Whilst Bob Hope, his crew of 'idiot card' holders (he actually read from huge cards held up behind audiences) and his beautiful troop of young women such as Raquel Welsh, Anne Margaret and the odd miss world were entertaining allied military above ground around the country, another show was underway - below ground.
'Pham Sang' in the 'Theatre of the Earth' was singing to a small audience of Viet Cong combatants, he was there to reinforce the fighting spirit of the weary and homesick.
These activities were conducted of course in the most dreadful conditions below ground, cramped and stuffy to say the least, Lighting was provided by nut oil lamps
Sang continued to entertain over the years with other entertainers reported to be as many as 100.
At one stage Sang performed below the location of elements of the U.S. 25th Division whilst that unit was hurling 200,000 bombs a month at the district of Cu Chi. Containing part of the tunnels.
Sang also continued to write songs and entertain in whatever hole deep enough for them to conceal themselves. He evaded death on several occasions but lost his lifetime work during bombings.
Sang survived the war and after losing his wife he remarried and eventually he was appointed as a tax inspector.
The Australian Experience
Entertainers from many countries performed in South Vietnam, very few were seen by combat troops as we were often on operations and there obviously was no field entertainment apart what was handed out by the Viet Cong.
Rear echelon troops mainly benefited and were unkindly referred to as 'Basewhallas or 'Blanket Counters'
One group of entertainers as reported earlier were Australian draft dodgers.
All entertainers received a medal for their efforts and rightly so, it was no picnic for them as they also faced danger and discomfort.
The first Australian entertainer to appear in the war was lucky Starr and I remember Bobby limb, Pat Kennedy (The Big Pretzel) and the amazing Australian, Ingrid Hart who sang in eleven languages. Ingrid eventually had an entertainment business in Vietnam.
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Journeys with my Gun
Não FicçãoOverview 🦘My story will take you through my Army experiences including the dreadful inhumane mess that was the Vietnam War. Vietnam was mostly unknown to Australia before the war and whilst it is now a popular tourist destination, litt...
