The letter from August 6th is a bitch and moan letter. Enclosed in the letter was a news article about attacks on Tay Ninh and LZ Ike from which we were working at the time. LZ Ike was hit hard as I think I mentioned in a previous letter, but we were not at the LZ when it was hit. The article was dated June 20th just 15 days after Max was killed. As I mentioned in the last letter we had been moved out of the immediate area around Tay Ninh.
“Dear mom and dad, Aug 6th.
This army stinks! Things continue to get worse and worse. I can’t even mail my damn letters anymore. We’re operating in triple canopy jungle and we’re not getting supplied like we used to – only once every 4 days. Tomorrow we’re due to be resupplied, but we’re not near any clearings, so we have to take a ‘kick out’. In a kick out the bird hovers at least 50 feet in the air and they kick out our food and water. Almost everyone is out of cigarettes. I’ve never seen our sundries kicked out. But they damn sure better get them to us.
“I’m also almost out of mosquito repellent (we use it get leeches off as well as for its intended purpose). I’m also almost out of heat tabs and C-4 (a composition which burns and usually cooks our add water type dehydrated food called LURPS). Bah! I’m fed up. Things just get worse and worse – I can’t believe the crap and stupidity. Our CO just continues to brown nose the battalion commander so he can make major. It doesn’t matter how many of us suffer as long as he gets his rank. He’s got the responsibility for better than 100 men, and he damn sure can do more for us than he has.” I’m not sure about this, but I believe our previous CO got shot in the ass during the action in March in which Marty was killed. “I’d like to throw a hand grenade in his hootch. If I wasn’t getting so short, I’d probably do something about it. But with 116 days to go, I guess I can put up with the crud.
“Oh yeah! I expect to bring home about $7,000. Is that ok? I’ve got a leave coming up in about 55 days and plan to take 400-500 dollars with me. I won’t buy any more clothes except what I will need there, but I may buy a camera and, if possible, a portable stereo. I don’t have one, and I think since I’ll have 5 months left in the army that it might be a nice thing to have.
“Also – I’ve been put in for sargeant – but again, I don’t know if I’ll get it. The money would be nice and you don’t get hassled so much back in the states as an NCO, so it would be nice to get it. If I don’t, then s’en loi!
“Still at LZ Mary. We’re due to secure it on the 13th of this month. Until then I’ll have to endure the leeches, bamboo vipers, mosquitoes, red dirt, rain, jungle rot, and athlete’s foot (my teeth are beginning to hurt). I’ll try to see a dentist before I get home, but I don’t know if I’ll be able to.
“Well, hope things are ok with you all. I didn’t get a letter from you the last time we got mail. Summer is almost over. Steve, you going back to school? If you are I’ll stop by on my way home.”
Remember the Peni – Susan saga? I told you I’d tell you about it down the road. Well, it’s down the road time. To the best of my knowledge, folks don’t use this phrase any more, but here goes. “I pulled another boner. Mixed up letters – Peni and Susan’s. Susan wrote me a hate letter, so I guess I won’t be seeing her again.” When I got out of the army and went back to TCU, I tried to find her. I went to Dallas at the address I had for her, but no one was home and I got chased away by a cop. “We all got a kick out of the letter. Everyone was very sympathetic. Guess Peni’s will come next and I can chalk her off. But I’m not sure that she actually got Susan’s. Well, I should find out tomorrow when they kick out our mail from 100 feet. I guess that’s it for now. Love, Dave” I’ve added a picture of Peni. I don’t have any of Susan. The next letter is from August 10th, and I wrote some unkind words about Ted Kennedy. Watch out, my politics were showing. See ya next week. Oh, and I should add that the phrase s’en loi used in the letter means stuff happens or it is what it is. And spoiler alert, I never got that 7 day leave in Bangkok.
Wow. Actually, OMG. It’s hard to read how little regard the Army had for “you,” Dave, and “you,” all soldiers there. It must have hurt your mother’s heart to read what horrific conditions you were enduring. It hurts mine to read it today.
I am thoroughly impressed that you’ve saved $7,000. That should have gone a long way toward your post-Army plan! According to my “friend” Siri, “adjusted for inflation, $7,000 in 1968 is equal to $57,570 in 2022.”
Easy to understand how in the conditions you were experiencing you could have mixed up letters! I’m sad to know you didn’t get a seven-day leave! I’m guessing the relationship with Peni faded in those emotionally turbulent times.