I think that a perceptive reader may be able to discern my moods as I recreate these letters to my family. While I don’t remember specifically, I think I was not in a great place when I uploaded the last one. Today I just finished my vibration platform work out, spent some time on the phone with AAA and am rarin’ to go. This is a short letter where I’m all over the place politically. Raised a Republican, I see a slight shift to the left in this letter. I actually gave the nomination speech for Barry Goldwater at my high school election assembly. ‘AuH20 in 64. In your heart you know he’s right.’ Little did I know then that I would run for Congress as a Democrat 48 years later. Let’s dive right in.
“Dear mom, dad, Rob & Sue Oct 17 Cu Chi
I just got through reading yesterday’s paper and one of the topics flying around is the Moratorium demonstration.” I think the paper that was available to us was the Army Times. “I just wanted to write and let you know some of my own feelings on it. I believe in the demonstration. Nixon disgusts me. He is elected to represent the majority of the people of the United States. Yet he refuses to let this Moratorium influence him. This makes me feel he is being a traitor to this country because from what I’ve heard the people in the demonstration are representing the majority of the people in the country. I’m of course under the impression that this is not merely a hippy or student demonstration.
“But now on Nixon’s side, if the people expect an ‘honorable’ solution to this war and don’t want our country to ‘lose face’ with the rest of the world, then they should rally behind his Vietnam policy. As far as I’m concerned, reaction against the war in the states is keeping the Paris Peace Talks in a stalemated condition. As long as there is dissension in the states, Hanoi will make no concessions at the peace talks. Right now there is a relative lull in the ground fighting. We all believe that the gooks are building up for another offensive. The dissension in the states is keeping the fighting spirit of the NVA alive. Either we have to have an immediate pull-out (which I prefer) or we have to unite behind Nixon’s policy in Vietnam which of course calls for a gradual pull-out as Vietnamese forces become strong enough to fight their own battles. I believe that Nixon is stalling as the South Vietnamese will never be strong enough to control the NVA tide. This war is eventually going down the tube whether we pull out now or later. I personally believe that we should begin bombing North Vietnam again. So much for my opinion of the war.
“Tomorrow I go to Cam Ranh Bay for awhile. They told me one or two weeks, but with my DEROS coming up in 6 weeks a lot can happen. Just have to wait and see. None of my mail has caught me yet and I don’t imagine it will for quite awhile. I sure do miss it, but such is life. Guess that’s all I’ve got. Take care. Love to all, Dave”
The date between this letter and the last one is 11 days. That’s a lot of time between letters and it appears I have moved from Tay Ninh to Cu Chi which is still in Tay Ninh province, but closer to the Cambodian border. I don’t remember the move. I do remember going to Cam Ranh Bay at some point. Perhaps it will become clearer in the next letter. I’m including the front page of this letter because of the letterhead. The next letter is dated Oct 21. Tomorrow I sign a lease at a new apt, and hoping November goes smoothly. See ya next week.
