Pictures of Thailand 2000
In late August 2000, I joined Wendy Liles, John and Nancy Sweet, Les Thompson, and his son-in-law, Paul, for two weeks in Thailand. We spent 3-4 days in Bangkok, then started upcountry with our guide, Quan, and his driver. We went to Udorn for a visit to Tommy Thompson and the other members of VFW Memorial Post 10249. We visited several places that we contribute TLC Brotherhood Assistance Funds through Post 10249. On parts of our trip we were accompanied by Forrest Williams of Post 10249 and MacAlan Thompson, and his wife, Sunni.
The next day we left Udorn for Nong Khai, Thailand on the Mekong River. The following day, we went across to Vientiane, Laos. TLCB Member James Michener showed us around, including a visit he had arranged at the American Embassy. The next day we returned to Nong Khai for another night in the luxury hotel we'd stayed in earlier.
The following day we did some sightseeing, then joined Archbishop Khai for lunch at Sakhon Nakorn and a visit to the Thare orphanage. After a couple of hours of entertainment by the school band (playing instruments purchased the previous Christmas by the TLC Brotherhood) and dancers and talks to the student body about the TLCB and what we do, we were back into our air-conditioned van for a trip to Nakhon Phanom, where John, Les, and I had served in the 1960s. We spent 2 days visiting the airfield and the town, then headed south for Ubon, where Wendy's father had been assigned when he flew his last mission on an AC-130 that was shot down near Pakse, Laos in December of 1972.
The next morning, we visited the Royal Thai Air Force Base at Ubon. Thanks to Jim Traywick's efforts on our behalf, we were hosted by the Deputy Wing Commander. Wendy was able to get some of her questions answered regarding pictures her father had taken nearly 30 years earlier. That afternoon we traveled west to Nakhon Ratchasima, where many in the TLCB had served at Korat. We didn't visit the base because on the day we were available, the Chief of Staff of the Thai Air Force was retiring and the base didn't need any vagabond visitors such as we. The next morning, we visited a regular market, then went to a shopping mall that rivaled any I've visited in the United States. Later in the day, we returned to Bangkok for one or two more days before heading home.
These pictures chronicle many of our activities during those two weeks and should bring back memories to those who served in Thailand during the War in Southeast Asia.
My originals jpg files are larger than most of these on the web. If you have a need for a better copy than you're able to download from here, send me a note at my regular e-mail address or to jimmie@jimmiehbutler.com.