![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
Biên Hòa, Việt Nam - Soldier with his Budweiser at a company barbeque -
Drunkenness & alcoholism could put a soldier in Army rehab, removed from duty, discharged or jail.
Peak physical/mental performance and vigilance are basic necessities in a war zone. Intoxicants were mostly forbidden in the field, alerts, or while on any duty.
Off duty, at clubs, & only in safe areas was alcohol consumption allowed.
Soldiers had tear off ration chits which were used at the PX to make purchases of most any kind of hard liquor and beer.
The popular beers I saw at the air base in giant pallets were Falstaff, Budweiser, and Pabst Blue Ribbon.
I am sure breweries had a lucrative business. Beer was always warm, even hot, refrigeration was a premium, and trying to cool it took considerable effort obtaining ice.
Those hot beers in cans tasted awful, like aluminium. The Vietnamese had their own brands of beer.
I remember one named "33" a company, I learned, originally started by the French, brewed in Saigon and was made from rice.
Potent Vietnamese rice wine was available and also in what I can only describe as FDA unapproved exotic variations.
For example "snake wine" w/ a snake in the bottle. Soda, American soft drinks, the same aluminum taste applies as in beer.
The Vietnamese bottled Coca-Cola was excellent - think Mexican Coke. - 1970
©
| comment | |