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

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111 days to go
Long Thanh North
October 4, 1971
8 pm

Dear Folks,

It has been a long day. Sat in Avionics all morning doing nothing. At about 10:30 I took a truck to the snack bar for a barbecue and coke. Then I came back to Avionics and waited around till 11:30 am so I could go check the morning mail. Got a card from Barry and one from the Karwacki family.

The afternoon wasn't any better. We had to hook up a radio in one of the offices in the hanger. Wouldn't have been a bad job except it involved climbing up on top the hanger to put up the antenna and crawling through the cob webs on top the office to run the antenna cable.

Capt. McCullom crossed my path again today. The first thing he had to say was, "Holt, I thought I told you about wearing that non-military belt!" I was surprised he didn't say get a haircut too. I'll just have to remember to keep my shirt on around him, that way he can't see the belt. They call him "Teddy Bear" because he walks real stiff-legged and he's kind of heavy. With his baggy flight pants on he looks just like a teddy bear hobbling along.

I'd like to get back out on the burm tomorrow. We're still on 2 hour standby for radio relay. But the mission is more or less done. Sylvester is in charge now that Davis left and he insists he won't let me go on detail. That seems kind of stupid to me. Most people try to get out of going on burm detail. I want to do it and they won't even let me. I'm going to give it a try anyway. It's raining outside now so it should be good and muddy out there tomorrow. That's OK for me, but I have to listen to momma-san scream when she sees my boots.

Rick

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