When I was Nights Trick Chief at the Pleiku Army CommCenter, I’d stop at Club 21 (down the page) every night for supper, and would buy a couple dozen cans of pop (soda) to toss in the CommCenter’s fridge so my staff could have something to drink during the long overnight shift. Partly this was because I wanted the pop m’self; partly it was just courtesy for my hard-working specialists.
For several weeks–this would be in late summer or fall of 1971–all I could get was Fresca, a drink that basically no-one liked. The explanation we were offered involved a ship full of the stuff which had arrived at the port; suddenly there was nothing in the supply chain for the PXs except Fresca, so that’s what they had available.
As explanations go, that raises more questions than it answers. If you know a better explanation, please comment below. Thanks.