Letters to Mike 9

 January 15, 1968 letter to Mike

Dear Private Biddle,

Yes, new year’s resolutions:

1.      To stop going to Paris on weekends

2.      To help raise money for a new ice rink so people can use their new ice skates sent to them In a CARE package originally intended for Greenland’s Olympic team

3.      To have a heart transplant just because it’s the “in” thing to do

4.      Start a safety campaign against speeding buffalo carts

5.      To have a map of Viet Nam tattooed on my ear drum

6.      To give the mess hall a cookbook and, in case they can’t follow directions, a first aid kit and a good lawyer

7.      Let’s add: to buy a pen that doesn’t skip

Do you realize that we will be civilians next Christmas? What a wild two years. It’ll seem like one. Two winter months, 3 spring months, 15 summer months and one long winter month again. 24 months; one winter, spring fall, and one LONG summer.

If you have to postpone your wedding another two weeks, I’ll be there. There’s a remote chance that I could make it the 18^th; there’s also a remote chance that the moon is made of blue cheese.

Christmas brought a 24 hour truce, but Bob Hope came to Cu Chi on the 28^th – we were in the swamps that day.

Which brings me to our latest action. It’s dry now and the VC are here in regimental force. Can’t find them during the day other than in small groups now and then. At night they multiply like rabbits.

We had 700 hit Bao Trai the night of the 8^th (If you hear about it, it’ll be called Khien Cuong, which is another name for Bao Trai). We fought them off for 4 ½ hours. Some got into the town and nearly made the compound. Recon had 7 men with mild shrapnel wounds – there were 300 rounds of mortar, rocket and recoilless rifle fire dropped on the town. 3 American GIs were killed (not Recon) by a rocket.

I’ll be glad when my R&R gets here in 33 days, in Hong Kong. Things are getting hot here. We’re earning our $65 hostile fire pay. We even had to call USAF to get air strikes (napalm and 900 pound bombs) to bail us out of some shit last week. Still no casualties! (Other than the shrapnel cuts). Someone up there likes us.

By the way, the gunships (choppers) and our small unit (mostly the choppers) killed 184 VC that night.

Gain weight?! Not here. A canary would starve here. I’m so skinny now I have to move around in the shower to get wet. I haven’t weighed myself but I weighed 158 when I came here. I tried my khakis on the other day to see how they would fit for R&R, DAMN! Two of me could have fit in them.

One thing I have gained is a bird on my arm (full colonel?) [He’s joking here.] Would you believe Spec 4? [This is the “bird” insignia he’s talking about.]  Our platoon sergeant is trying to get as much rank for us as he can before he leaves. 9 guys made Spec 4 this month (4 last month). Most of the 4s have been here 4 or 5 months. I have been here 7, but under a sarge who didn’t put anybody in for rank. 4 or 5 months means that they were Sec 4s after 9 or 10 months in the Army! Get this: two of the ones who made Spec 4 last month will get Spec 5 next month after only 2 month time grade on their Spec 4!! Both of them have less time in country and Army than I do; not to mention time in grade. There is a REMOTE chance that I might make 5 before I leave here; there’s also a remote chance that the moon ‘s made of… we’ve gone over this before.

I don’t know where I’ll be when I get out of the war. I hope Ft. Knox. (Remember Ft. Knox?) After your sixth month here you fill out a “dream sheet” where you ask for your next station and tell how many days leave you want. The Army owes me 17 (only got 13 out of my “authorized” 30 days before VN) plus the 30 automatically given VN returnees. So I asked for 47 days leave and Ft. Knox.

Do you think you’ll go back to Ft. Sam? Try to get --- I forgot; you’ll probably spend all your time in Hitler-land. How many days off do you get for your wedding. If your leave goes as much as a week into June, I’ll see you then.

My What?

Spec 4 Bob

P.S. I’ll send a picture soon