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derivative filename/jpeg
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363-05472 to 363-05475.pdf
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Digital Object Identifier
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363-05472 to 363-05475
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Title
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Article about Santa coming to Vietnamese orphanages
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Description
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Original title: "SANTA", Keever's title: "Santa Helicopters in to Saigon's 'orphanage without a Name'", Article about a Marine Corps project to send Santa to South Vietnamese orphanages in a helicopter, published by the New York Herald Tribune
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Transcript
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DEEPE
SANTA-1
dec. 23, 1964
SAICON--For a hundred Vietnamese orphanks, Santa came in
a helicopter this year.
The arrival of the red-flannel suited Santa in the torrid
tropical temperature brought gasps from the onel onlooking orphans
of "Ah! Ong Gia Noel--Old Man Christmas!"
5 629
as he stelp stepped out of
a U. S. Army "Heye "Huey" hello helicopter with sleigh-like runners.
For Christmas, the pilots, crews and mechanics of the
145th Aviation Battalion in Saigon--who normally spend their days
fighting Communist Viet Cong guerrillas--personally adopted for the
day 90 orphans from an "orphanage without a name" in the suburbs of
Saigon.
(More)
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deope
sente--2
doc. 23, 1964
"I think the GI's had more fun than the kids," idx Battl
Battalion Commander Lt. Col. Robert K. Cunninghan of Montgomery
Ala. laughed.
The youngsters arrived at the on white bungalow
compound of the helicopter companies singing in "Jingle Bells"
in English, although none of them could understand the language.
They were promotely given hamton haircuts and showers.
"It's the first shower some of them had ever taken," one
American crew chief laughed. "They stayed in their for 30 minutes and
didn't want to leave. I got as swot an Indom they did."
Thon their tattered ragmuffin clothes were changed..
The little girls wore transformed into Cinderellas with fluffy crispy
dresses of pinks and yellowhich the g OI's had arranged to have
personally custom-made by a Saigon tailor for each.
Cartoons of Pluto and Mickey Mouse were followed by a Christmas
dinner of hamburgers a la American, chocolate ice cream and frosted
onkos.
Then they were taken to Tan Son Nhut airport whir where for
the first time in their lives they saw jetz commercial jet airlinore and
American helicopters take off and land.
(More)
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doopo
canta-3
"It doesn't soon much like Christmas in this kind of weather,"
one young American crew chief said, wiping the sweat from his brow.
"Oh, mysikk I've been stationed in Goorgia and Alabama
for three years," another chimed in. My kids have never seen snow
so it isn't much different than hore."
A third laughod, "I m "My kids would kill me if I didn't
make them a onorman every year," a "oho 'copter pilot from New Hampshire
laughed.
suddnely Suddenly, over the rooftop flow a brown notallio
dragonfly of a helicoptor with a red-suited Santa with a jolly
laugh and unpadded homonim tummy.
Followed like a Piod Pipor by humimet tons of the children,
he quickly distribued from his toy sack (Army laundry bag) candy,
dolls for the little girls and tanks, gune-and oven Air Force
jotlinors for the little boys.
"At Christmastime we are even nice to the Air Force," one
helicopter pilot langhe laughod, alluding to the Air-Force-Army
fatim competition betmoon airplanes and fast-moving Army armed
helicopters.
man, is it hot in hore," said Santa (Sp/4 Marvin Spidlo,
213ound a crew chief of 213 pounds from Hagorstown, Maryland).
"I think I'm going to faint. This suit (custom-made in Saigon) is
hotter than fatigues,"
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deepe
Senta-4
But oven as the imputen Santa z honded out the
cifte, a fow high-ranking helicopter pilots slipped away for a
briefing on tomorrows secret mission against the Communist Viet Cong
guerrillas.
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Date
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1964, Dec. 23
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Subject
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Vietnam War, 1961-1975; Soldiers; Psychological warfare; Propaganda; Christmas; Children; Military helicopters; United States. Army; Civilians in war
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Location
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Saigon, South Vietnam
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Coordinates
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10.8231; 106.6311
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Size
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20 x 26 cm
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Container
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B187, F1
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Format
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dispatches
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Collection Number
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MS 363
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Collection Title
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Beverly Deepe Keever, Journalism Papers
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Creator
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Keever, Beverly Deepe
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Copyright Information
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These images are for educational use only. To inquire about usage or publication, please contact Archives & Special Collections.
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Publisher
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Archives & Special Collections, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries
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Language
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English
