[Tom Vaught]

When I decided to return to college I was living in Michigan in a town called Kalamazoo. There is
a college there called Western Michigan University
that has an engineering program as well as an aviation program. I lived in the dorms for a year so I didn't have to cook and could get my act together for studying again. After a year, it was time to move. I cruised the Student Services bldg.
and found a Veteran who was advertising for a roommate. He had an 80 foot two bedroom trailer in a trailer court called El Rancho but everyone called it El Ranche! El Ranche was just down the hill from a great bar call "Wayside West".
The vets name was "Fred" and he had been an Army
interrogater in Vietnam. He was 6'9" tall and weighed in at 325, (All muscle). The VC in Nam were scared sh**less of him! "Fred" had lived next to this older guy, who was divorced and who owned a 67 corvette. He was using the corvette to hustle the young girls into bed but had recently acquired a live-in girlfriend named "Debbie". Our
gal "Debbie" liked to sun bathe topless behind the trailer on sunny days. We called the older guy "Zero" as he liked his sex rough. More than once in the night you could hear "Debbie" yelling and "Zero" beating her A$$. "Fred" did not care much for "Zero" and neither did I. Winter went by
and Spring was almost over and "Sun Bathing" time
was about to start. One night "Fred" and I hear
the uproar from next door and figure the "Debbie"
is getting her A$$ kicked again before the sex
starts for the night. "Fred" is watching the TV
on the couch and I am fixing dinner as it is my turn on KP. We hear this bang, there is a blur flying across the parking lot, and the next thing
I know the door flies open and "Debbie" is on the
floor of our trailer with no top and just her panties. "Help Me!" she says. The "Zero" had been
right behind her but he stopped at the screen door
to the trailer. I go to the door to see what the He** is going on. The "Zero" has his hand on the door and is looking at "Debbie" and me. I am only
6' tall and went 205 at that time so he thinks that he can get by me. He yanks open the trailer screen door. "Debbie" heads down the hallway to a bedroom, and I step aside. The "Zero" figured I
would put up a fight so he is a little confused but he kept coming. He rounds the corner and runs
into "Fred". "Fred" grabs him by the throat and
lifts him off the ground and the interrogation starts! "Why are you in my trailer?, Who gave you
permission to be in my trailer", Do you know what
I do to people who come into my trailer without
permission?, etc". Mr "Zero" is turning green and
not looking very good but "Fred" knows what he is
doing. He gives him a few more seconds and turns
him loose with the warning that "if he beats on
"Debbie" again he will break his leg". Now here
comes the kicker, "Debbie" feels sorry for "Zero"
and leaves our trailer to help him get his SH** back together. Things are calm for a few weeks.
One weekend I head to my uncle's home (Pontiac
dealer). When I come back on Sunday night, who do
I see but the "Zero" walking on crutches. It appears that he did not take "Fred's" warning as
seriously as he should have and had a little accident. Now "Zero" has no money to pay his doctor bills but he does have a 1966 convertible
GTO body from Ft Meyers, Florida that suddenly
he wants to sell. I gave him $600.00 for the
body and the GTO was mine. I later sold the car
to a Vietnam Veteran who had to sell his car when
he went off to war. I sold it for just what I
paid "Zero".

[Tom Vaught]

When I decided to return to college I was living in Michigan in a town called Kalamazoo. There is
a college there called Western Michigan University
that has an engineering program as well as an aviation program. I lived in the dorms for a year so I didn't have to cook and could get my act together for studying again. After a year, it was time to move. I cruised the Student Services bldg.
and found a Veteran who was advertising for a roommate. He had an 80 foot two bedroom trailer in a trailer court called El Rancho but everyone called it El Ranche! El Ranche was just down the hill from a great bar call "Wayside West".
The vets name was "Fred" and he had been an Army
interrogater in Vietnam. He was 6'9" tall and weighed in at 325, (All muscle). The VC in Nam were scared sh**less of him! "Fred" had lived next to this older guy, who was divorced and who owned a 67 corvette. He was using the corvette to hustle the young girls into bed but had recently acquired a live-in girlfriend named "Debbie". Our
gal "Debbie" liked to sun bathe topless behind the trailer on sunny days. We called the older guy "Zero" as he liked his sex rough. More than once in the night you could hear "Debbie" yelling and "Zero" beating her A$$. "Fred" did not care much for "Zero" and neither did I. Winter went by
and Spring was almost over and "Sun Bathing" time
was about to start. One night "Fred" and I hear
the uproar from next door and figure the "Debbie"
is getting her A$$ kicked again before the sex
starts for the night. "Fred" is watching the TV
on the couch and I am fixing dinner as it is my turn on KP. We hear this bang, there is a blur flying across the parking lot, and the next thing
I know the door flies open and "Debbie" is on the
floor of our trailer with no top and just her panties. "Help Me!" she says. The "Zero" had been
right behind her but he stopped at the screen door
to the trailer. I go to the door to see what the He** is going on. The "Zero" has his hand on the door and is looking at "Debbie" and me. I am only
6' tall and went 205 at that time so he thinks that he can get by me. He yanks open the trailer screen door. "Debbie" heads down the hallway to a bedroom, and I step aside. The "Zero" figured I
would put up a fight so he is a little confused but he kept coming. He rounds the corner and runs
into "Fred". "Fred" grabs him by the throat and
lifts him off the ground and the interrogation starts! "Why are you in my trailer?, Who gave you
permission to be in my trailer", Do you know what
I do to people who come into my trailer without
permission?, etc". Mr "Zero" is turning green and
not looking very good but "Fred" knows what he is
doing. He gives him a few more seconds and turns
him loose with the warning that "if he beats on
"Debbie" again he will break his leg". Now here
comes the kicker, "Debbie" feels sorry for "Zero"
and leaves our trailer to help him get his SH** back together. Things are calm for a few weeks.
One weekend I head to my uncle's home (Pontiac
dealer). When I come back on Sunday night, who do
I see but the "Zero" walking on crutches. It appears that he did not take "Fred's" warning as
seriously as he should have and had a little accident. Now "Zero" has no money to pay his doctor bills but he does have a 1966 convertible
GTO body from Ft Meyers, Florida that suddenly
he wants to sell. I gave him $600.00 for the
body and the GTO was mine. I later sold the car
to a Vietnam Veteran who had to sell his car when
he went off to war. I sold it for just what I
paid "Zero".

[David Holmberg]

ROTFLMAO! Great story.

[Goatman]

Ditto what David said. That's the funniest car "aquisition" story I ever heard!

[6567GTO]

Ha ha ha - Excellent story! LMAO!

[bigpop]

How did "Fred"make it inio the Army and then go to Vietnam when the military procurement standards stated that no one over 6'5" was eligible?Interesting.All the best bigpop

[Goatman]

Bigpop, as with all things in the military, then and now, if there is a need, there is a way. Obviously, the Army saw a demand for someone of Fred's size and demeanor and sounds like they used to him to their advantage.

[Tom Vaught]

It probably is no surprise to some that there are
several "Fred" type people that did or do work for the Army as interrogaters. I believe that one was killed up north in Afganistan recently. I
don't believe that he was a regular member of the
armed services either. Tom