Rick Holt's Adventures in Vietnam
Letters Home from Vietnam, 1971

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154 days to go
Da Nang
August 22, 1971
Sunday
8 pm

Dear Folks,

Nice day today. The mail came up. Got 4 letters, a tape and a big package of goodies. I'll have to leave the chocolate stuff till I get back down south and can put it in the frig.

Two planes went south today. Kadramas, Claybough, O'Briant and two crew chiefs went on them. So now it's just me and Sylvester and the two crew chiefs, Murphy and Beckman. This morning they decided that one more operator should go south. That's why O'Briant went. He was unanimously chosen by me and Sylvester. He's got too much of the old high school spirit in him. He can't take anything seriously. As a matter of fact, he never did graduate from high school, maybe that's why.

Don't know how long we'll be staying here. We moved out of the room behind personnel into a room in one of the regular barracks. Me, Sylvester and Beckman are in that room. Murphy lives in the next building over.

Pulled a cool little trick today at lunch. I got there early so I sat at the table on the front of the mess hall where all the blacks usually sit together. They started coming in one by one and instead of sitting there with me they ended up spread all over the mess hall for a change.

You asked about why Sylvester has been over here so long. He has extended his tour a couple of times voluntarily. Mostly so he could get an early out from the army. He's got about 99 days ETS. Kadramas is in the same boat only he's got about 6 months left. Boy, am I glad I didn't enlist.

Well, guess that's it for now. We're still on standby.

Rick

(read the next letter home)