Military Police of the Vietnam War

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SAIGON TEA

As in all wars there were the girls. For economic reasons many
young girls went to work in the bars. Many of the girls were
married, had Vietnamese boyfriends, or had American boyfriends
that they lived with.   Selling "Saigon Tea" was quite profitable for
them. The drink was nothing more than a kool-aid flavored drink
(most of the girls did not drink or smoke), mostly no bigger than a
shot glass. (Quicker to drink that way).   The cost of the "tea"
usually ran about one to two dollars. The girl split the cost with the
bar owner, so it could be a lucrative income for a young 17-20 year
old girl. Typically a girl would sit with a G.I. and get him plastered,
of course, only with the Saigon Tea coming to the table for her. An
"excuse me" would usually mean she was off to another table and
another G.I. (out of sight) to tell him he was "handsome" too and to
order more tea.

In Saigon MPs usually were in and around the bars at curfew time
as many girls simply got up from their patrons and walked out the
front door and got into a cab, on the back of a scooter, and went
home.   This left many a G.I. just a bit upset as his hopes of further
entertainment had just been dashed.

Of course there were prostitutes as in all wars, and there was a
distinction with many of the bar girls who were pushing drinks for a
living and actually had normal lives away from the bars.

My good friend Tom
Likely with the 552nd
MP Company. Here
with a local bar girl in
Bien Hoa.
The girls really liked the
MPs because they kept
the bars safe when there
was trouble.

Off duty MPs had the
luxury of sitting with the
girls and not having to
worry about buying
"tea".

Two pretty Vietnamese girls perform with a band at a club on the
Long Binh Army Base. School girls in Saigon substitute traditional
dress for mini skirts.

Above, and unknown 527th MP looks like he's died and gone to heaven. Me
and a little kid in the town of Bien Hoa. I remember this tough little street
kid who came to the International Hotel to con us out of food, money, soap

I caught this local Vietnamese Police Officer "hitting" on a girl on a bike at a traffic
light. He didn't realize it and then gave me a coy smile as if he had been caught. A
Vietnamese motorcycle cop. I was issued a traffic ticket when I was a civilian worker.
I wasn't driving, but a passenger in the back of a jeep driven by a Vietnamese driver
who had forgotten his license. . I just happened to be the only one with a license, so he
wrote me the ticket. Figure that one out. A nice judge did let me off the hook, however.
Office worker in beautiful traditional Vietnamese dress and another pretty secretary.

John Prahl, 552nd
MPs tries to get a
shy shop girl in Bien
Hoa to look at the
camera for a picture.

Right: Bob Morrison
was with the 716th
MPs and stayed on
in Saigon to work as
a civilian. We both
worked as
investigators for
AAFES.
Bob poses with one
of the secretaries. I
recalled we called
her Sweet Pea.
(1969)

Taken while on patrol with the 527th MPs
in Saigon, a young girl carries her little
sister. Taking a break from the
oppressive heat and humidity. It was not
uncommon for all shops to close down
between noon and 3 o'clock to reopen
later because of the heat.