Sept 25 - 30, 1967

115 days, 25 Sept/67, Monday

#57

Spent the greater part of the day in CU Chi today hunting down some of the short-timers who were out in the field when we got the 27 VC and I took the pictures of our trophy. They ordered copies of the slides, but are now in Cu Chi getting ready to go home.

With Burbidge, Esterline, Hampton, Garcia, Branch, Felciano, Culver and Clark gone, there isn’t much of the old group left out here. Cito got a loner for the tent; I suppose we’ll have to tear the tent down again to put it in! why couldn’t they get together an do all of these things at once?

We got to Cu Chi to find that they have made the movie room into a conference room and are now going to show movies in the TV/bar side. Makes for crowded conditions with a bar and a movie in about half the space. To make room, they had to take the pool table out; there goes our only daytime diversion from boredom when we don’t go out (no operations since the night of the 21^st). I guess the change will only be for a few weeks (7-8).

116 days, 26 Sept/67, Tuesday

Hooray! Will wonders never cease? The liner went in without taking the tent down. I don’t know how – I was in town washing a jeep. Now it’s a little cooler, and there’s a mosquito bar, and we can roll down the sides of the liner from the inside when it rains. We also got special bed mounts for our nets so there’s no commo wire stretched from end to end to choke ourselves on if we forget to duck our heads. The liner is white, so it’s much brighter inside also.

The day really went slow without a pool table and there’s no TV until 6:30 on week days. Too hot to write, even sleep. I dread the thought of hot season. Coming back from Cu Chi yesterday, I got a taste of it. It hasn’t rained since our little flood (which only lasted that night) and the roads are so dusty it’s unbelievable. When I got back after driving behind the lieutenant, eating dust from him and one convoy of deuce-and-a-halves, and another of 7 armored tracks, I looked like I’d just finished the Indy 500 – black, well dark brown – except where my glasses and beret were. My arms had a marvelous tan, till I took a shower.

“Look, Hoss! He’s not an Indian; he’s a white man”!

We went on a ridiculous little mission this evening. Same as always except we drove out to where we were to start in the jeep instead of leading 500 people in the ¾. We walked about 300 meters or so, checked a few houses, and then Mahoe (Ma-hoy) found a C-ration can that he thought was a booby trap. The idiot spent an hour trying to blow it up. First he took a ¼ lb. block of C-4 (plastic explosive) only the blasting cap went – phht. Next, after waiting 10 minutes before inspecting the C-4, a ¼ stick of dynamite – phht went the blasting cap. Then he took a grenade and removed the original fuse and put in a blasting cap – don’t ask why – the cap fit loosely and went “phht.” He finally got the idea and simply said a grenade beside the C-4, TNT, and the other grenade, and, oh, yes the C-ration “booby trap” -  pulled the pin and di di mao(ed) BOOM!

It left a hole in the ground about the size of a garbage can, and who knows what happened to the C-ration can. I’m sure there was nothing dangerous about it. I think he only wanted to justify his bringing (having someone carry) the 20 pound demo kit out with us. He did play around long enough for us to be caught in a 15 minute cloud burst, in which it rained enough o fill Hoover Dam. Like to find the GI who dropped his can of Ham and Eggs – chopped.

117 days, 27 Sept/67, Wednesday

The S-2 platoon is building a new radio control center and someone decided that recon should fill the sandbags for the protective wall. Today my turn came and I spent the whole day with 5 other guys filling and building a sandbag wall. What else can I say, except I didn’t have much trouble sleeping? In fact, I’m so tired I think I’ll wait until tomorrow to draw the line. [Line between sections of letter]

The morning went the way I hoped it would. Nobody bothered us and I relaxed. The sandbag detail is now simply building the wall – the filled bags are now brought out from Cu Chi. They should have it done by the time my turn comes again. The wall is similar, but not as exact, as some of the bunkers, etc. in the Cu Chi base camp pictures. It surrounds the building to protect from mortar bursts.

I’m still dizzy. I’ve had a cold and Doc gave me some mysterious little black capsules to knock it out. They don’t knock out your cold; they just take your mind off it with dizzy spells and diarrhea. I was pretty bad last night, but so tired I didn’t notice it. This morning I was a little light-headed, but now I’m all right. But my cold is back. I don’t think I’ll take any more pills either.

This afternoon we had a mission. We drove out in jeeps clear into Cu Chi, and then farther on, about ½ way to Trang Bang. Quite a long dusty ride. We were out on Chieu Hoi advice (they were with us). They led us to a clump of old dead bamboo, etc. where they said they had come two days before to hide 3 weapons.

They rummaged through the dead shrubbery for a while trying to find the spot and finally located a tunnel. The weapons were gone, but 25 magazines full of .30 caliber ammo were still there. Also a whole bundle of clothes, 300 meters of Claymore detonating wire, two Chi-com (Chinese communist) blasting caps, and 3 US-made Claymore mines.

Disregarding the distance we had to come, it was a good mission. Only lasted 3 hours, two of which were on the road. It was the first time Chieu Hoi information proved worthwhile.

