A couple of weeks later we received a letter with our money enclosed, thanking us for our concern -- and then the gift paks started arriving!!

Each pak had something like a handkerchief, a half dozen envelopes, a tablet, a ball point pen, a bar of soap, a tube of shaving cream & a deck of cards -- all in a nice little ditty bag. Each of us received a couple dozen of the things, that we promptly passed out to our troops -- and were still getting them when we left Cam Ranh Bay for Sangley Point to decommission.

We gave a sackful of them to some beggar child in Cavite City before we left the Philippines. She thought she'd struck gold.

I've never met anyone else who ever heard of the things. They were a mighty fine conversation piece with the two of us though. I often wonder if the 'paks' are still going 'over there' addressed to the two of us...

Story submitted by AOC Bob Holdman