One day the old man told our Major C. through an ARVN interpreter that in all his seventy-eight years he had never been up in a helicopter. So we talked one of the American pilots into taking him up for a ride, sort of as a small gesture of thanks Read More …
In a letter dated March 15, 1965, I wrote: Meanwhile, freshly returned from five days Rambling and Rumination in Hong Kong, I seem to be assigned to Phuoc Vinh again, which, you may remember, was where I was July-October of last year. There are over a hundred Americans here now, Read More …
Xuan Loc was where I was stationed for my last five weeks as an American soldier in Vietnam. In a letter dated June 2, 1965, I wrote: We moved from Phuoc Vinh to Xuan Loc (pronounced SWAN LAWK) on May 31. This is to be the headquarters of a new Read More …
As an American soldier in the 1960s I was entitled to five days of “R&R” about three-quarters of the way through my one-year tour of duty in Vietnam. R&R stood for rest and recuperation (or rest and relaxation), but I redefined it in my letters as Rambling and Rumination. I Read More …
My fifth visit to Saigon was from January 31 to February 4, 1965. My photo above is the 1960s version of a selfie, with me taking a picture of myself in the mirror in an air-conditioned café in Tự Do Street (= Freedom Street). The guy sitting outside on the Read More …