Squirt

Ode to Squirt

Marine Wingers posted at Danang Airbase had access to the Air Force's roach coach. Each morning at 0900–1000 that boxy green truck would arrive, beep-beeping in front of a neighboring Air Force hangar (F4s). Alas, after my Marine F4 squadron (VMFA 115) moved to ChuLai, no more roach coach.

Workdays were 0600–1800, or vice-versa. I worked day crew during one 13-month tour plus three six-month extensions. I was a plane captain on the flight lines of 115 and later VMFA 122, which meant being outside all day every day, working atop white concrete with no cover, scant hair, no sun-block lotions to protect against skin cancer. Being from NJ, I always wore dark wraparound shades and (despite heat) my utility jacket. Have since developed basal-cell carcinoma (skin cancer) on areas not protected (gander neck, knobby gourd).

Anyway, as the Nam War escalated and more men and supplies arrived following successive buildups, daily life got a tad better (e.g., cold milk at chow halls instead of warm Kool-Aid). Some afternoons a fellow Marine from the flight-line shack would make a run to the one-room PX located about 100 yards from our hangar. At times we could buy a case of canned soda. Best yet was when the soda cans brought back from the PX were cold, and someone brought out three cold cans to myself and two fellow marines who worked VMFA 115's fuel pits.

No shade out there when sun was high, and no brass ass to kiss, so not many marines wanted to work "in the pits" — refueling Phantoms returned from sorties, pre-oiling their still-hot engines, packing drogue chutes, inspecting for battle damage, towing them (sometimes through the hot exhaust of engine-idling Phantoms) back to revetments or into the hangar, where marines worked in shelter shaded from Vietnam's sun and torrential rains.

We were all lean, young, and could hump 12 hours daily, seven days weekly in muggy-hot Nam. One began sweating soon after arriving at the flight-line shack at 0600. Canned lunch was often brought to us from chow hall when 115 was flying lotsa sorties daily, or when 115 had "hot pad" duty — F4s loaded and crews ready to launch ASAP in response to needs of grunts in the field.

By far the most popular canned soda available (on those afternoons that we were lucky) was a carbonated citrus drink that came in a green can and had yellow print. It was tangy yet easy to drink even though carbonated. It was so long ago (I left Nam in June 1969) that I'd even forgotten the soda's name — till last week.

While shopping at Safeway after Jade left for Seoul, I was strolling the soda aisle and saw a yellow can with red print named Squirt. That sounded familiar, so I looked and noticed each can had a blurb proclaiming, "Refreshing Citrus Taste."

Could it be? Hadn't seen that particular canned soda since leaving Nam, but then I've lived abroad for years. Bought a 6-pack a few days ago — but didn't try the first chilled can till after a two-hour tennis session. Wanted to sweat up a storm before trying Squirt so as to test it under conditions akin to those 12-hour days on ChuLai's blast-furnace flight line, when we were young, pure and capable of great deeds.

Came home from sweaty tennis, went right to the fridge, popped open a cold can of Squirt, closed eyes and downed half of it in one long, metaphysical swig. When I opened mein eyes, I was young again, back among fellow marines, launching and recovering warbirds amid

a thankless war.

* * *