Tom Guardia has toilet paper streaming from his helmet and I cannot remember what was going on but am sure it was to make us laugh. After a few months in Vietnam men became lethargic and lost motivation; the French termed this “the caffard”. Laughter was the second best treatment; leaving Vietnam was the real cure.

Laughter was the best relief from the tension, fear, and hyper alertness. Lack of sleep often manifested as “the thousand yard stare”. Laughter was a relief valve on the pot of tensions created by living as we did.