You can add this to the Chieu Hoi pamphlet collection. [Perhaps an enclosure] The map of our Province is what I like. This is Hau Nghia Province – Tinh (?) Hau Nghia. The “X” near Cu Chi is the 25^th Div. base camp. I’ve drawn a line along the roads we usually travel form Cu Chi to Bao Trai, Duc Hoa, and Duc Hue (duc way) Hiep Hoa (hep wa, better known as Sugar Mill). “X” is where we were at Sugar Mill, and also at Trai. The “O” just below Bao Trai is Gladys artillery site.

We usually are on Highway (Lo So) 8 or 10. Today we turned left in Cu Chi unto Lo So 1, toward Trang Bang. Red spot was done by Lt. Than, and represents were this was found and where we were today. I’m not sure what the “++++” lines are, but I don’t know that each Province is divided into districts; maybe that’s what they are.

Why aren’t there any roads or towns west of the Oriental River? (Song Vam Co Dong). It’s all swamp; even the Rat Pack can’t go in there. The VC can, and do, however. And the only thing that can touch them there is the 105 Howitzers at Cu Chi, Bao Trai, Duc Hoa, and Duc Hue (and, I suppose Trang Bang).

We operate anywhere on the east side of the river (including the bank of the river). We’ve gone as far north as Duc Hue (since coming to Bao Trai) and the red spot, but usually I think we stay pretty well within the “++++” line surrounding Bao Trai, north and east, and the river on the west. South, we’ve only gone about halfway to Duc Hoa.

These are our airborne and foot operations. Number 1 is where we ambushed ourselves and the road just N.E. of the number right at the edge of Bao Trai, is where the ARVN captain got blown up the other night. Number 2 is where we got the 27 body count that one day (the pictures of the dead VC) approximately. Number 3 is where the 5 ARVNs hit the booby trap.

One last bit. The names outside Hau Nghia are other Provinces (I’m sure you’ve heard of Tay Ninh). Saigon is S.W. of Lo So 1. so much for geography; tomorrow, children, we’ll study something else. Yes, you may leave the room now, Bob

119 days, 29 Sept/67, Friday

They sent some more people to fill sandbags this morning. It only took about a half-hour, but when we got back we found we had an operation in the afternoon.

We went out by chopper for the first time in a long time. I saw from the air that the artillery has pulled out of Gladys. All that’s left is a mud hole with only the ruts of the guns to indicate it had ever been there. The sandbag bunkers, barbed wire, everything, is gone. I don’t know when they pulled out; we haven’t been past there in quite a while.

We did nothing at our first L2 for about 2 hours, and then were airlifted to a second L2 – this one in the swamps. Again, nothing but water and red ants. Cito called for the choppers, but was told they couldn’t come and we’d have to walk back to Bao Trai. It’s a 15 minute chopper flight to the swamps – imagine how long it is to walk!

Cito gave us a chance to test fire, since no on lives in the swamps (actually it’s more like a huge marsh than a swamp). My machine gun again failed to function. I want my ’16 back. It was a long, wet, tiring walk home – one of the more tiring walks we’ve had. I went to bed at 8:00, which has to be a record.

120 days, 30 Sept/67, Saturday

Pay day! Everyone went to Cu Chi this morning for shots and money. Somehow I managed to get by without shots today. My time will surely come next month. Some people got as many as six today.

I even came out pretty good in the pay line – better than expected, anyway. All the mistakes in pay have been corrected now, and I still came out with $5 this month. I hope that will last until Dad sends me the $60. he’s buying my beautiful camera for $60, plus his 35 mm camera, so I can have one over here. Just before I leave, or when I go on R&R, I’ll buy another like mine, or even better.

My camera which was ruined is now gone. I had taken it into my locker in Cu Chi, but since then someone has broken into it, and taken a new pair of jungle boots I had planned to save for R&R and my trip home, and $5 beret I was also saving. All my brass, etc. that I ware on my khakis, and of course my camera, which by now they realize is no good anyway.

They went to a lot of work to get into it – it was under another locker, and behind about 15 duffel bags, with two locks on it, which were beaten off. I feel a little sick tonight. We got back in time to see Texas A&M play SMU. Another game won in the last 9 seconds (by SMU).

I wasn’t kidding about feeling a little sick tonight. The effects of Doc’s cold pills have worn off, but now my cold’s back just as bad as before, along with stomach cramps at times. My right ear is, it seems, almost deaf from yesterday when the chopper gunners opened up right beside me. They’re loud! Add to it all a badly bruised bicep on the right arm from unloading cases of beer and Coke for the club this afternoon. They threw the cases off the truck and I was the one catching them. Every time I caught them, I stopped them with my left hand and cradled them in my right arm; now it’s sore.

Poker games tonight, pay night. Only this time they’re in the mess hall so I guess I’ll get some sleep. Marlar has already lost his whole pay check this is the third time in as many day days (his first 3 in VN) that he’s done this. Maybe next month he’ll learn. If this happens every month, I don’t know what to say.