“I was bussed back to Bien Hoa airport, and left there for here, Tan An. I’m assigned to the 3rd Bde of the 9th Inf Div… it is due to be pulled out in July… Most Vietnamese women wear black pants, sometimes with a skirt over them, and a blouse…. Quite a few men and [...]
… signed up for a $100 a month savings withdrawal from my pay. This is the soldiers savings account that pays 10% interest compounded quarterly…
“Tan An. I drew bunker guard again last night… We have to call in on the half hour so they know we are awake… You crank the telephone and wait for them to answer, then say This is bunker 3, negative sit rep, over.”” They say, “”Roger that, out.”” Negative sit rep stands for no [...]
“Haven’t got an address yet… gave us one to use here so we could get the letter out of the country. It is Friday here I think, I’m already loosing track. I got here the 1st and both nights I spent on bunker guard so I haven’t had much sleep until today. I laid down [...]
“The movies here are alright, but sometimes the guy running the projector isn’t too smart.”
Tunnels of Cu Chi. Alpha is inserted at night on top of what would become the famous Tunnels of Cu Chi. Remain several days and lose two men KIA while killing more of them than they did us. All in sight of the 25th basecamp at Cu Chi.
“I found out why I am pulling guard so much…There is a slowdown of people coming here from the 90th Replacement… The way things look, this outfit might pull out in July.”
Looks like I’ll move today or tomorrow morning to the main camp across Tan An village.
“FSB Chamberlain. I was moved to A Co, 6/31 at Ben Luc yesterday… Company A is in base camp [Ben Luc] right now, and we [3rd platoon] are suppose to go back there tomorrow… I pulled perimeter guard at Ben Luc last night… Some guys say that it is less dangerous to be around Charlie [...]
I don’t have much time to write but I can let you know my address. ….takes about 5 days to get across one way. I’m at Ben Luc….I suppose I’ll be on guard again tonight. Was last night out at F.S.B. Chamberlain.
“Leaving today for Fire Support Base Chamberlain….return day after tomorrow….going to pull security…finally got a bunk in base camp….out at Chamberlain before for a briefing by the Bn. Commander. When we got back we got another briefing by the company C.O….didn’t have to pull guard… Went to a movie, had a few beers and got [...]
“FSB Chamberlain. We are here again for a couple of days, the 3rd platoon that is, not the company. Bravo company is already here. I went to a movie last night, “”It’s Tuesday, so it must be Belgium.”””” Tonight ambush patrol.”
“FSB Chamberlain. We are sleeping in today. We will go out again tonight. I carry just my rifle, ammunition,canteen,a claymore mine,and 100 rounds of ammo for the machine gun. I can carry grenades if I want, but I don’t like them really, so I don’t carry any.”
“FSB Chamberlain. Guess we don’t go back to Ben Luc… Bravo Co is moving back to Ben Luc, and there isn’t enough room for more than one company until the new barracks are completed. We pulled security for a MEDCAP operation in a village a little way from here last night. That was only an [...]
“…We’ve been away from Ben Luc for 6 days. Now we are at the Sugar Mill pulling berm guard and road security… My socks and pants practically stand up by themselves. I’ve made 5 insertions by chopper now… For the last 4 days we have been working the 25th Div area, while they have been [...]
“Ben Luc. After spending 2 days at FSB Chamberlain, we were trucked out to Cu Chi. We choppered out of there and dropped at night by mistake into a swamp up to our hips. [Seems like we walked for hours in mud and water, before finding a dry spot to spend the night. Told that [...]
“Ben Luc. We left on foot at noon and walked out to a nearby village, sat in the shade and then walked back. It’s 2:30 now… The laundry and barber shop are with the Gook shop in the same building… There is a shop here that does pictures and paintings from pictures… Later I think [...]
“Finally got a night’s sleep on a mattress without mosquitoes humming anywhere. By now I could go to sleep on a bed of nails. Ben Luc is really being built up. An air conditioned NCO club going up and several barracks ….plus other buildings. Things pretty quiet. Working in our own area and the 25th [...]
“Ben Luc. Didn’t go out today. I’m sleeping in a different barracks than the platoon and they didn’t come get me this morning… I had a good time last night…I got two steaks off the barbecue and plenty of beer, then went over to the movie and had a little more beer there. The movie [...]
“Ben Luc. Going out for three days. I guess we get a boat ride part way… Today I have to carry out 400 rounds of M-60 ammo, besides a claymore mine, 15 magazines of M-16 ammo, 2 meals of C rations, 2 canteens, my poncho and poncho liner, pistol belt, flak jacket and steel pot. [...]
“Ben Luc. …Boy am I pooped. We had to walk through all sorts of swamp to get to the boats to get out of there… Besides that we didn’t have any water. I ran out night before last, got one canteen yesterday and that was it… We are going on another 3 day operation again [...]
“Got two of your letters when I got back. I’m beat …walking around in swamps for 3 days. Didn’t make contact until this morning. Another platoon got sniper fire. No one got hurt, but they tore up the area the shots came from….made me mad…it delayed us getting out of there by an hour and [...]
Eagle Flight. Chopper insertion near My Tho. Dusted off with several others.
“Thought I would tell you first I got shrapnel wound and wasn’t seriously hurt. I figured if Mom heard it in a letter she would pass out before she got far enough to read I’m all right….were in IV Corp area around Dang An yesterday morning….our squad’s pointman, Y, ran into a V.C. Y got [...]
“Ben Luc. …got here about 4:40 pm. My platoon isn’t here, they went up to FSB Gettysburg… E the Tiger Scout came back with me; the other two G.I.’s stayed [at 3rd Field Hospital]… According to my papers at the hospital I got hurt at My Tho.”””
“Got back yesterday from 3rd fld. Hosp.at Tan Son Nhut (Saigon),…stitches out tomorrow so I’m loafing…threw away my clothes at hospital…got complete new set including new boots. Just got the 9th Div patch sewed on other shirt and pants tapered…have to do it all over again. I’ll let you do the camping out when I [...]
