Buddy, the Thai Guy Neighbor in Surin-part 8

[Central Scrutinizer]

Buddy, the Thai Neighborhood Guy in Surin-part 8

 

 

Some Observations and Stories of Middle Class Thai Guys

 

 

 

 

 

One neighbor in particular who amuses and entertains me almost daily is EminEm, as I call him. He?s a crazy old coot. Something about his face and demeanor just remind me of that skinny white boy rap star, that, and his

foul language when he?s drunk. EminEm is an older guy, in his mid sixties. He?s a retired Thai Army lifer, career military for those who don't know the term "lifer", and lives a few houses down from me with his wife. I can

recognize his laugh without seeing him, and hear it from quite a distance too. It?s the laugh of a maniacal hyena it is. His laugh is very distinctive, and very loud, and is one of those laughs that grow on you after a while. You know what I mean. It?s one of those laughs that over time

always brings a smile to your own face, no matter how irritating or crazy it sounds. It?s infectuous, and many times I?ve seen others just walking in to one of our little beer drinking get-togethers start smiling broadly when

they hear EminEm?s obstreperous cackling. His laughter just seems to emanate from somewhere deep within him, and never seems forced or phony. He?s a happy man. He?s also a man who has killed many other men, up close, and personal. When he?s describing his tales of slaughter and throat slicing of his Viet Cong enemies of old to the truckling hangers-on who attend his nightly bullshit sessions in our shop is when his laughter is at its most sparkling cheerfulness. He?s happiest when telling, and acting out vigorously and adroitly, the part of his life?s play in the military of the Thailand government, and a raconteur without equal when speaking of the murders done in the name of King and country by himself as a younger man. Not for the squeamish these tales.

 

His favorite manner of dispatching a Viet Cong seems to have been the stealthy approach from behind through the jungle foliage and the slitting of the poor bastard?s throat with a bayonet. His face lights up when recounting

this particular means of execution of an enemy, and I can never feel comfortable when he?s behind me where I can?t see him for any considerable period of time. EminEm just seems to have taken much pleasure in his war days killing the enemies of his country, and mine actually. From what he

says he was, along with a group of his fellow Thai soldiers, working for, or with, my own US military, during the Vietnam War as we called it. I was in the US Navy myself at this time, so he sees me as a kindred soul. Glad to hear he was on our side actually. He says they worked for the CIA and with our special forces, and from what I understand his unit was an elite force of Thai special forces troops loaned to help my government fight the commies of North Vietnam and the spread of communism in Southeast Asia. From what I gather from the Thai men I?ve met and associated with in the LOS there seems to still be no love lost between the Thais and the Vietnamese. This being so, his vivid stories of death and destruction delivered by his hands to the Viet commies is greeted with great enthusiasm, and his mimed slaughter and throat cutting is cheered by his drunken band of brothers. I find the flat, blank, stoney eyed look in his black eyes that occasionally creeps into his face during his mimed murder of an enemy soldier as he gets drunker and drunker over a night?s time a bit disconcerting at times though, and

recognize it as the same look my friend Big Wayne gets when he is drunk enough to recount his tales of the death and killing done by himself and his brothers in arms during his two tours of duty in the Nam. It?s not a comforting look, unless they?re on your side I suppose. It?s amazing the

brutality we humans can impose upon each other for the ideologies of our governments.

 

EminEm loves Americans, of which I am one, and loves to sit around with me over a beer to chat, for which I am grateful. He says he had many American friends during the war, and was sad to see the Yanks go when the war was

stopped. I don?t think I?d want this bloodthirsty old coot as an enemy. He still seems to be in good enough shape to do some serious damage, and his spirit and blood thirst seems far from being slackened over the years. He

likes me, and I like him. He is a cheerful and outgoing guy, always waving and smiling whenever he spots me out and about around the neighborhood. If I ever was in a beef I?d want him by my side, no matter his age. An interesting, experienced, and deadly, old gent. One among the many Thai

people I?ve met there in the neighborhood.

 

 

(To be continued.)

 

 

 

Cent

(The Central Scrutinizer)

[Guest]

Good story telling Cent. Thanks.

 

I know several Viet Vets that live in LOS and some times the tales are truly scary, although in fact the real hardcore pros seldom speak of their 'missions', except amongst fellow comrades and even then often need large quantities of alcohol to relive these horrors.

 

And yes, just because we are older, does not make us less 'dangerous'

 

Hope to hear more about your community. ::

[Central Scrutinizer]

LHL,

 

Yeah. I've experienced the same thing. Most don't talk about it at all. My uncle (Mom's eldest brother) was a bonafide war hero in the big one, WW2. Wouldn't ever talk about it until just lately, and he's 80 years old now. Still has nightmares and wakes up yelling.

 

Yep, old guys can give the youngun's a surprise if they ain't too careful! :-) Keep tryin' to drill this into my youngestr son's head. "Be careful boy. You have no idea what a man has done, and can still do."

 

Cent

[MaiLuk]

One TG I know said her father was an officer in the thai army, shot dead at a young age on a road in Saigon. The whole village went to his funeral when the body was returned, "have many holes."

 

My guess is that quite a few thais fought alongside americans, and died. Sacrifices mostly forgotten now.

[Coss]

part 9, part 9, part 9

[Central Scrutinizer]

Coss,

 

Part nine may or may not get done before I leave for the LOS on Saturday. We'll see. I'm a bit harried and rushed to get a few things done for the trip back over. Should be in Surin Monday morning the 26th on Air Andaman flight. Will continue the story from the home turf anyway. More fresh tales from the neighborhood. I plan to get them all drunk and talking politics one night. Always good for a cheap thrill and a few laughs that political discussion stuff. :-) I intend on writing next about the ringleader of the drinking crowd, Mao Tse Drunk. (Guy looks just like the pictures of chairman Mao!) I've nicknamed him "The Chairman". Cause he's always gotta, well, never mind, I'll tell it in the story later.

 

Cent

 

p.s. Thanks Coss.

[Central Scrutinizer]

Mailuk,

 

I wonder how many Thais fought with us in the war? You know anything about their service and numbers there back then? Would love to hear some about their experiences and stories. Never read much about it, or heard much about the Thais from friends who served except the old joke about working on the Thai railroad during the war, ... laying Ties (Thais).

 

Cent