The People You Meet in Udon

A friend of ours was in town last week, visiting from a teaching stint in China, and I gave him a 48hour tour of Udon/Nongkai. One of the brief stops we made was at the big ordained bodhi tree that's on the same road as the main post office and just behind the Municipal Health Office.
While we were there, a man came over to talk...speaking decent English. He was missing all the fingers on his left hand. I asked him where he learned English, and he said he was in the Thai Army fighting in Vietnam. He said that he was paid 6000 baht a month, which was a ton of money back in the late 60's/early 70's. He said that some of his superiors paid him for each head of a communist he cut off. And then he related the story of how the communists had captured him and cut off all the fingers on his left hand.
Unfortunately I didn't write down his name....but he said he drives a tuk tuk and often parks in that area. I believe he told me he was 68 years old. He spoke with no regrets about what he had done in Vietnam nor about what was done to him.
Although I took my friend to see the bodhi tree, meeting up with this guy made for an even better story/photo.

yes I met the fella years ago. He was with the Royal Thai Black Panthers Division 1967 -72 I think, ( or it could have been the Queens Cobra's).. they were all volunteers, even had some monks in the ranks..they were paid and mostly supplied by the US..The Thai govt was orginally going to send these guys to NE Thailand to fight the insurgents there, in order to get some training, but that fell thru as things were already in motion in Bearcat VN, supplies support and stuff, and awaiting thier arrival..they came over in two groups of 5000 men, who relieved the Queens Cobra's who were already there since about 64, if my old brain serves me right..they were army, navy and airforce, and were good soldiers, especially at night..yes he does now drive a tuk tuk.

Thanks much for the additional insight! The guy's story is interesting enough for me to invite him for a lahb lunch. I doubt much has been written down by Thais about that time in history.

Very interesting, maybe you could start a Journal. Wonder if he has any Mates who were there at the same time ??

I remeber the airforce side was called Victory, they started in 64, with a handful of pilots training in T33's and later had a couple of C123, and four or five Thai pilots flew C 47's with the South Viet AirForce.
The volunteer army side was called Bearcat, of around 11,500 guys, mainly stationed in low priority areas becuas eof thier volunteer non regular status.. They came under the 9th US, but later had thier own HQ, MP's, Long Range Group, 105 howis, motorised platoons, even a shrink team..
The navy had three ships in the threatre, and they were called Sea Horse..They could have given more, but there was the fear at the time that Thailand might get invaded by sea, and also that to take out several 1000 regular troops from the army, when the communists in tyhe NE, and things next door were hotting up, would deplete the Thai forces to much. However, the yanks wanted the Thai's in Vietnam to show other SE Asian countries that their asian brothers were stepping up to the plate so to speak..I remeber there was abit of a stink because they wanted M14, and the Koreans only had M1's, so they ended up giving them M2's..Indeed, they were better supplied than most other Free world forces involved, and some US regiments..
I know that Thai volunteers fought alongside the Royal Lao Army on the Plains du Jarres during the Lao Civil war, but whether they were also Black Panthers I was never to sure..

First into East Timor were Australia and Thailand

Yes Thailand and Australia have had a long military association going back to August 1945..Australian forces fought alongside the Black Panthers during Vietnam..The Royal Thai Army also fought in Korea in 1950 -53, and as you say were later in East Timor..

just as a side note..My son's uncle Brigadier T. Drinnian ( now Ret ) was head of all forces in East Timor before he handed over to Lt.Gen Cosgrove ( Aus )

Makka "I know that Thai volunteers fought alongside the Royal Lao Army on the Plains du Jarres during the Lao Civil war, but whether they were also Black Panthers I was never to sure"

There was a significant involvement in cross-border "black ops", both unilaterally and with US "teams", all the way back to the split of Laos post 1954. The Thais are perfectly happy to keep the ops under wraps and I don't even know if the history is written down anywhere,,,,,,,,,,, but given the Thai love of bureaucracy and paperwork with multiple stamps, I suspect it is moldering away somewhere in a bin,,,,,,,,

The Thai veteran in Nong Khai looks like he may be of Vietnamese stock,,,,,,,, not unusual for the area.

cheers, LL

Rodger that Sky Man

I am aware of the role played by White Star, Cigar, Fats and others.
I just couldnt remember if the LOS that fought in Laos also called themselves Black Panthers, same as those in Bearcat.
I no that when the NVA attacked Muong Soui landing strip, the US feared it would fall, which would not have gone down well with the Royal Lao Govt at the time.. I know the US convinced LOS to send in a 300 strong artillery team to strengthen up Muong Soui, but they were later choppered out, alongwith the Neutralists in July 69, when the NVA finally overran the place with tanks..

After that incident LOS became worried that its men would get caught in Laos, thereby causing international problems because LOS had signed the Geneva Accord, to have no military involvement in Laos..so they pulled out their regulars, and then formed a ' volunteer ' force.

The numbers for this force were hammered out in BKK, and the LOS Army was given with the task of recruiting these fellas, and it was left up to the Unit Commanders to fill the quota. The volunteers were then trained at Koke Kranthiem, and formed into battalions. Most of them fought and died on the Plains du Jarres at fixed firebases named Tom Tom, King Kong, Rossini etc etc..they were surrounded in the end, and would have been left there to die if it had not been for Whitestar and Cigar.

As far as I know the LOS finally pulled out of Laos in May 74, two weeks before the last yank, however, having said that I remember a C 130 did go back to Alternate in 75 to haul out White Star and others..

Parrot you will have to fill us in after your little luncheon. The little fellow when I talked to him years ago was quite open, but I did notice he kept looking over his shoulder