Dear Mom & Dad,
Greetings once again from Vietnam. Well, good news! I am coming home on the 9th of
April. I finally have my Port Call. Yesterday, when I wrote to you from the hospital, I
told you I was leaving on the 9th but did not actually have my written Port Call. Well,
now I do. I am coming home on the 9th.
More good news. I am not going to Oakland. I am going to Fort Dix, New Jersey. So this
means that Uncle Sam is going to fly me from Bien Hoa, Vietnam directly to Fort Dix, with
two stops - one in Japan and the other in Alaska. When I am processed and cleared Ft. Dix
I will then go to Newark, NJ and catch a shuttle flight to Boston as I did when I cam home
from Germany, as you will remember.
So, when I get to either Ft. Dix or to Newark Airport I will call you and let you know
when and on what flight I will be arriving on in Boston. The same as I did when I
came home from Germany. So, this is very convenient for me and you and for crying
out loud, when you come to Logan to pick me up, please drive slow and take your time.
I have waited one whole year to get home, a few more minutes on the highway isn't
going to make that much difference to me. Please don't get too excited and drive
like you were going to a fire. When I get to the airport at Newark I will then let
you know what airline terminal to meet me at in Logan.
Some more good news! I am writing this letter to you from the 3rd Squadron trains
area at Bien Hoa. I will not be going to the field again. My field days are
over. I am going to stay here a couple of more days and then go on to Blackhorse for
my final processing. I understand that they are short of men back at base camp and
that there is a good possibility that I will be pulling bunker guard, at least every other
night. Of course, bunker guard isn't bad. Only the hours. All it means
is staying up six hours a night. Believe me, I won't mind that in the least.
About my extension - when I get back to base camp I am going to personnel and find out
if my extension is going to be approved. Then I will know whether I am going to Ft.
Benning or to Vung Tau. If the paperwork is not acted on by the time I rotate (April
9th) then I will go to Ft. Benning.
In regards to the copy of the orders that I sent to you - you misinterpreted them.
The dates which you mentioned are only the dates that I am dropped from the morning
report of K Troop and when I'm picked up on the morning report of the new unit I am going
to at Ft. Benning. So, I will still have a 30 day leave before reporting to either
Ft. Benning or to Vung Tau, whichever the case may be.
Dave left the 25th, which was two days ago, only he went to Oakland instead of Ft. Dix.
I certainly hope that he had a chance to stop by and say hello. If not, I
hope that he at least had the opportunity to call you. He sent a note to me when I
was in the field the day before he left and he was certainly quite happy about going home.
He had a few choice words for (editor's note: name withheld for privacy) which I
haven't relayed to him yet but I will when I get ready to leave and I will add a few of my
own. This guy is really a screwball first class.
I can't tell you how happy I am knowing that in just a few short days I will be home
and believe me, it will be the happiest day of my life. This has been a long year.
The longest one of my life. All I can say is it will just be great to get
home. If I have to come back over here for six more months it won't be anything like
these past 12. No more fighting and killing for me. A year is enough.
I am going to take me a six month R&R in Vung Tau if that should be the case.
I don't really know yet. This is something that I probably won't be able to
tell you until I get home. I will say this. The chances of me going to Ft.
Benning are great than they are of going to Vung Tau, if that's any consolation to you.
I know that you don't want me to come back here so if it will make you feel any
better I probably won't. Actually, to me is doesn't make that much difference one
way or the other. What it amounts to is really six of one or have a dozen of
another. They both have their advantages and disadvantages.
I won't go into this any further for I will be able to explain to you in more detail
what the situation is when I get home. If I should go to Ft. Benning I would like
very much to have a car. Perhaps even a new one. Ask Herb Crowley to be on
"red alert" for when I get home I might want to buy a new car so that I can take
it to Florida with me and then on to Ft. Benning. With a car, I would be able to
drive to Florida on my long weekends and see Cliff.
Oh well, so much for that. I am going to sign of now so I will be seeing you real
soon.
By for now!
Love,
Your short son, Bob
(Next Letter) (Index of
Letters)
Home | Base Camp | Photos | Guest Book | Taps | Contributor's Corner
Honor Roll | Links | Feed Back | Reunions | Search | Site Map
