Two-Step Charlie, Over
A non-venomous snake that squeezes its prey to death isn’t the biggest worry about the slithery species that soldiers had to worry about in Vietnam. No, there was a much smaller little guy that scared the wits out of men walking through the tall grass in Hanoi. Known as a “two step”, the krait snake would strike after just 2 steps near it, before you’d know what was going on, and its toxic bite would kill a man in mere seconds.
Bringing A Little Soul to the Jungle
Sammy Davis, Jr. was famously against the war in Vietnam, but when the President asked him if he’d be up for the challenge of traveling overseas to perform for the soldiers, Sammy’s answer was an immediate yes. Much like many other performers who would tour to entertain the troops, agreeing with war wasn’t hand-in-hand with being there for the soldiers when they needed it the most.
Auditioning for Doughnuts
The Donut Dollies actually had higher standards for joining and being active in the Red Cross than the boys in the military. The Red Cross Supplemental Recreational Activities Overseas (SRAO) initiative set the rules—the girls had to be completely higher-level educated (college graduates), 25 years or older, and come with several letters of recommendation from prominently recognized U.S. citizens. Higher than average physical exams also had to be passed, along with someone subjectively deciding on whether or not these girls has what was deemed “outstanding personality”.
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