Back in January of this year I posted an entertaining blurb about fishing with hand grenades. It’s far easier that it sounds if one is careful.

https://asknod.wordpress.com/2012/01/24/dupont-spinners/

At the end I mentioned the irascible problem of converting local currencies (Kip or Baht) into greenbacks. Simply put, you couldn’t. The military was well aware that they had to control the black market, if for no other reason than to prevent GIs from stealing everything that wasn’t nailed down.

Being the entrepreneur that I was, I tried to convert baht for greenbacks at a bank off base at Udorn and almost landed in jail over it. I avoided an Article 15 by testifying that the currency was obtained by gambling on Beta (fighting fish). When I got my orders for Laos, I started piling up Baht (and then Kip) in alarmingly large amounts. My deliverance came quite by accident. Several AirAm pilots had “off the books enterprises” and readily told me how to cure the problem. I had to laugh at how easy it was. On one of our resupply missions which I always volunteered for, I hopped the embassy C-46 (with air-conditioning, no less) and headed south . I caught the C-130 Klong flight that went down to Bangkok daily.

A short taxi ride over to the Swiss Embassy for 12 Baht (60¢) and all my troubles were over. I walked in with about $650.00 the first trip. Thai currency’s largest denomination was a 100 Baht note ($5.00 US) so I was carrying a big wad of currency. The Swiss were more than willing to accept my deposits of both Kip and Baht at par and charged me nothing for the new numbered account.

By the time I left in May 1972 I had amassed in excess of $12K thanks to my local friends who were eager to purchase stereo, cigarettes and liquor. Similarly, I ended up with lots more from 30 round clips for M-16s which my sister sent me. The military had none then and they were a hot ticket. The canned spray cheese (needs no refrigeration) and Tabasco were also winners. As an example, a fifth of JW Black sold at the Class VI store for $12.00. I could sell it off base for $40 bucks all day long. A Sony or Teac reel to reel out of the PACEX catalog? $229.00. Offbase- $400.00. To avoid imperial entanglements, I had to have help ordering all this so I took a small hit for “dealer prep., destination and handling fees”. I’d have the holder of the ration card buy the stereo with my money and take possession when it arrived.

When I arrived at my new duty station at Edwards AFB in the Mojave Desert, I checked in with the Swiss Consulate in Los Angeles and they were more than happy to make me whole again-for a small handling fee, naturally.

The teaching lesson here is elementary. Laws were made for the rank and file. In order to succeed in life, you need a plan. Mine fell into my lap quite by accident although I had considered mailing all the Baht and Kip back to my sister at one point. I prefer to think that what I did was perfectly legal. Were it not, I’m sure the Swiss Embassy personnel would have brought it to my attention.

 As a P.S. to this, I just received an email from WGM who obviously comprehends how an AF mind works. Someone even went to far as to summarize this wisdom…