August 10 LZ Mary

All quiet on the western front. I’m not sure what is in this letter, but in the opening paragraph, it does indicate that it’s been quiet. So let’s do it.

“Dear mom, dad, Steve and Sue,                             Aug 10

Time again to let you know what’s going on. I’m happy to say ‘very little.’ The terrain is the worst I’ve ever been it, but at least we’ve made no enemy contact. 2 companies from our battalion have, but we haven’t as of this writing. My own condition seems to be getting worse. My teeth are getting worse, but I’ve talked to our senior medic and he’s going to try to get me in to see the dentist next time we hit the LZ, 4 days from now. The leeches are murder, but one tends to get used to them. My feet remain the same, and I’m sure that once I get out of here my athlete’s foot will clear up. Other than that, I guess there’s little to report on the Viet Nam front. Most of the action seems to be around the demilitarized zone. The lull is still going. No telling what the gooks are doing. But from the papers, the NVA are pushing in Laos and beginning to bug Thailand. These damn gooks are stirring up trouble all over, and I can’t understand why. I still don’t believe we should be here. The democrats are coming down on Nixon, saying there has been an increase in troops here rather than a decrease. But if Nixon gets our strength down to 515,000 by the end of the month, the demos will have to shut up. A major troop withdrawal isn’t an easy thing to do.

“As far as Ted Kennedy is concerned, they ought to fry the bastard, but as you say ‘money talks.’ Our country may be the best in the world, but I am ashamed of it because it could and should be much better. The things going on back there disgust me. I feel like our trip to Mexico will give me the time to iron out a lot of things in my mind and it should help me decide what path I will follow when our year of ‘life’ terminates.

“Dad, I really appreciated your letter. I should be coming home with around 1000 dollars. It’s difficult to look very far ahead, but if I work with you next summer, I should, or I hope to be able to make up the difference for what I’ll need to last that year in Mexico. Your poem says a lot and I wish you’d shown it to me a several years ago. Admitted – that a communications barrier did exist, but I hope it’s gone now. Success? Yes, I want to succeed. I want a good life. Success as life, liberty, and happiness is to me the most important definition of success. I don’t feel that I’m a radical, but I ride the liberal road.” That’s an interesting political world view I had established. Hope for Nixon to do right, hatred for anything Kennedy, but a professed liberal. Eventually, I sorted it out. “I’m still a young man and believe I have plenty of time to make the right decisions. Look at Norman, he decided too young and botched up his own life as well as that of his wife. I don’t want that to happen. I want to be sure when I make my decision as to what I’ll do. An education? I feel you’re overplaying its importance. It depends on the area one chooses to pursue. I plan on returning to school, but I hoped to have paved the way and made a start before I go back. What a waste of time and money to go back without knowing what I want to do.” I don’t remember who Norman was and I think I have the poem that dad sent to me. If I do and anyone is interested I’ll make it an addendum to a later letter.

“I said two thousand dollars on our Mexican trip. We’ve upped this to 2500 dollars just to be on the safe side. This includes everything we will need plus enough money to get home on should the whole thing turn out to be a bust. Dad, I’d sort of like you to be looking around for a decent pickup truck for me, preferably a ¾ ton, but a ½ ton should do the job. I’d like to get this for $500 or under. Ed and I will go half and half on the pickup. We plan to go in two trucks and since Mouse (Scott Adie) will supply a flat bed, we’ve not included him on the cost of the pickup. These two trucks will be our main form of transportation. Also each of us intends to buy a motorcycle – another $600 or $700 apiece. That will leave us a total of $4,500 for the year and that should be plenty. Our biggest expenses will be gasoline (generator, bikes, truck) and water (if we have to transport it from a nearby town). We hope to be able to find an acre or ½ acre of land with a stream running through it. Leasing land is a possibility, but we feel it would be just as cheap to buy it as rent it. These are things that we are now in the process of checking. Well, it’s getting dark so I’ll have to finish this up.”

This is the first time that I have run across Mouse’s name in many years. I had forgotten it and now I have the opportunity to see if I can find him if he’s still among the living. I’m also amazed at the plans we had made to go to Mexico. I suspect we had planned to go to Mexico to grow marijuana. My memory about this is really shaky so I can’t say that for sure. If I could find Ed or Mouse we could share thoughts about it, although I don’t think Ed and I parted on good terms. I may share more of that at a later date.

“I guess I told you about my letter mixup with Peni and Susan. No big problem. I don’t need either one, but it would be nice to take Peni to Mexico with me.” My feelings about this mix up we’re a lot stronger than I let on in the letters.

“One last thing for Stephen. I get the impression he is not enjoying his summer. Well, I sort of feel it’s his own fault. You don’t have to go boozing or partying all the time to have a good time. Did you ever think about girls? Swimming, boating, fishing – all have been at your disposal. But you let my boat rot, you never learned to sail. I know you work hard with dad. But mom writes and says you and dad take days off now and then. In bad weather you can’t work or if it gets to hot. Sometimes I imagine there are breaks between jobs. You can’t enjoy yourself if you don’t make the effort. Sitting around moping doesn’t help a bit. I’m not trying to preach. I’m just saying that it’s not really so hard to have a good time. Also, I’d like to see you go back to school. I don’t want the army to get you. What a bloody waste of two years. Endit. Love to all, Dave”

Considering what I went through in the 70’s I wish I had followed my own advice. Endit. I’ve added a couple of more pictures of Ed and Mouse.