Rick Holt's Adventures in Vietnam
Letters Home from Vietnam, 1971
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Wednesday
January 27, 1971
10:30 am
Dear Folks,
I got in at Bien Hoa at about 10:00 pm last night. From Bien Hoa they took us by bus to 18th Replacement Company, 90th Replacement Battalion at Long Binh. I'm not sure I'm spelling these names right, but I know we're not real far from Saigon.
We got here to Long Binh about midnight and started processing. Outside you could see the flares flashing and firecrackers going off. Today is the beginning of the Tet, the Vietnamese new year, and all the noise was just part of the celebration. It was a little scary at first until they told us what it was all about.
We had to pick up some more equipment from supply. Steel pot, helmet liner, poncho, and some other things. Got stuck on detail at the supply warehouse. Didn't get done till 3:30 am this morning. Managed to pick up some extra socks while I was there. I knew all those pockets would come in handy some day. Got about a dozen pair.
They got us up this morning about 5:30 am. After breakfast which was pretty lousy they had a police call of the area and then a manifest reading. And then they picked details. As usual I got picked. This time it was to wash a truck, a 3/4 ton mail truck. Got done at about 10 am.
Got a 7-UP at the PX and then came back here to the barracks. We had to get our money changed last night to some kind of military paper money. It's just little tiny bills. Even quarters and dimes are bills. I've got $4.35 left.
It felt like about 80 degrees last night. It is even hotter now that the sun is up. It was cool this morning though.
I'll probably be here about 3 days. Be lucky if I don't catch KP. The Vietnamese usually pull the KP but they aren't working during the Tet, which lasts about 4 days. A lot of the concessions and things that are run by them aren't operating. There is a service club, movie theater, swimming pool, tennis courts and probably some other things I don't know about.
Don't write to this address, I won't be here that long.
Rick