Ok, I’m in the hospital with malaria. Good times. My memory of this period is worse than it is for the previous nine months in the field. I can tell you that I spent the last three months of my tour in and out of hospitals with an occasional return to the field. When they medivaced me from the field, I didn’t even know what hospital I was in. What I do remember is the 105.6 degree temperature, a helicopter ride and an ice bath. For those reading my blog, most of the rest of the letters sent home were sent from hospitals. If you are interested in how that all went, read on. Oh, also in this letter’s envelope was a pay voucher for part of June that totaled $24. I’ll try to scan it and add it, but if unsuccessful I will add a couple more pictures. The letter is short.
“Dear mom and dad, Sept 9
“You’ll be happy to hear that the fever has broken and I’m cured. I’m in the recovery stage now and expect to be back in the field in a couple of days. Such is life. It’s been a good sham and for the most part I’ve enjoyed it. I feel pretty good. I don’t have much to add to my last one (letter).
“What did you think of Adria’s letter? Pretty sharp little girl.” Adria is a cousin on my mother’s side of the family. “She’s going to be ok, probably turn out better than Alan.” Alan is Adrias older brother. He runs a roofing company in Maine. “Did you manage to save anything for Christmas shopping this year? I don’t want anything. It will be Christmas present enough for me just to be able to join you for the holidays. Enclosed here is another letter I want you to save for me. This is the first letter I got from Mrs. Maxson after her husband was killed. It’s a heartbreaker, but you can go ahead and read it if you like.” This answers a previous question about when I received the letter but not if I answered it. “I don’t know why I’m saving all this stuff, probably throw most of it out when I get home anyway. Also enclosed is what we call a short timers calendar, You can finish this one for me since I’ve got several others. You can figure how many days I’ve got left by counting back from Dec 1 – the magic day.
“The war still goes on with no let up in sight. The gooks are enjoying a fall offensive and are really hitting the Cav area of operations including Quan Loi, Tay Ninh, An Loc, Loc Nihn, and Lai Khe.
“The cutest little Australian girl just went walking through the ward. What a dish. She’s the one gave me the calendar. That’s about all I’ve got. Take care all, Love, Dave”
I have a short timer’s calendar. I don’t know if it’s one I filled out or the one I sent home. I’ll attach it if it will upload.
Ok, my inexpensive scanner won’t give me a clear view of the short timer’s calendar, and I’ve decided not to scan the pay voucher. It has information I do not want on the net. So how about a couple of pictures?
RTO Dave and Some of the Guys
That you spent the last three months of your tour in and out of hospitals as a result of malaria sounds familiar to me. I kind of remember that being the case.
Being healthy enough to be fighting in the field or sick enough to be hospitalized with malaria is in literary parlance a Cornelian dilemma, or caught between Scylla and Charybdis, or more easily understood as between the devil and the deep blue sea, or a rock and a hard place, the lesser of two evils, or damned if you do and damned if you don’t. Seriously, no one would willingly choose either alternative!
I’m sure everyone in your family or among your friends was happy you had reached the short-timer threshold!