Steve in the Shark EM Hootch

This picture of Steve was taken in the back of the Shark EM hootch where they had built a bar and trophy room.

Items hanging on the back wall are a 30 cal. machine gun and a bra and panties taken from the backpack of a VC nurse. These items were captured by a Shark gunner named Colley after the owners of this equipment got in the way of some Shark bullets. The item in the upper right corner of the picture is a fishing net float. They were made of different color glass balls and made make great room decorations.

Not pictured, off to the left, was an NVA pith helmet that Steve recovered from a lone NVA soldier that he spotted walking along a trail on their way back home from a mission.

"If anybody knows what happened to that NVA helmet after I left, please get in touch with me. I got wounded and sent home by way of medavac, and the helmet wasn't shipped home with the rest of my stuff. I'd sure like to have it."

(Photo property of Steve Ratcliffe)