Border Popcorn!
Sep 29, 2020 18:44:47 #
During Word War II, and after, up until around 1962, there was U.S. Air Force bases in Harlingen, Mission. and Laredo, Texas. Many young pilots earned their wings after learning to fly within sight of Mexico.
I was assigned as a pharmaceutical representative to the Rio Grande Valley just as these bases had been closed for budget cutting purposes, I suppose. It was before or as we had just become involved with Viet Nam and I suppose the powers that be did not think we would be needing as many pilots. Either that, or the political pressure required a more equally distributed bases due to political forces.
One friend I had in the Rotary Club of Houston had been a bomber pilot in WW II and had been a senior pilot and trained others at the Harlingen AFB. His wife was also a pilot and would daily fly out over the Gulf of Mexico towing targets for other bomber crews to practice their gunnery skills. She said it was really annoying to come back to land and discover a lot of new bullet holes in her aircraft!
The base in Mission was north about 10 miles out in ranch country and there was also one in Laredo, Texas. I am not sure but believe these last two were for training fighter pilots. All these bases, being near Mexico had to deal with problems of sexually transmitted diseases.
Our firm, Lederle Laboratories had been the first to discover and market a broad-spectrum antibiotic that was effective against gonorrhea, syphilis and such. The product was called Aureomycin and soon got the nickname of “border popcorn” because the capsules were bright yellow and every time you thought about it, you popped a pill in your mouth!
Since the entire area was a river delta, it was flat and featureless, covered with citrus trees or cotton farms. It was not unusual for student pilots to get lost and the only way they could re-orient themselves was to do a fly by of the small towns water towers and read the name of the town, thus finding out where they were. To the east was the Gulf of Mexico and to the south was the Rio Grande and completely off limits.
There was also a saying that if one wanted to learn Spanish, the best way was to sleep with a dictionary!
The closing of all three of these bases had a severe economic effect on the towns where they were located. When I was moved there to take over and work that territory, I first looked for a home in Harlingen. There were entire blocks of empty homes! I could not logically see living on a street and be the only resident on the entire block. The economic impact was less noticeable in McAllen and that is where I rented a home.
I was told not to buy a home since it wasn’t conclusive that the area could support a salesman given the loss of the three military bases and the drastic effect that had on the area. However, I quickly demonstrated the area was economically sound and was quickly rebounding. As a side note, I have made more money is buying and selling my personal residences because of my many transfers than from any other source.
Today, with the Maquiladoras and other economic activity, the entire area is one of the fasting growing areas in the state. Just Sayin…RJS
I was assigned as a pharmaceutical representative to the Rio Grande Valley just as these bases had been closed for budget cutting purposes, I suppose. It was before or as we had just become involved with Viet Nam and I suppose the powers that be did not think we would be needing as many pilots. Either that, or the political pressure required a more equally distributed bases due to political forces.
One friend I had in the Rotary Club of Houston had been a bomber pilot in WW II and had been a senior pilot and trained others at the Harlingen AFB. His wife was also a pilot and would daily fly out over the Gulf of Mexico towing targets for other bomber crews to practice their gunnery skills. She said it was really annoying to come back to land and discover a lot of new bullet holes in her aircraft!
The base in Mission was north about 10 miles out in ranch country and there was also one in Laredo, Texas. I am not sure but believe these last two were for training fighter pilots. All these bases, being near Mexico had to deal with problems of sexually transmitted diseases.
Our firm, Lederle Laboratories had been the first to discover and market a broad-spectrum antibiotic that was effective against gonorrhea, syphilis and such. The product was called Aureomycin and soon got the nickname of “border popcorn” because the capsules were bright yellow and every time you thought about it, you popped a pill in your mouth!
Since the entire area was a river delta, it was flat and featureless, covered with citrus trees or cotton farms. It was not unusual for student pilots to get lost and the only way they could re-orient themselves was to do a fly by of the small towns water towers and read the name of the town, thus finding out where they were. To the east was the Gulf of Mexico and to the south was the Rio Grande and completely off limits.
There was also a saying that if one wanted to learn Spanish, the best way was to sleep with a dictionary!
The closing of all three of these bases had a severe economic effect on the towns where they were located. When I was moved there to take over and work that territory, I first looked for a home in Harlingen. There were entire blocks of empty homes! I could not logically see living on a street and be the only resident on the entire block. The economic impact was less noticeable in McAllen and that is where I rented a home.
I was told not to buy a home since it wasn’t conclusive that the area could support a salesman given the loss of the three military bases and the drastic effect that had on the area. However, I quickly demonstrated the area was economically sound and was quickly rebounding. As a side note, I have made more money is buying and selling my personal residences because of my many transfers than from any other source.
Today, with the Maquiladoras and other economic activity, the entire area is one of the fasting growing areas in the state. Just Sayin…RJS
Sep 29, 2020 19:08:44 #
Robert J Samples wrote:
During Word War II, and after, up until around 196... (show quote)
Gotta make some money somehow.
