4-22 May 1971

 

4 May 1971
I saw the jets work out tonight on a mountain about 10 miles out.  Everyone is feeling low.  I'm one of the old troops now.

5 May 1971
Sometimes I lay around thinking about what I should be doing.  I didn't go to church at all last month.  I am going to give 100% this month, and maybe things will start working out better than what they have been. A person has to be really strong to make it in this world.  I just hope I can keep on fighting.  I've got the six months blues.  The August assignments came down today.  I should have mine the last of August.  They will send me where they want me, but time will tell.  If I get a good wife that will be good.  I sometimes rather just be single, and never have to worry about a family, just myself, but I don't like living by myself, and having a good woman around really makes life great.

8 May 1971
A person really has to go through a lot of changes after he gets out of high school.  I like it like that way, it will always be new people and places to see and when I return home everyone will be different.

10 May 1971
I'm suppose to be in my 6 months blues, but I'm really happy and feeling good.  Went to church today, and got set a part for home teacher supervisor.  We bought a TV set there are two channels. one American, and one Vietnam.

11 May 1971
I'm sitting here watching a Vietnamese TV program. It is really something.  Right now they got a guy singing a song about the war.  That is what most of their TV is about.  They had a show on the Vietnamese K-9, which is most like the same as ours.  The only differences is that the dogs smelled out boobie traps.  most of their songs are sad, at least they sound sad.  This is really a sad country.

12 May 1971
I still like it over here, but I have a lot of nightmares about someone telling me I have to go back.  I hate this place deep down inside, and can't wait until I'm home.

15 May 1971
I got that Mexican food, thanks a whole lot.  We're going to make a party out of it all.  We had a yearly weigh in.  I weighed in at 206, they said I could gain up to 219 and still be under weight.  Monsoon is the rainy season, it usually starts in October.  The spring time is just like in Texas.

19 May 1971
The bugs have really been bad, here lately.  They are forever in my bed, I kick a few out, and another gang moves in.  It's really getting hot now.  It was 96 today.  I am going to church now.  Getting my job done, at least trying.  If I get the help I need it will be a lot easier.  A lot of people are worrying about us getting hit, unless we are over ran, I will be here until Dec. 4th.

20 May 1971
I'm worried about getting married.  I would like to wait until I got out of the service before I settle down.  I'm in no hurry.  marriage is the most important decision of my life, and I'm not going to rush into it.  A friend of mine named Paul Beemer, had his folks' home destroyed last week.  He's a real good guy.  he works on my shift.  Some of the guys I work with now are: Sgt David C. Hartun, he doesn't smoke, drink, or cuss.  Just a hard worker and fun to be around.  Black, our dog, he has been at Phu Cat for 5 years.  Beemer is from Iowa and Hartun is from Maryland.  We caught an Asian Copperhead, non-poisonous, today when we were out just riding around doing nothing and saw him cross the road.  We went and got the vet, and he's the one who caught him.  He had crawled into a light all unit.  He's 6 feet long, so he was kinda big.

21 May 1971
I sent home some Vietnamese food.

22 May 1971
Me, Joe, and Allen are going to cook the Mexican food tonight. I still like it here, but you won't be able to drag me back with a team of horses.