August 18th Still in the Boonies

I watch a baseball game and I see a player hit a home run, or a pitcher get a big strike out and I see both players put their forefingers together and look to the sky. I assume they are thanking God for their good fortune. I’ve also heard it said that “There are no atheists in foxholes.” I don’t know if there is a God or not, but I do know that I survived a war. I don’t know if there is or was any reason for my survival. I do know that better men than I did not survive this war. I did then and still do now believe that survival was all a matter of either being in the right place at the right time or being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Why bring this up again? Read on.

“Dear Mom, dad, Steve and Sue, August 18

By the time you get this summer will be just about over, and Steve, I’m glad to hear that your will be going back to school. I’m planning to stop by and see Steve on my way home, maybe spend a couple of days in Fort Worth.

“We’ve been in the field for about 28 straight days, so I haven’t seen any packages yet, and not much mail. Everything is foxtrot uniformed. We can’t get enough supplies . But it doesn’t bother me much because we’re finally back at Phuoc Vinh. We ran a little securing and blocking force mission when An Loc was hit. The gooks I guess have been going crazy. They attacked LZ Barbara where we were a month ago and got inside the perimeter. They also hit LZ Becky north of Ike and played hell with our guys there. Song Be, An Loc, Tay Ninh, Quan Loi were also hit hard. Intelligence says this is part of a three phase offensive, and supposedly if it doesn’t work, the NVA will pull out, but you never know. But happily here we sit in Phuoc Vinh with no one shooting at us. We’re due to be here for 4-6 weeks. That’s just about ½ of my remaining tour so things don’t look too bad, right? I’ve been put in for E-5, sargeant, but don’t have any word on it yet, nor on my leave which I’ll probably get in Oct or early November.

“Sports – the Sox failed to come through, and Joe Namath and his boys beat the allstars. Football season approaches and I hope the Patriots come through. I’m also going with Dandy Don Meredith and the Cowboys again. Otherwise there is not much happening. Our mail is traveling over Viet Nam trying to catch up with us, possibly tomorrow.

“I’ve got two more rolls of film for you, but I may hang onto them until I come home. Enclosed is a snap taken at LZ Barbara just after we got there in July. Also enclosed is a bunch of garbage showing you how I sometimes spend my spare time. The bungalow diagrams are an idea of what we’re planning on living in when we go to Mexico. You sure jumped in my Sierra about me asking Peni. I realize that you were very serious in your attack, but I couldn’t help laughing. I won’t mention any more about it now, but it should be fun to talk about later. And I can’t believe that dad shares your view. I’d have to hear it from him. If dad and I are so much alike, I know he sympathizes with me. Guess that’s about I’ve got for now. Let’s just hope the war stays away from Phuoc Vinh for awhile. Love to all, Dave.”

We were in the right place at the right time when all those places I mentioned in the letter were being hit. We had our really bad luck in March and June and somehow I managed to come through all that without a scratch. I am not attaching the picture taken at LZ Barbara mentioned in the letter because it was not in the envelope and I don’t remember which picture it was. I AM adding to this letter a couple of drawings I made of our hoped for bungalow in Mexico. I don’t think my parents were crazy about our plan to go to there, let alone inviting Peni along. I still hadn’t heard from her about the letter mix up. Also in this letter and the last one I substituted radio jargon instead of the words I would normally use. Guess that came from me being a radio telephone operator at the time. And finally: on my way home I did not get the opportunity to stop in Fort Worth to see Steve and other friends.