A Lighter Moment in Vietnam

I was stationed as one of 2 soils analysts (MOS 51G20) with the 45th Engineer Group at the south end of the Hai Van Pass on Highway 1 between DaNang and Phu Bai.

Erosion was a major problem on the road through the Pass. "Figure out how to stabilize that road", we were ordered.

Establishing vegetation on eroding slopes seemed to be a logical answer. There was no military issue seed of any kind available and only a thin type of spray-on asphalt "mulch".

We managed to acquire a bag of locally grown rice and proceeded to put in some test plots on a steep cut bank in the company area, using various combinations of seeding rates and "mulch" applications. 

An older Vietnamese man, who worked on the base, noticed our efforts. Although he spoke no English, and we understood no Vietnamese, he made it quite clear that we were all as dumb as a box of hammers for trying to grow rice on a steep hillside. He was absolutely right of course.

Shortly thereafter, our unit moved up north to Phu Bai and we moved on to other projects. I suspect erosion control efforts might have ended with that ill-fated rice "crop".