The Most Beautiful Girl In Vietnam
"You're supposed to be so good with the women.
Let's see you score on this one!" Doug Didyoung, a French Linguist from Reading, PA, had just struck out as had every non-linguist in the Chez New York.
His challenge was daunting.
Ann Marie Lebrette was, without question, the most beautiful girl I had seen anywhere, let alone Vietnam.
A man would be a fool not to try, but every time someone spoke to her, English and now French, her reply was, "I no beit!" (I don't know!) My big advantage was that I was trained as a Vietnamese linguist in the Army Security Agency.
(To digress for a moment, the ASA never served in Vietnam [wink].
As we used to say, "We are not here.
We were never there.
We don't exist.
) In Vietnamese, Ann Marie was called "Hai".
I introduced myself in the lingua franca, and she had, of course, no opportunity to ignore me since she was obviously not deaf, I was a paying customer, and it was her mother's business (among many as I was to find out).
After a few visits, Hai and her friend Thi agreed to meet me at a lake just outside of Pleiku to swim.
GI's and Vietnamese often swam there for recreation, and Montagnards, indigenous to the Central Highlands, often hunted and fished in the area.
Hai and Thi arrived laughing and holding each other's hands, a common practice among close female and male friends in Southeast Asia.
I had brought my air mattress, so Thi and I strolled into the lake together, held onto the air mattress across from one another and talked for hours.
We met several times; the conversations became more intimate, and finally downright sexy.
Ann Marie's mother found out.
She had fallen in love with a French legionnaire in the 50s, and Ann Marie was the result.
When the French pulled out, so did the man with whom she had fallen in love.
She absolutely did not want the same thing to happen to her precious daughter.
Early on Hai told me that her mother, having heard about me, was no longer talking to her.
This was considered a major punishment in Vietnamese society.
She said, "That's okay because I have you to talk to.
" I had first become attracted to Ann Marie because of her beauty, and the fact that no other man could score with her, and the pride of responding to a challenge.
Now I was just in love with a woman whose internal beauty was every bit as stunning as her long dark hair; statuesque, European build; brown, sparkling eyes with that hint of Asia in the corners; and sweet, sweet lips.
I was starting my plans to give up my top secret/cryptologic security clearance to marry the girl of my dreams.
Across the lake, which was in a kind of huge crater, was a deserted beach area and up the hundred-foot cliff was a Buddhist nunnery.
Hai and I entered the lake as usual, began talking and kissing, while under the water my hand strayed to her thigh.
First time I'd ever touched her in a way that had sexual connotations.
She had a startled look on her face, I kept telling her how beautiful she was, and she melted.
I suggested we paddle to the further shore for privacy, and she agreed.
We began paddling...
WHHHEEEETTT! MP whistles.
"MILITARY POLICE! EVERYONE OUT OF THE WATER! THIS LAKE IS OFF LIMITS BY ORDER OF THE COMMANDING OFFICER! You've got to be kidding! How could something like this happen anywhere other than in a book? Sonofagun! We climbed up out of the water, toweled ourselves dry, and Hai and Thi walked off together talking in quiet tones.
That was the last time that I was with the most beautiful girl in Vietnam.
Thi was later able to get a message to me.
Apparently Ann Marie's mother knew all of the details, and, in a panic, forced relatives to take Ann Marie to Da Nang to work in another family business for three months until my tour of duty ended, and I returned to the United States.
There are no medals for a broken heart.
Let's see you score on this one!" Doug Didyoung, a French Linguist from Reading, PA, had just struck out as had every non-linguist in the Chez New York.
His challenge was daunting.
Ann Marie Lebrette was, without question, the most beautiful girl I had seen anywhere, let alone Vietnam.
A man would be a fool not to try, but every time someone spoke to her, English and now French, her reply was, "I no beit!" (I don't know!) My big advantage was that I was trained as a Vietnamese linguist in the Army Security Agency.
(To digress for a moment, the ASA never served in Vietnam [wink].
As we used to say, "We are not here.
We were never there.
We don't exist.
) In Vietnamese, Ann Marie was called "Hai".
I introduced myself in the lingua franca, and she had, of course, no opportunity to ignore me since she was obviously not deaf, I was a paying customer, and it was her mother's business (among many as I was to find out).
After a few visits, Hai and her friend Thi agreed to meet me at a lake just outside of Pleiku to swim.
GI's and Vietnamese often swam there for recreation, and Montagnards, indigenous to the Central Highlands, often hunted and fished in the area.
Hai and Thi arrived laughing and holding each other's hands, a common practice among close female and male friends in Southeast Asia.
I had brought my air mattress, so Thi and I strolled into the lake together, held onto the air mattress across from one another and talked for hours.
We met several times; the conversations became more intimate, and finally downright sexy.
Ann Marie's mother found out.
She had fallen in love with a French legionnaire in the 50s, and Ann Marie was the result.
When the French pulled out, so did the man with whom she had fallen in love.
She absolutely did not want the same thing to happen to her precious daughter.
Early on Hai told me that her mother, having heard about me, was no longer talking to her.
This was considered a major punishment in Vietnamese society.
She said, "That's okay because I have you to talk to.
" I had first become attracted to Ann Marie because of her beauty, and the fact that no other man could score with her, and the pride of responding to a challenge.
Now I was just in love with a woman whose internal beauty was every bit as stunning as her long dark hair; statuesque, European build; brown, sparkling eyes with that hint of Asia in the corners; and sweet, sweet lips.
I was starting my plans to give up my top secret/cryptologic security clearance to marry the girl of my dreams.
Across the lake, which was in a kind of huge crater, was a deserted beach area and up the hundred-foot cliff was a Buddhist nunnery.
Hai and I entered the lake as usual, began talking and kissing, while under the water my hand strayed to her thigh.
First time I'd ever touched her in a way that had sexual connotations.
She had a startled look on her face, I kept telling her how beautiful she was, and she melted.
I suggested we paddle to the further shore for privacy, and she agreed.
We began paddling...
WHHHEEEETTT! MP whistles.
"MILITARY POLICE! EVERYONE OUT OF THE WATER! THIS LAKE IS OFF LIMITS BY ORDER OF THE COMMANDING OFFICER! You've got to be kidding! How could something like this happen anywhere other than in a book? Sonofagun! We climbed up out of the water, toweled ourselves dry, and Hai and Thi walked off together talking in quiet tones.
That was the last time that I was with the most beautiful girl in Vietnam.
Thi was later able to get a message to me.
Apparently Ann Marie's mother knew all of the details, and, in a panic, forced relatives to take Ann Marie to Da Nang to work in another family business for three months until my tour of duty ended, and I returned to the United States.
There are no medals for a broken heart.
Source...