Amb. Quinn explains that holidays took on a special meaning in Vietnam. He recalls two specific Thanksgivings that are still special memories for him. The first in November 1968 occurred in Saigon just a few days after he had arrived. Alone and with no one to share Thanksgiving, he went to the USO facility. The second came two years later in Duc Ton when he shared a traditional banquet with his team members and other U.S. Military personnel who provided support to their mission. After dinner, he diverted a helicopter so he could personally deliver a full turkey with all the trimmings to his U.S. mobile MAT advisory team, which was mired in waist-deep water in a remote part of their district.
THE ARCHIVE OF AMBASSADOR KENNETH M. QUINN
FROM THE MISSISSIPPI TO THE MEKONG