Cu-Chi, Wednesday, June 11,
8:30 pm:
Hark! What
message through the mails doth
flee to my waiting arms? Tis the
message of love amidst the scent of butter
made from fruits
of the ground and maize that flowers into tiny puffs of goodness
and alas vines, red as thy
ruby lips and
half as sweet.
Oh what joy this me brings to ease the strain and pain of my loneliness.
In other words, thanks for
the “goodies". And tell
yourself and my daughters thanks for the lovely Father's Day
cards. All three of you are so
thoughtful.
It was a cool day today due
to the
sudden rainstorms that came
and went this afternoon. I was
busy most of the day and cut General Black's hair, he1s the
hippie general who hates to get his hair cut. I just might get a ride in a FAC plane come
Sunday. FAC = Forward Air Controller.
An Air Force Colonel,
who's hair I cut, might take me
for a ride and try and make me sick in doing so because every time you barf you have to buy a case of beer for the club that
they go to. The FAC planes are the
ones that go out arid find
Charlie and then dodge, weave and loop the loop trying not to
get shot while
he guides in
air strikes and artillery. It will be my first time in a small plane so I hope
I get to go.
I'm trying to save my money,
but it seems to flee out of
my hands faster than I get it.
But I'll make it yet. I have
about $60 saved so far but I still have to pay $32 for my hootch girl this month.
Mission Impossible comes on at
9:00 pm so in order to get to bed early I'm writing this letter now. I sure do miss you sweetie. I can hardly wait for the next
three months to pass.
Till tomorrow my love, take
care.
p.s. I could use a couple more rolls of film if you get
a chance.
Cu-Chi, Thursday, June 12,
11:00 pm:
Well, I
received your letter
about... but not your tape.
Maybe tomorrow? I'm
sure sorry you
took my criticism about your short letters so badly. I didn't mean for you to get upset - just
write bigger!
I just took my bucket shower because the
water truck didn't show
again and I
had to stay open late tonight.
After work I went next door
and watched the Jonathon Winters Show and stuffed
our faces with popcorn. (thank
you!) However, before I took
my bucket bath
I did my exercises, 50 sit-ups
(didn't think I could, did you?), and 15 push-ups (that's all I could do!). So 84
more days of that
and I ought to be, if not
slimmer, at least more able to do sit-ups and push-ups. It's all
because I love
you that I try to change what nature stuck me with.
I received a package from Cherilyn and Jim - one spray mosquito
repellant and one roach killer!
They sure knew what
to send for this place. I'll have to write and thank them
tomorrow. And what about
that Hugo, getting
more press than his war hero brother.
My girl Lan mopped
my bedroom floor today. That's something almost unheard of in Vietnam.
After I praised her
so much she even volunteered to do my shop, but I
had to cut some hair into my lunch hour so she
didn't get the chance.
They're playing
"No Other Love Have I" on AFVN-FM and it reminds me
of you. I
sure miss you.
This is the longest
we've ever been separated and I
hope it's the last time. We have too
many things planned to have them
spoiled anymore. I want
to go to Europe in two years
and maybe include a little of Russia at the same time. We can't
wait much more than that or we'll both be too old.
The girls
'sure look adorable
in those fantastic pictures you take. I can hardly wait to come
home and whistle for my baby
again.
Well, sweetheart,
it's past my bedtime and
tomorrow is Friday the 13th so we might get a few rockets to scare us.
I love you very much.
Cu-Chi, Friday, June 13,
10:00 pm:
I just got a
CS grenade tossed at my hootch but I heard the fuse
click so I walked out before the
gas hit. The prankster
almost set the barbershop on fire with the grenade
which burned quite rapidly. That
part of it made me madder than
the CS gas itself.
Anyway -
so far so good today.
It was a nice day weather wise
and Lan mopped my shop floor at lunch
after which I rearranged
my furniture to
make it seem bigger inside. I
was getting tired of looking at it anyway.
