My job with the Navy in Vietnam involved overseeing all the computer and other management information systems used to manage the massive construction contract between the Navy and our contractor, RMK-BRJ. It was complex, with 50,000 construction workers building hundreds of projects: airfields and airports, deep draft ports, roads and bridges, communication systems and buildings of every variety. We had a large mainframe computer in Saigon processing the data and reports and a backup computer in Bangkok to ensure that there was daily backup of all data in case of a catastrophic loss in Saigon. Loads of computer tapes were flown daily from Saigon to Bangkok. The backup computer had lots of unused time available and sometimes a project team would go to Bangkok to complete development and testing of new and modified systems.
I was part of a four-man team sent to Bangkok for 8 days on such a project. My good friends and fellow Naval Officers Ken Vasilik and Joddy Peer went with me, as well as our lead analyst, Andy Chung. We worked during the day and put in jobs, went to dinner, came back and resubmitted jobs, then went out for the nightlife of Bangkok, returning to the computer center before hitting the sack early in the morning. Lots of fun as described in the attached letter I sent home.
