2024-03-03 02:23:18
[The Epoch Times, March 2, 2024](Compiled by Epoch Times reporter Li Shixun) This is a story about friendship. During the Vietnam War, John Donohue, a former Marine veteran in New York, went to Vietnam alone just to cheer up his friends who were fighting on the front line. He brought beer with him and found these friends to have a drink with them. , cheer them on and let them relieve their homesickness.
This story was jokingly called “The Greatest Beer Run Ever” and was made into the movie “The Greatest Beer Run Ever” in 2022.
The protagonist of the story, Donahue, was born in Upper Manhattan, New York, in 1941. Although he served in the Marine Corps for four years, he did not see the war. After he retired, he served on the merchant ship.
Take on the impossible mission
As the Vietnam War intensified, many of his friends were on the front line. However, the anti-war wave in the United States was rising, and general public opinion was very unfriendly to the soldiers on the front line.
A bartender named George Lynch in the bar Donahue frequented was particularly supportive of the military and had organized several patriotic parades.
In November 1967, Lin learned from the newspaper that another anti-war march would be held in New York’s Central Park. He was dissatisfied and talked about it with Donahue. In order to avenge the injustice of his comrades on the front line, Lin proposed: ” It would be great if someone could go to Vietnam and give our brothers a bottle of beer.”
Donahue immediately volunteered to take over the task. He found a job on a merchant ship heading to Vietnam. Before departure, he met with several families of the soldiers he wanted to meet. After confirming the matters to be conveyed, he began this grand journey. .
When traveling in a war zone, I once had to fight with a gun.
The merchant ship sailed for two months and arrived at Quy Nhon Port in Vietnam. As soon as it docked, US military police came to patrol. Donahue looked at the numbers of these military police and said, “Huh? I’m looking for a good friend, Tom Collins.” ) Aren’t you in this company?”
After searching carefully, he immediately saw Collins. Collins was shocked when he saw Donahue: “Why are you here?” Donahue smiled and replied: “I came to see you.” After a while of warm greetings Finally, Donahue took out a bottle of wine and invited him to drink, and the two drank happily.
After that, they went to a different bar to renew their stall. In the bar, a tall soldier appeared. His armband showed that he was a member of the Air Cavalry Combat Regiment. Isn’t that the other friend Dugan Donahue was looking for? (Rick Duggan)’s unit?
So he went up and made up a touching story, “I’m looking for my brother, my mother just passed away…” and asked him to take him to the army. He hoped to meet Dugan…
Unexpectedly, he was actually taken to Dugan’s army. But Dugan’s troops were fighting on the northern front, and Donahue was attacked by enemy fire soon after arriving. Donahue was forced to pick up a gun to fight. He spent the night in shock. At that time, Donahue felt: “Maybe it was a mistake to come to the front line like this…”
Even so, Dugan was surprised and happy to see his friend suddenly appear. They drank beer together. Donahue and the field troops camped in the wilderness for a while. Dugan was worried about Donahue’s safety, so he invited him as soon as possible. The officer took him away.
He was taken on a helicopter and flew to Thuy Nhon Port, but the merchant ship that brought him had already left, so he was taken to Saigon City again. He found another friend and drank with him to reminisce about old times. Unfortunately, he encountered the Viet Cong insurgents. During the New Year Offensive, Saigon was severely attacked, but fortunately they were all fine.
After that, Donahue took another ship back to the United States, ending this grand journey.
The legendary story was made into a movie
On this trip to greet friends, he originally listed 6 friends who planned to visit the class, and he met four of them. Even so, his beer trip gave his friends a lot of encouragement and let them know that there were people in their hometown who were encouraging them. One of the friends he visited, Bob Pappas, said that he saw many brothers in the He was feeling depressed after suffering casualties on the battlefield, but seeing Donahue’s visit gave him hope, “I can make it home.”
Donahue’s story became something he shared drunkenly with his friends until a newspaper reporter discovered it, turned it into a book, and a documentary filmmaker made it into a short documentary. , which allowed his story to be seen by Hollywood producers and then made into a movie.
Directed by Peter Farrelly, the writer-director of “Happiness Green Book”, Peter Farrelly said that he was immediately attracted to the story when he heard it. “The story itself seems ridiculous on the surface. A man went to the hotel with a beer. Visiting friends in Vietnam is really exaggerated.”
References:
1. For the Love of Beer and His Buddies
2. The Unbelievable True Story of John ‘Chickie’ Donohue and ‘The Greatest Beer Run Ever’
3. Pabst Blue Ribbon Presents: The Greatest Beer Run Ever
Editor in charge: Qi Xin
1709464514
#Cheers #friendship #battlefield #deliver #beer #Vietnam #War #Drinking #wine #visit #friends #front #line #Greatest #Beer #Run