While we prepare for the new year, a 21 year old grunt was preparing for his first river jaunt with the Navy. The letter begins with me responding to news back home and comments about folks who were writing. “Sue, glad to hear you and John are apparently back together. Mom, received two letters from you today dated March 8 and 11. Since our move south they’ve had a lot of trouble getting our mail to us. I received a letter from Richard E. a couple of days ago, was going to write him today, but his address got soaked and ruined from our hump to the river through feet and feet of mud and water. When we got to the river we were picked up Navy boats and moved several miles north.”
“Its very wet where we are now – rice paddies. Where it is not completely covered by water, all one has to do is dig a few inches and there it is. We have been trying to keep to the dykes in order to stay dry. I lost 9 packages of cigarettes to the wet yesterday in one of the most miserable humps we’ve had since I’ve been here. This morning we had what is called a Riverine. We sailed up the river with the Navy and did a quick patrol of an old enemy area. We found some old fighting positions, but that was it.” I can’t remember what the boat was like, but I do remember that the Navy guys were friendly.
“I’m afraid I misled you about R & R. Although I am now eligible to take it, I won’t be taking it for another 5-6 months. Since only a few R & R allocations come down monthly, who goes is determined by time in country. I’m afraid it will be quite awhile yet.”
In the next paragraph I am apparently responding to a question from home. “In our squad we have four ‘soul brothers.’ At present one is on R & R and one other is going to leave us in a few days to DEROS (leave country). Why do you ask?” I don’t remember them responding to my question, but in hindsight I think I know why they asked. Mom passed in the 90’s and dad died a few years ago, so that will remain an unanswered question.
Responding to another part of one of mom’s letters, “As far as Lt Gardner is concerned, I don’t want to hear about him. Most platoon leaders (1st Lt.) aren’t worth a damn, and very few spend more than 3 or 4 months in the field. Ours has been in the field with us since October. He’s not too bad. Sometimes we get along, sometimes we don’t. They gave me a new M-79 with orders not to remove the sights. Sights on an M-79 are worthless. Most grenadiers don’t use them. They get in the way and weigh the weapon down. I took them off anyway. I’m getting a reputation for doing what I want rather than what I’m told. But that’s not it at all. I do what I think is right. I will not be pushed, bullied or follow asinine orders. So I took the sights off – the CO found out and I got chewed out. The Lt wants me to dig a 6’ x 6’ hole or take an Article 15. Marty, my squad leader, thinks he’s got the Lt talked out of it, but if not I won’t take either.” Actually if they had given me the Article 15 (a reprimand that would have gone on my permanent record), there wasn’t anything I could do about that. “They’ll have to court martial me and I don’t think they have solid enough grounds. I do my job and that should be enough. They’ve given me some static on my sideburns and hair. My moustache remains within the rules. So anyway, 1st Lieutenants aren’t worth a damn. They’re always brown nosing the CO. I don’t like them.” I’ve never dealt well with authority. As a teacher I had pretty good principals and only occasionally ran afoul of them. As a counselor I was once reprimanded because I wouldn’t change some schedules that my assistant principal told me to because it was not in the students’ best interests do so. Just sayin’.
“New day. Today the Navy takes us down river a-ways till we come to a canal. They left us off at the south side of the canal and we moved west (toward Cambodia) for 200 – 300 (approx) meters to our tentative night location. Now you know as much about what we’re going to do as I do. So I guess that brings us up to date. Pretty soon now I’ll be 22. I feel a lot older. When I come home, you’ll see the change. Things that used to seem important to me are all so trivial now, including the games the female gender play.” That comment about the female gender came out of left field, didn’t it? I must not have been too happy with the ladies in my life at that point. Well, maybe we’ll find out more later. I end this letter with the following.
“So if you can – please send Mrs Coughlin’s address and Richie’s too if you have it. And let me know if you get the pics. PS, Gram writes very regularly.” I loved my grandmother on my mother’s side (I had only met my grandmother on my father’s side once as an adult) and her death hit me pretty hard. Being over 2,000 miles away, I was unable to attend her funeral or say good bye. She died in 1980. I was driving a vending truck at the time and working 12 to 14 hours a day. The next letter comes only 2 days later. See ya next week.