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

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Long Thanh North
November 18, 1971
Thursday
9:30 am

Dear Folks,

It's cloudy and cold today. The weather can't seem to make up it's mind. Yesterday was about as ordinary a day as could be.

Went to work at one PM and sat till 5 PM. Didn't do any work. Just every now and then I would go out and soak up some sun. Then we came back at 6:30 pm and worked till 8:30 pm. We did have some work to do but it sure wasn't any great strain.

There is a new deal now when you leave country. You used to have to take a urine test at 90th Replacement and that took about a day. Now instead you go to 24th Evac. Hospital in Long Binh 8 days before your DEROS and they stamp a couple copies of your orders saying that you took the heroin test. That means it will be one day quicker getting out of here when I leave.

Well, now, have a seat. I don't know whether to believe this or not. But O'Briant just came in here and said they posted a list of drops in the hanger. He said my adjusted DEROS was Dec. 14th. That's a little over 6 months, so to make it ETS they would have to stretch it a couple days.

I'll be checking into it this afternoon. If O'Briant is kidding there will be one less O'Briant around here soon.

Lets hope it's 27 days!

Rick

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