Dave's Vietnam Pics

Remember Funny Money?


Remember the "funny money" we were paid during the war in Vietnam? I guess there were good reasons, although I never knew what they were. I do know this though, it was a lot easier to carry because of the fact that the change was also paper.

In our unit most of us sent money home every payday. We didn't need to keep much because we were in the field most of the time, where we couldn't spend it anyway. When I got home I asked my wife where the money was. She said, "What money?" Seems that someone in the rear intercepted it somehow.

25 Cents I think my biggest expense in the field was the sodas that I bought. Sometimes on re-supply day the top sergeant would have cases of beer and soda sent out. We ordered what we wanted on one re-supply day, and the next we got the stuff. I think I would order about six cans, because I couldn't carry more along with the nine meals, water, ammo, etc. Some of the guys could carry more beer than you could imagine.


I never had much use for Vietnamese money. In fact I can't remember ever buying anything with it. I'm pretty sure that the locals took the US government script, and of course, dollars. Actually they preferred dollars, and maybe that's why we were paid in script.


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