Rick Holt's Adventures in Vietnam
Letters Home from Vietnam, 1971
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Da Nang
March 12, 1971
Friday
4 pm
Dear Folks,
Never got around to writing yesterday. I got four letters-two from the 3rd and two from the 5th. The mission kicked off again yesterday morning. The ground station ran out of batteries. Seacord went up at about noon. I was supposed to go up at 3 pm, but the plane I was going to fly in had a split in one of the tail sections. We were supposed to wait for Seacord to get back and use his plane, but they ran low on fuel and had to stop at Phu Bai. Didn't get back to Da Nang till 7 pm. By that time the ground station was working again. All that waiting for nothing. I understand we're going to start flying 24 hrs. again tomorrow some time. The ground station is moving.
Don't worry about the PFC. That will get straightened out eventually. I talked to the company clerk before I left Long Thanh. He said there should be orders waiting for me when I get back from here.
I have to be on flight orders so I can collect flight pay. You have to fly 4 hours a month to collect flight pay for that month. And you can accumulate hours up to 3 months in advance.
That door gunner physical wasn't actually a physical. I just went to the
dispensary and got a paper signed by the doctor saying I was fit. All he did was
look at my medical records. It's just a formality.
They are still working on the pool at Long Thanh. They're building the platform around the outside now. It's an above ground pool with a plastic liner but it's real big.
Should be getting some more mail soon. There is a plane on the way up now.
Rick