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| A tribute to the Military Police who served in Vietnam |
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| Copyright (c) 2001-2002 Military Police of the Vietnam War All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. Copyright (c) 2001-2002 INFANTRYMEN.NET All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. "Neither the United States Army nor any other component of the Department of Defense has approved, or endorsed, or authorized this product/service/activity in anyway." |
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| OTHER THINGS |
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| Above is the Military Payment Certificate, or MPC. This is how we got paid. I don't know why I walked out of the country with a ten dollar and five dollar bill in MPC as $15.00 was a lot of money back then. But, I now have it to share on this site. This was the currency we used in the PXs, Clubs, in lieu of the greenbacks. However, this did not stop the blackmarketing. Locals wanted greenbacks (real U.S. currency) to deposit in their bank accounts as MPC was not negotiable in local banks. The Piaster, below, was the Vietnamese money. To help the local economy the piaster and MPC exchange rate was almost equal in value. The going legal rate was about 125 Piaster for $1.00 MPC. However a local could give you as much as 3 times the value of their Piaster to get their hands on military MPC. They would then take that MPC (which was useless to them) and give you twice as much MPC for any greenback dollar you would give them. How would G.I.s get greenbacks? Simply have it sent from home. So a G.I. could take $300 in greenback, trade it to a local for $600 MPC, then take that $600 in MPC and get a money order for greenbacks and send it back home. That was part of the black market at work. |
| 200 piaster or about $1.50 in MPC. |
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| The photo at the left is a scene of the delta area south of Saigon. This is obviously the rainy season. Below gives you an idea of the crowded housing in Saigon. Photos courtesy of Jim Finnegan. See the links section for his website and book about the Saigon Warriors. |
| Saigon was originally built for a population of about 500,000 people, but during 1968 it was said that approximately 3 million plus lived in or around the city. At one time it was reported that there may have been as many as 5,000 AWOL soldiers/sailors in Saigon. Many AWOLS were have said to have become addicted to drugs and became involved in rationed item theft. Specific items in the PXs could be bought on limited basis, e.g., one television during a years tour. Ration cards were issued and when a purchase was made this item was "punched" out by the clerk. Many clerks worked in cahoots with these offenders and the same items were purchased over and over again then sold on the black market. Ration cards were also stolen out of "safes". I once arrested a soldier with over 100 unused ration cards in his possession. What happened to all the AWOLs when we left? If you couldn't find a particular item in the PX it was readily available on the black market. Same was true for military gear, e.g., the popular jungle fatigues and even military boots, canteens The black market was no secret. It operated openly on the streets of Saigon. Military Police were not allowed to confiscate these goods. Only the local customs police. This city kept the MPs very busy. |
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| ....Forever May She Wave.... |
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| Flag of the Republic of Vietnam |
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| The Virgin Mary overlooks a harbor in the beautiful port of Vung Tau. |
| If you look closely you will see a traffic light in the middle of this circle. This is a typical rush hour in Saigon. Running the red light was invented here. Below a merchant takes his ducks to market. Right a beautiful Vietnamese girl in traditional dress with her baby. |
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| Girls take a mid-day break from selling their wares. It was hot AND humid in Vietnam and an afternoon break, or siesta, was not out of the ordinary. Shops would even close up to get away from the mid-day heat. "Hey, G.I., you buy soap?" |
| Photo Jim Stewart |
| Photo Jim Stewart |
| Photo Jim Stewart |
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| Photo Jim Stewart |
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| The Slippery Rock String Band in front of the Meyerkord Hotel in Saigon, 1967. The band, left to right, Lee Cheney, Chuck McCabe, Bob Harvey, Mike Mendel. They toured with the USO. |
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