Cu-Chi, Tuesday, March
18, 6:00 pm:
I'm just
laying here on my bunk cooling off after my shower. It was a hard day at the barbershop and
my feet are killing me.
I took some pictures this morning and took them in to be developed
but it takes 12-13 days because they go all the way to Hawaii for developing. As soon as the pictures come back you'll see
what it's like over here a little better. I can take whatever they put down but the hardest part is being
away from you and the babies.
The skies are getting cloudy
more often now and
the monsoons should start
in a month or two. I care less as long as I'm the barber. At least I
have a roof over my head.
I missed a
good movie last night so I'm going tonight -makes sense huh? Peter Sellers in 'The Party"
was on last night but I was just
lounging around and didn't go.
Could you please send me some civvies. A pair of wash and wear slacks, 35x34, a
shirt (that blue nylon one would be great)
and my blue pants (with the cuffs) and a pair of swim trunks. After 5 o'clock I hate to have to put on
my uniform to go out (as if anyone cares anyway).
Everyone in the world is coming in the hootch and you
know how I can't resist a bull session.
Well, back
to serious writing. Mama-san
did my laundry today
for a price ($2.00) but she
looked like she needed the money.
Just got back from the movie
"Sweet November". It was
sort of a tear jerker and all I could think of was you and how soft and
nice you are, but
p.s. A pair of Bermudas would go good also.
Cu-Chi, Wednesday, March 19,
6:00 pm:
Still no mail. I don't really expect any mail
from you before the weekend because of the time
involved. I do know that you will write
as soon as you figure out where I am (which isn't always clear). I do figure on keeping this job for the
duration of my stay which (cross your eyes)
I hope is December the 1st.
I just got word that Elvis
Presley is on at the movie tonight so I'll probably go. There's not much else to
do. I look forward to this time of the day when it
starts to cool off. I've had a shower and a
refreshing breeze is
running across my back as I lay on my
bed and write to you, even though I don't have anything exciting to say.
We still haven't been hit although all the surrounding camps have been busy every night. Just my luck that the first time we get hit a mortar will land on
my bunk and send
me to the celestial world. If it's like Vietnam I don't want to go.
I just fixed one of the
guy’s tape recorders and that reminded me, if you want to, there are six little tapes
up in the closet that you can record and send to me as voice letters. I sure would like to hear your voices again.
Cu-Chi, Thursday, March 20,
10:00 pm:
I cut my first General's hair today. No big thing! He was only the
Deputy Commander of the
Division. Yesterday I
cut the Chief of Staff's
hair. Made another $10.00
in tips today even though it was a
slow day. I
spent $6.25 on a
pair of slacks that I turned into Bermudas for lounging around after my shower at night.
Just got back from the movie
"Jigsaw" with all our favorites. Susan St. James, Hope Lange, etc. It was quite good. It
even had a naked body in it. It
cooled off so much at
the show that
I was getting cold in just my Bermudas and tee shirt.
The B-52s have been rattling
the hootches again. They really
do shake the ground with their
big bombs. I'm sure glad that they are
on our side.
I almost went out and bought a tape recorder
today but I think I'll wait and ask
around the barbershop. Maybe I can get
a deal and then you can record me some
tapes on Kerry's tape
recorder (7") of our records. (please do it anyway because
there are plenty of tape recorders
around. In fact we're listening
to Glen Campbell right now on one of the recorders. So go buy a few 7" tapes and record them -stereo at 3 3/4 in per sec. Dean Martin, Nancy Wilson, 101 Strings, as
well as Country Joe
and the Fish, Iron Butterfly, etc. Have Kerry help you set it up with his machine.
There's
artillery going out with the usual
booms but nothing exciting.
Oh yes, I don't get much vitamin C around here if
you happen to find a spare bottle somewhere.
p.s. I told the Army that you lived in a
duplex next to your parents but not with them, in case anyone asks. It's worth $30 more a month.
Cu-Chi, Friday, March 21,
5:30 pm:
Hurrah! I just
got my first letter tonight. Happy
days, you can't imagine how lonely
it got not getting any mail.
Just one thing bothers me though, apparently you just got
my first letter
about working in operations and the next one will say that I'm
going to the 1/5th Inf., but then
the next one
after that will say I'm back
at Headquarters as the barber.
So I imagine that you'll get thoroughly confused before you
finally get the
right letter. Anyway, I'm
safe. The check was for the month of March and included all kinds of different
bonuses. By the time I get April's pay
I should have a little money saved up to
send home. This barber job pays
pretty good.
I'll write to Jim and wish him the best
in his forthcoming marriage. And
as for Dale and his chain letter, 20
copies seems just a few too
many.
Today was a
slow day at the barbershop and I only made $7.80 but
Lewis (the barber that's going home)
cut some hair this morning while I was at the PX. I got my
Bermudas taken in and hemmed for 80 cents.
I went over to the hospital
to get some razor blades this
morning and saw a chopper bring in some wounded. It almost made me sick and you know that's
not easy. The guy I saw was hit pretty bad and very bloody. It just made me glad that I'm not in
the field, but hanging out in my little
barbershop.
a There's no movie
tonight because they poured a cement slab where you are supposed to sit
and it hasn't hardened yet.
Thanks for writing so soon. I'm sorry I couldn't give you my address
over the phone but they won't allow you to.
Cu-Chi, Saturday, March 22,
6:15 pm:
I got three letters tonight
and I'm just really on top of the world.
It's so nice to get your cheerful letters after a
busy day of barbering. Just reading your letters makes us seem
closer together. I'm glad to see that
you're not wasting air mail stamps on my
letters because letters and packages up to
5 lbs go air mail from San
Francisco anyway.
After getting your letter about Jim and Ilene
getting married I wrote them a
letter and went out today and bought a service for eight of chinaware to
send them. BUT it's the
most beautiful china you've ever
seen. It's made by Noritake and
has a
raised design around the
edge with silver edges.
Now that I have it here I can't decide who to send it
to, you, Larry and Barbara, or Jim and Ilene.
It's a 63-piece dinner set
and only cost me $36.50 but weighs 50# lbs.
It's really beautiful so I think I'll send it to you and go down and buy
them some other. A 56
piece set only cost
$23.00 and it all goes customs free up to
~ I think I'll buy us a couple of sets and send them home. I
can buy everything I want out of my tips, which run about $10 a day, six
and a half days a week. (I get Sunday afternoon of f) So after I
buy a few things I'll start saving for our R and R in Hawaii. I should have enough to really live for
five days or so with my honey.
We're on yellow alert tonight. That's just some hair brains idea that the
VC are going to attack us tonight. It would be
fun just to watch the action, but Charlie isn't
coming anywhere near here.
You might hear about some of our units
on the news. We
cover Tay Ninh, Dau Tieng, Hobo Woods, Michelin Rubber Plantation and most of the
area west and northwest of
Saigon.
We are sort of right
in the path that Charlie takes to Saigon so he says Hello in passing. Tomorrow is Sunday again and my half day off. It
sure feels good.
I can't get any color print film here. They're always sold out except for slides and I don't want slides
because I can't send slides through the mail so good.
p.s. The
china will take a month or so because it goes by boat.