a piece of good work was not rated valuably. It was not until Ming and Ching dynasties that good pieces of furniture were valued and treasured by people. Even in the two periods, most furniture was either destroyed locally or looted by invaders from the West. In fact, similar situation lasted until recent China during the Communist revolution when communal chaos destroyed cabinets, chest and chairs for fuel and any possession of quality would be considered against the government at the time.

As a result, apart from the few items which managed to escape with their expatriate or diplomatic families to places like Hong Kong or to the West, a limited collection can be found in museums such as the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and the Palace Museum in Beijing .

In fact, with ancient Chinese furniture gaining more worldly attention and international status to its high quality and worth, prices of a true piece can command up to as much as one is willing to pay.

With increasing worldwide attention and appreciation, Chinese furniture is gaining its international position.

Asia Dragon is now offering its wide range of furniture design both in our website and our shop, The Oriental Centre, located in Headrow Centre, Leeds . As complement, we also provide home furnishing products, ornaments, accessories, clothes, kimonos and etc. Kindly visit our homepage or visit our shop in person and you will be surprised.

This article was produced by Asia Dragon. Visit us at http://www.asiadragon.co.uk where you will find authentic Oriental furniture, including Indian furniture, Chinese furniture plus Oriental rugs, soft furnishings and home d

Tags: asia, Burma, cabinets, chests, Chinese, furniture, India, mats, straw, thailand, Vietnam, Zitanasia, Burma, cabinets, chests, Chinese, furniture, India, mats, straw, thailand, Vietnam, Zitan

Share This