As mentioned in the previous letter regarding the action on March 29, that letter went to my brother Rob due to the sensitive information contained within. The letter of April 5th is a recap that I hoped would not scare my mom to death. It started like this: “Dear Mom, dad and Sue, Received your letter with the pictures Rob took yesterday and they were really great. Thanks a lot. The birthday cards have been rolling in. Mrs. Parker (Razz) even sent some cookies. Since they had raisins in them I just passed them around to the rest of the guys. We’re working from LZ Jessie right now. We were the first company in here and we had a bad time. There was a whole battalion of gooks in here. We didn’t realize that until today. We had six men killed, a bunch wounded, and a lot more heat casualties. I don’t know if I ever mentioned Marty to you, but he was killed on an assault into the tree line here. He only had a few days left here. He and I were pretty close. I lost another couple of pretty close buddies, too, but I’m thankful to be alive. Now the worst is over and there are only a few scattered remnants of gooks in the area. It was told to us today that between us and air strikes, over 104 gooks are laying out in that tree line dead. B Company was sent in to check it out, but they didn’t get very far because of the stench. I’m glad we made up for the guys we lost. Several others are back now, but a few received wounds that will get them sent back to the states. Gooks from another battalion were supposedly sent into the area to find out what happened to the battalion that was in here. We did them a job so now they are just trying to get out. In two weeks we will be moving again anyway – back to the Quan Loi area. Shouldn’t be too bad there. It’s a few miles farther from the border – and the area’s already been worked. We don’t expect much contact there.”
“Anyway, Jeff Wozniak, the LT and I put Marty in for a Distinguished Service Cross to add to his two Bronze Stars. What good are medals to his folks though. I’m sure they’d much rather have him. It’s time to forget now though. Thinking like that turns a man to jelly. Yes, I admit it, I cried long and hard when it was over. I couldn’t stop. But now it’s a thing of the past and I’ve got to start thinking of myself again. I intend to come home. I hope like hell that something will happen soon to end this war. I heard rumors about June. Anything to it?” My memory of the aftermath of this attack does not jibe with this letter. I honestly don’t remember crying when my friends were killed, but I don’t think I would have put it in the letter if it hadn’t happened. Have I blocked it out all these years? I have lost my mother, father, and my favorite aunts and grandmother. I don’t remember crying for any of them. I’ve actually wondered if I’m capable of empathy, but people who really know me think that it is ridiculous for me to think that way, including my therapist. PTSD works in strange ways.
To continue: “I want to thank you for the packages. They were both received. Mrs. Caughlin’s Newsletter came and I thanked her for it. In it she asked what we thought ought to be done about Otis AFB.” Otis AFB was a SAC Base during the Viet Nam War. Here’s what I told her: “I told her on the outside of the envelop that it should be turned into the town dump. There’s only a couple of infantrymen over here from the town of Bourne. I think Dick Sassone is one of them. She had my name in there also, said that I was fighting in the jungle near the Cambodian border, which is perfectly true.” Otis AFB actually did border the town dump, hence my comment about turning it into the dump. I actually served there for a few months when I got home. More on that much later if at all. I haven’t decided if I want to continue this blog when I reach the point of homecoming.
“We’re in the LZ now for a breather. We’ll be here for my birthday which is a lot better than being out there. I’ve taken some more pictures mostly of this LZ and the guys in the squad. Actually we’re in the rear, but you won’t believe it.” I’ll add another page with a couple of those pictures.
“Enclosed is little pamphlet about mailing packages to guys in Viet Nam. Hope it will help a little. You know what I’d like? Some more pens – they don’t last long in this climate – and the monthly issue of Playboy.” I can’t believe I asked for that, but there it is. “My watch is ruined and lost. It was left behind in the battle the other day. The whole area was hit by airstrikes when we withdrew. I may try to pick up a watch while I’m here. Nice ones are pretty cheap. I guess that’s about all I’ve got for now. Take care. I miss you all, love Dave. PS, that day we got hit hard, we had NBC newsmen with us. You may have seen us on TV.”
When I reproduced the letter to my brother, it wore on me emotionally. Putting this one in the blog did a number on me as well. As Longmier might have said, “Boy howdy!” See ya next week.