Policing Saigon

Policing Saigon isn’t Platoon or Apocalypse Now, but rather the story of bestselling author Loren W. Christensen's experience as a military policeman (MP) in a city of millions at a time when chaos and fear reigned.As a 23-year-old from a small town in Washington State, the author was plunged into a chaotic city of brawling servicemen, prostitutes, racial violence, enemy rockets, riots, and death. It was a place that would give him a unique opportunity to see up close a different side of the Vietnam War and its effect on the human condition.Nearly 80 stories collectively convey the author’s experiences and his arc—from naive to jaded, angry, confused, anxious, and bone-weary exhausted—that is representative of so many GIs who served in the Vietnam War as well as those veterans of today’s conflicts around the globe.* “A true warrior and a gifted and prolific author, Loren gives the reader a deep and illuminating insight into his experience that changed his life and subsequently led him toward helping others through his writing. Policing Saigon is a powerful book.”Lt. Col. Dave Grossman* Military Policeman Loren Christensen takes the reader on a gritty, moving, and intense ride-a-along in Saigon, Vietnam.K.F., Afghanistan War veteranTable of ContentsIntroductionPART THE FIRST FEW DAYSChap 1: Flying thereChap 2: Door gunners and policing for cigarette buttsChap 3: Welcome to SaigonChap 4: PythonChap 5: Culture shockChap 6: Dead men’s gearPART "ROUTINE DAYS"Chap 7: Day after dayChap 8: EODChap 9: SkylightChap 10: CobraChap 11: Bob HopeChap 12: Papa-san and the ammo truckChap 13: Dead mama-sanChap 14: Jail windowChap 15: “Karate number one”Chap 16: SampsonChap 17: 100-P alleyChap 18: 200-P alleyChap 19: The swimming poolChap 20: “Dance to the Music”Chap 21: DrugsChap 22: Tracer roundsChap 23: Puff the magic dragonChap 24: Almost a coupChap 25: Vietnam bluesChap 26: TensionChap 27: A shaky forkChap 28: Illusions of reliefChap 29: Korean MarinesChap 30: AFVN “Goooooood morning, Vietnaaaaaam”Chap 31: “I’m not a crook”Chap 32: Running Code 3Chap 33: FireChap 34: RiotChap 35: Power and a deadly mixChap 36: The visionChap 37: ScreamsChap 38: Meyerkord HotelChap 39: Resisting arrestChap 40: LettersChap 41: One GI who went home and came right backPART LOSING ITChap 42: SilencerChap 43: HangmanChap 44: Johnny Walker BlackChap 45: Escaped prisonerChap 46: The punchChap 47: Death of the spiritChap 48: GrenadePART PROSTITUTESChap 49: “Boom-boom number one”Chap 50: ClapChap 51: PeterPART THE INDIGENOUSChap 52: A fellow martial artistChap 53: A most excellent shotChap 54: “Everybody’s talkin’ ‘bout me”Chap 55: China girlChap 56: Date nightChap 57: The old gravediggerChap 58: Altered the Buddhist templeChap 59: Dog sex and an alligator babyPART STREET CHILDRENChap 60: A Tu Do paperboyChap 61: Cemetery kidsChap 62: Country kidsPART THE FIRST YEARChap 63: “We gotta get out of this place”Chap 64: Mom and dadChap 65: “You’re home now”Chap 66: Small adjustmentsChap 67: Martial artsChap 68: “Your name Christensen?”Chap 69: First-year triggersPART TEN YEARS AFTERChap 70: Some talked about, some didn’tChap 71: “I have to get more guns”Chap 72: The power of smellPART 40 YEARS LATERChap 73: Recognizing and RecognitionChap 74: Vietnamese at homeChap 75: Agent And the hits just keep on comin’Chap 76: Fire, blood, and paintChap 77: Army vet spends his days comforting the dyingConclusion