December 1972. The base USO all lit up with all sorts of outdoor Christmas lights, (for the day), a large Santa and sled with the reindeer on top, and from the outside speakers, all osrts of Christmas music playing away, 24/7.
Now, on Christmas Eve, after dark, the sound of an approaching Kaman rescue helicopter becomes louder, until it hovers directly over the USO, at less than 100 feet above. All the local nationals working in the USO come running outside, chattering, because it is something that is foreign to them. what do they see? The helicopter is dropping chopped up ‘popcorn packaging’ as snow, all over the USO grounds and roof. Santa hangs out the open door and waves to all the American GI’s standing outside, and the helicopter lifts up and away, into the night. Later that night, Santa enters into the USO building, stopping and chatting with each GI there, giving them a little wrapped box. He makes his way through the building, with all the locals looking on as if we were all crazy, and he evens sstops with a few of them, to their amazement. He leaves the building, and the locals go running in search of him. No helicopter sound, no aircraft engine sound, no animal sound, just perfect silence, and no Santa to be found.
Such was Christmas Eve, December 25th, 1972, from RTNAF U-Tapao, Thailand, the only land based B-52 base in SouthEast Asia.