When I was in Bangkok, Thailand, in 1961, the nightlife was pretty laid back. It mainly catered to merchant marines and sailors who came to port there. But, unfortunately, there was a sailor who did get an unwanted tonsillectomy at one of the older clubs.
We got told we were in the country as unofficial ambassadors and not allowed to go into Bangkok until the second month. After that, we had strict orders ‘do not get in any trouble.’
As the Vietnam War continued to escalate in the following years, our troops got sent to Bangkok for R&R’s ‘rest and relaxation’ trips. As the war escalated, Bangkok nightlife escalated to a frenzy. The term R&R should have been replaced with H&E before the war ended. The H&E would stand for ‘hungover and exhausted.’
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