Rick Holt's Adventures in Vietnam
Letters Home from Vietnam, 1971
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Da Nang
March 7, 1971
Sunday
4:30 pm
Dear Folks,
Got pretty good service on this roll of film. Only 3 days. I've written a description on each slide.
8:15 pm
10:15 pm
Dear Folks,
Just went over to the officers quarters to pick up the mail. Got 5 letters from the 28th to the 1st and one from Aunt Marie. I was wondering what I was going to write about before I got the mail. Sat for 2 hours without writing anything. There just isn't that much happening around here. Just the same old stuff over and over. I'm usually the first one up in the morning. For some reason I wake up about 8 am every day. I guess that's about the time the sun gets up. When anybody wants to get up early they just ask me to wake them up. Everybody thinks I'm some kind of a nut because I don't stay in bed till somebody drags me out. Most guys would lay in bed all day if they could. I've seen them do it. I guess I've learned to appreciate a fresh new morning from all those early morning fishing trips. I like to get up and check out the sun and the sky and the cool morning air -- make sure it's still in good shape.
I went to the movie today at the main air force compound. Saw "Tell me you love me, Junie Moon" A weird movie, couldn't quite figure it out.
Went back over to the compound to the air force NCO club. There was a band that I hadn't seen before- a rare occurrence. Stopped at the Rice Paddy Inn to get a coke on the way back. A house band the 'The Bob Whites" was playing there. They had a female drummer today. Sounded pretty good for a change.
Dad - that's insulation padding on the inside of the plane. Nothing bullet
proof about it. These planes were originally designed for carrying passengers
and cargo, not radio relay equipment on combat assault missions. The pilots
don't have any chutes either. There is only one way out of the plane and that is
through the door in the side. They don't have ejection seats or anything. You
were right about that letter. I was back up at Da Nang by the time I got it. You
don't have to worry about them putting me on a chopper. Not unless they make me
a door gunner or something. They don't have any radio equipment on them that I
would have to operate. TDY pay is temporary duty pay. I get that for living away
from my home unit. I don't fly at 19,000 ft. like I said at one time. That's
another case of the misinformed informing the uninformed. We usually fly at
about 10,5000, sometimes lower. You have to have oxygen and a pressurized cabin
above about 13,000 ft. Our planes aren't equipped for that.
You said something about expecting a few more slides. I forgot how many I sent. It wasn't the full 20 slides. I gave a few to Kelm. They were pictures of him. I sent 18 home today. That's all that turned out.
Don't know what I'm going to do about the w-2 forms. Can't very well get them while I'm up here at Da Nang.
Well, looks like I had something to write about after all. Keep the letters coming. Dad. Glad to hear you finally got a chance to go fishing. Guess it's ok if Mr. Don uses the boat as long as he brings it back in one piece. So much for now.
Rick