Sep 29, 2020 19:10:14 #
Robert J Samples wrote:
During Word War II, and after, up until around 196... (show quote)
A good read, thanks, RJS
Sep 29, 2020 19:16:19 #
Sep 29, 2020 19:55:55 #
RJS I could listen to your stories for hours.
You remind me I’d a dear friend. I could listen to his fishing stories for hours too. Had to hear repeats a lot but every now and then heard fresh material that was captivating
You sir have led an interesting life. Keep the stories Comming. I for one as well as many others I’m sure look forward to them
You remind me I’d a dear friend. I could listen to his fishing stories for hours too. Had to hear repeats a lot but every now and then heard fresh material that was captivating
You sir have led an interesting life. Keep the stories Comming. I for one as well as many others I’m sure look forward to them
Sep 29, 2020 20:38:43 #
Well, we are planning on comming to the Meet and Greet, and hope the Covid-19 has disappeared by then. I will be glad to spin a few yarns, tell some Bull shipping tales, as long as no one throws any beer bottles at me. Just Sayin...RJS
Sep 29, 2020 20:56:57 #
Robert J Samples wrote:
Well, we are planning on comming to the Meet and Greet, and hope the Covid-19 has disappeared by then. I will be glad to spin a few yarns, tell some Bull shipping tales, as long as no one throws any beer bottles at me. Just Sayin...RJS
Whiskey bottles (empty) be alright then?🥴
Sep 29, 2020 21:11:35 #
No! You guys may be just like the audiences that attended the beer joints out of Fort Worth on the Jacksboro highway. They had to put up wire screens to protect the performers, like Willie and Waylon in their early years. Well, maybe tomatos, even rotton one's are o.k. if my stories are deemed to be to merit such treatment.
I can only remember being heckled once in my life. In the 1960's I had taken some training and was on the list to do speeches for the Pharmaceutical Assn., since I was a salesman for one of the companies. I was doing my dog and pony show at a Rotary Club when a visitor, not a member, interruptred and challenged something i had said. He had his facts wrong, but still a surprise.
Before I could come back with a rebuttal other members of the club challenged him and his comments. All of which bailed me out. Just Sayin...RJS
I can only remember being heckled once in my life. In the 1960's I had taken some training and was on the list to do speeches for the Pharmaceutical Assn., since I was a salesman for one of the companies. I was doing my dog and pony show at a Rotary Club when a visitor, not a member, interruptred and challenged something i had said. He had his facts wrong, but still a surprise.
Before I could come back with a rebuttal other members of the club challenged him and his comments. All of which bailed me out. Just Sayin...RJS
Sep 29, 2020 23:02:57 #
We would not do that to you - at least I sure wouldn’t! Was just funning you with my comment. Take care and keep them coming.
Sep 30, 2020 12:44:09 #
Sep 30, 2020 17:58:00 #
RJS: By the time Vietnam got going your pills were left on the bars at all the clubs in 500 pill capacity jars! We all referred to them as 'no sweat' pills.
Sep 30, 2020 18:57:47 #
So all you were lucky it was before AIDS. When I was in School and a young adult it was not something to take a pill ...eat hot buttered popcorn to get rid of it. Lucky I was to find a good lady at a young age and not worry about all that. Hot Buttered Popcorn was always good at the Movies sitting next to her when we were young. No DR visits...no extra itch should be telling you something feeling. :)
Sep 30, 2020 22:03:05 #
Jeremy wrote:
So all you were lucky it was before AIDS. When I was in School and a young adult it was not something to take a pill ...eat hot buttered popcorn to get rid of it. Lucky I was to find a good lady at a young age and not worry about all that. Hot Buttered Popcorn was always good at the Movies sitting next to her when we were young. No DR visits...no extra itch should be telling you something feeling. :)
Despite pills and condoms at the clubs and clinics throughout Vietnam there was always some of the troops who didn't show for duty as they were at the "clap clinic'. They'd get shots, told not to do it again and get sent back to duty. If they missed a day they had to make it up by forfeiting their day off. In '65 there were many teenagers who had never been with a woman before (how times have changed) and they went sampling.
Sep 30, 2020 22:13:10 #
It figures. Now locally there is an argument if sex Ed should happen in schools. In my opinion its a no brainer. The no brainers are saying it should NOT be happening. I had it in school and never got the cooties. I will consider it is because so many no brainers fight for things that it appears there is so many still out there with no brains. Then they reproduce.
Oct 1, 2020 02:03:47 #
GSMJr
Loc: SoCal> Pflugerville (Austin), TX
Robert J Samples wrote:
During Word War II, and after, ... Just Sayin…RJS
Thanks for another interesting story, Bob
As a great storyteller you have shown us that life can be interesting both in working and life in general.
Garry
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