Letters to Mike 1

What follows is a series of letters written to a friend of my brother. I recently was given these letters by Mike.


August 18, 1967 letter to Mike Biddle (serving as a medic in Babenhousen, Germany)

Peace,

You rotten, no good, lucky sonuvabitch! Thought you really got screwed when you didn’t get your band assignment didn’t you? Sounds like what you’ve got isn’t too fucking bad. Now you’ll probably have to wait a year before they send you over here.

In a way I was hoping you would get sent out here. We could have gotten together and taken our R&R together maybe. Ain’t that shit: I have 7 days R&R and you probably only have 7 days of hell.

I don’t know where Earle, Glaze, or anybody else is, but I’m based in Cu Chi which is about 15 miles NW of the largest city of prostitution in the world, Saigon. I’m in a headquarters company in the recon platoon. (At least I got my MOS [military occupation code] even if it isn’t armored.) For a month and a half I waited for the mandatory replacement training school after which I went to the field.

Recon’s main job was providing road security for convoys with our 4 M-60 machine gun jeeps and our 106mm recoilless rifle jeeps. In other words, we’d mix in with a convoy going to Duc Hoa or Bao Trai or occasionally Saigon, and be ready for any ambushed, etc. The roads around here are pretty secure anyway, so we really had it dicked for awhile driving all day, and at night we’d go someplace and pull security guard all night for some artillery camp or something.

I’ll get back to the job later; how about this fucking hell-hole/ Were to start? I could tell you how hot and rainy it is, how dirty and smelly the whole place is, how disgusting the people are, or how much poverty there is. And I could summarize and say it makes Appalachia look like upper Arlington [Ohio]. I think I’ll leave it go at that and save some of it for later, and some of it for the next time I see you. I’ve bought a $90.00 camera ($189.00 back in the world) and have taken 148+ slides since I’ve been here. Plus I write a daily account and sent them to Mrs. Singleton who is saving them. I’ll have both when I’m done. So you’ll hear everything someday.

In Cu Chi base camp we live in tropical buildings and sleep on cots. The showers are cold and run in gravity from large tank. You piss in piss tubes stuck in the ground and shit in 50 gallon drums sawed in half and placed under the outhouse seat. Everyday the drums are pulled out and diesel oil is poured on the shit. Then it’s burned. Smell!! It’s the only way to dispose of it though. Would you believe that guys come out of the field with 30 days left and beg to be permanent shit-burners for the rest of their time, rather than having to go back into the field? I do.

We were at Duc Hoa in a large tent when I first went out. There is a fairly large village there with artillery and a special forces compound. We ran convoys from Duc Hoa to Cu Chi for about 2 weeks.

The Special Forces serve only as advisors to the ARVNs now, and really have it dicked out! Hot showers, running water, flushers, sidewalks, and an EM club that makes some nightclubs in the States look sick. We had use of these wonderful facilities – better than in based camp!

We went to Duc Trai after that and had it just as nice as Duc Hoa. The place looks like a very small Florida resort, compared to the village on the outside. We are now working with ARVN forces and we’re walking and fighting just like the infantry except we only do it a few hours a day and then come back to a nice comfortable place. This is the difference between Recon and the straight-let infantry line companies. Who else walks for 4 hours then comes back to have a warm shower, have gooks serve you in the mess hall, watch movies (saw Oh Dad, Poor Dad, etc. again last night) and TV (English-American reruns from Saigon) and drink anything you like and eat hamburgers? No infantry can do that.

War stories? Hell yes! Nothing startling but nevertheless they’re true. To begin with, our platoon is number 3 on the VC list of people to get rid of in this area, according to captured documents. We’re called the Rat Platoon from our jeeps similar to TVs Rat Patrol. Here at Bao Trai we dress as we please, all kinds of camouflage jungle fatigues, hats, etc. Nothing like the US Army but the ARVNS wear it and we’re with them so fuck Division SOP. Our lieutenant tell Majors and Colonels (in a nice way - to get fucked . We’re almost a McHale’s Navy.

Back to war stories. We have been sniped at several times – no sweat. Doesn’t bother me as much as I thought it would. One time we got in a fire-fight which lasted about 15 minutes but no one was hit on either side. One time when the ARVNs went out by themselves they were hit and the ARVN lieutenant was killed. After that we went out with them at night and got lost from each other. As we walked along trying to find them we walked in front of their ambush position and they, thinking we were VC, opened up. Two of our guys were slightly wounded before anyone realized what happened.

The latest and worst incident was when 5 ARVNs hit a booby trap killing one and injuring 4 others. We had to carry them 3,000 meters through the dark, and rain, and unrelenting rice paddy mud to the chopper. It was the worst ordeal I’ve been through yet. They were so bad every first aid pack in both platoons was used (about 50) and there were still several open wounds. Two of our guys collapsed from exhaustion after carrying them out.

More about VN and the war later.

I’m glad you found a girl. I’m not even going to ask what happened to (what’s her name) from basic. If the VC don’t change any plans of mine I’ll be at your wedding in my Lotus Elan. Still want to race when I get out. I’m going to somehow.

It’s getting time to eat, so I’ll save the story about pussy and other items for later. Keep a cool too ole’ buddy.

289 days to go,

Bob

P.S. You’re a real problem On the mail outside the Sates I have to use stamps. For stateside mail all we do is write “free” where the stamps would be.

Where to you get 900 days as of the 9^th? I got 500 days as of the 27^th of August.