Notwithstanding what may have occurred the day or night before in the bush of South Vietnam, a good morning to me was the 0500 radio watch, country and western music at low volume (three chords and the truth), c-ration coffee with hardened powdered cream, a fresh chew of Red Man or a Toro cigar, and I was ready to fight another day.  Just like then, a glass of Courvoisier or Crown Royal and a cigar seems like supreme luxury.

Recently one night in Atlanta, Ernie Lopez bequeathed me with a box of Christian Eiora (CLE) cigars and a glass of Crown Royal and we sat by his fire pit and imbibed, and it reminded me of the Nam and how something so simple could be so pleasant.  Relaxing is a skill that I never really acquired, but this was close.

But times have changed.  Cigars are not politically correct in some company (I know there are health concerns but a man needs at least one vice), but in the day, if I had a box of cigars to share, they would be gone in a moment's notice and some Marine would steal the box.  In recent years, when I tried to give away some good cigars (great parents from the Dominican Republic would often bring me a box of cigars when they visited their boys at the Academy), there would be few takers.  Other than SgtMaj Sosa, Britt Daniel, and Kevin Guier, all were too health conscious or politically correct to partake.  How do you figure?