Ballad of a Crystal Man from Album Fairytale, Donovan Leitch, 1965
Viet Nam your latest game, you’re playing with your blackest Queen
Damn your souls and curse your grins, I stand here in a fading dream
For seagull, I don’t want your wings, I don’t want your freedom in a lie
At 20, the 1st Boomer Queen actually WENT TO WAR! She served as a flight attendant (nee stewardess) flying US troops in and out of San Francisco via Travis AFB to one of several points in Viet Nam with overnights in Hawaii and the Philippines.
It wasn’t WAR she was after! It was the ADVENTURE of flying East and earning an income from that. A lover of travel, even now, some 50 years later, the cost to go East far exceeds heading West.
On her 6th trip (2/month) the Queen stood at the aircraft door at the top of the stairs staring out into the darkness. Service men already deplaned, she chatted with an AF officer while sipping coffee. During conversation he asked “do you know what a bunker is?”
“No” said the Queen and then he pointed to the edge of the runway where a small wooden hut sat … not much bigger than a dog house in the States. “IF you hear a siren,” he said, “run like hell to that bunker!” Within 30 seconds of his pointing, a siren blast heaved into the night sky so loud and profuse it lifted me off the ground!
Down the aircraft stairs I ran, Ann Klein skirt hiked up and heels clicking across the runway, I was last out of the aircraft and second one in the bunker! the first was a former German track star, Heidi, for whom no one was a match in speed.
As we ran across the runway we instantly became aware of a hand grabbing ours, and pulling us along. We each had a US service man looking out for us first, and themselves second.
Into the bunker we tumbled. The queen lost her shoes! Her rich brown Hawaiian tan was a bit scraped on her arm from the dive. She crouched with the hands of troops over her ears as the rockets went off, one, two and three. Finally quiet.
The Queen never took another trip into Viet Nam. Landing in condition ‘gray’ was too much and she put in for a transfer.
As she looks back on it all, there was a marked difference in the troops she brought in … and the ones going home.
Going in … nerves and lots of new, raised tattoos, and chatter.
One year later, going home … quiet … nervous hands, no talking, smoking and praying.
At that time the only females in Viet Nam other than the few medical staff, only stewardesses experienced war in this way.
Now some 50 years later, yet 11 years since we felt a sense of war and loss in our own country, the Queen is grateful that as a baby boomer she went to war so she could empathize today with those who suffered loss a short time ago.
The 1st Boomer Queen holds the light for those gone and those left behind that we never experience such an adventure again in our lifetime.
1st Boomer Queen 