Connections to Lebanon

The driver picked me up from the airport.

He asked, "Where you coming from?"

I said, "Lebanon."

He said, "Tell me. Is the St. George Hotel still there?"

Stunned, I said, "Yes, but it's not been repaired or renovated since the war. Are you Lebanese?"

He said, "No, no. I served in the US Navy and was sent to Lebanon in 1958. The whole 6th fleet was there. From the beach, it was battleships, boats, and aircraft carriers as far as the eye could see. We boarded the beach and there were all these women in bikinis all over and guys selling stuff. We didn't see any war going on. All we saw were people enjoying themselves. We couldn't tell who the enemy was. From our view, it didn't seem like there were any.
"I got one of those checkered things in a shopping district near the St. George."

We kept talking. He didn't seem to know anything about Lebanon post-1958. It was quite an interesting conversation.