As I was cleaning out my
footlocker last night I
was unpacking my garments and
found another tape and two combs, so thank you again.
And that picture of Nikki in
her blue outfit on the couch
is simply adorable.
I can't get over how good you
are with that camera. I'll have to
study hard to catch up.
I just killed a big roach
with my thong - didn't want to waste my spray since he was out in the open.
I received a letter from the
Batts with some pictures of their trip to Calif. I don't know where
you got all those
new outfits but I like them
much. That gray flannel suit is all
right. And Hugo's girlfriend looks
OK too. It shows
that he at least has good taste
like his big brother Jon. It sounds as
if Cherilyn is getting a rough deal
with Jim being gone for 11 months back east, a short leave and
then on to this hole. I think she ought
to have a baby or two first.
You'd best
lay off that heavy eating. I realize
that you're under a hardship and all that with
the two babies, BUT
I still can't stand fat women
and you are not the kind of person
that would look
good that way.
So do your exercises and watch
that food. Remember, only 83 days till your
lover comes home and you want to look your best, don't you?
Oh yes, dear, next package
you send please throw in a pint of lacquer thinner for me. All my
silkscreen stuff is just
sitting here because I
don't have any lacquer thinner to clean my screen with.
Cu-Chi,
Saturday, June 14, 10:30 pm
Howdy Hi! It's raining gently and the sound on my tin roof
is like 50
people drumming their fingers on a tabletop.
From the sound of your last
Tuesday letter you
are just a teensy bit jealous of Lan. However, you don't have to worry. If any seducing were to be done, I
would do it, but I'm too
short for that kind of hanky
panky. Anyway, I'm more of a big
brother to her than a
possible lover. Have no doubts
about my faithfulness - it's solid.
And so
far as my tape recorder being too extravagant, have you ever known me to
get anything but the best, to go first
class? After all, look who I
married, the #1 wife of all time. The world's
best looking, most
affectionate, cleanest, and above all my very own girl - you!
As for the rent money for
Sept. that's why I send you $500 tax-free dollars each month,
to take care
of such trivia.
There's no customs on anything I send home now since
I have my orders to return to the states.
All I have to
do is enclose a
copy of my orders with anything
I ship home and it's supposed to
be customs free.
Anyway, customs would only be
$31 if I did have to pay it.
Tell Kerry
that I don't know about
his high-low impedance microphones but
I'll check for him.
Otherwise, there's
not much happening.
I just returned from the flick "Hellfighters" with
John Wayne and Kathryn Ross of "Graduate" fame. For a few
minutes I was able
to escape from this war and enjoy myself. It was a real good pix.
It was a very
slow day today at the
shop. I horsed around most of the day so I
didn't get any letters written like I wanted.
Your tape still hasn't come and I'm beginning- to think someone stole it just to hear your
sexy voice.
p.s. Thank
you for the extra effort on the
letter, I was very pleased.
p.s.s. Sorry mine 5 so short but
I'm late getting
my exercises done so I can sleep.
Cu-Chi, Sunday, June 15, 4:15 pm:
Just lying here on my bed this hot Sunday
afternoon. I just finished a book so I thought I'd write a few letters to
people around the
world. I lay down after I
finished work at 11:45 am, not eating lunch because I might get to fly
in a FAC plane and didn't want
to get sick, and lo and behold I fell
asleep and slept
through church. I
felt guilty but I needed the sleep more.
One of
the guys here that I know went
to school with Steve Welborn. His name
is "Tiny Blanchard" and from
what he tells me, another guy that works at the CG's mess lives next door to
them. I don't know his name though.
We're having a cookout
tonight for supper so
that's another reason why I didn't eat lunch.
9:15 pm:
Just had
a rocket attack but it's quiet again now. I went swimming after the cookout and met one
of the guys from C Trp,
1/18th at the pool.
He just got in country last week.
He was one of the
last to leave
Ft. Lewis before the June 1st
cut off.