18th Brigade, 45th Group, 39th Engineers, Company D

 

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February 1
Ate breakfast and generally, I guess, just goofed off.  The platoon started on the lieutenant's new hooch.  I wrote a letter till lunch.  Ate lunch.  Pulled guard all afternoon till 6:00pm.  Ate supper and took a shower.  Ran around from here to there.

February 2
Laid in bed till 7:30am and got up and washed.  Helped on the lieutenant's new hooch putting the roof on.  Charlie blew one of the twin-60 inch culverts and two culverts at the river were damaged when A Company blew a charge on an uncovered mine.  The platoon had to go fix the twin-60 culverts so "we four" worked on the lieutenant's hooch a little more and quit.  Ate lunch.  Went to the APO with Bess after stopping at the laundry and mailed 3 packages home.  Didn't get back till 2:30.  We were supposed to put the rubber membrane on Lieu's hooch but we were too late.  The gang was back.  We put it on anyway and started filling sandbags.  I went on day guard at 4:30.  Ate supper at 5:30pm and went to take a shower.

February 3
Started the day off filling sandbags after a nourishing breakfast of SOS.  Ran out of dirt so I took a break.  Went back to work late carrying sandbags to be placed on lieutenant's roof.  Quit at 10:30am and had the rest of the day off.  Ate lunch at 12:00 and rewrote my letter.  Went down to the fence to see the girls and made a day of it.  Came up a little after 4:00pm and fell asleep till 4:45pm.  Ate my barbequed steak and pork-n-beans.  Went to shower.  Went back to fence with Bess for about 15 minutes.  Fooled around for awhile in the area.

 


February 4, Sunday

Stayed in bed till about 8:00am.  Got up, washed, shaved and burned all the trash.  Moody and Musik came by and we ate peanut-butter sandwiches and drank orange juice.  Got some water and washed my clothes.  Lunch wasn't served till 12:30 to give the cooks a break.  A booby-trapped grenade injured Beford and King.  Beford got a lot of shrapnel in his back and legs.  The booby-trap was believed to have been placed there by the infantry when they were at the river pulling security for us when we were putting in the causeway.  One guy put a gash in his hand working with the culverts.  Brought my wash in and folded it up.  Put one fatigue set under my blanket to be pressed.  Ate supper at 5:30.  Got some coffee from the mess hall.  Wrote a letter.

February 5
Got up and ate some breakfast.  Laid around for awhile.  Cleaned Smitly's weapon.  Moody began to process out for Chu Lai.  I started organizing my maps and boxing up some stuff to be sent home.  Ate lunch and continued boxing.  Made a trip to the APO to get a money order.  Went to laundry with Tom.  Put another set of fatigues between my blanket and laid down for a short nap before supper.  Ate supper, bread, butter, 2 cups of ice cream and a cup of kool-aid.  Washed up and started a letter.

February 6
Got up and ate breakfast.  Everyone then left for mine sweep to the river.  Smity went on sick call and on his way back the CO caught him and asked him to see if he could get some people together to get some ammo boxes to build a little place for him and his officers to play cards and drink.  Naturally I was one of the people to help.  We couldn't find any ammo boxes so we quit and ate lunch.  Went to APO to mail a package with my maps and tapes, etc.  Laid down to catch some Zzzzz's. Company A finally left fire-base Ross and will go to Chu Lai tomorrow.  Went to supper a little after 5:00pm because Company A will be eating with us tonight and that's a lot of people in a long line.  Took a shower, wrote a letter, went to bed.

February 7
Got up and ate breakfast.  Helped on police call and laid down for a nap.  Three times I almost got to sleep and was woke up.  Got up and had some peanut butter and crackers.  Laid back down till lunch.  Went to Patterson's (Company clerk) hooch on E&E till 1:00pm.  Everyone had to go load rock by hand.  I polished my boots and wrote some more war stories in here.  I wrote a letter.  Everyone was back in by 5:00pm.  Smity and Skok came back in about 3:00pm to go to the laundry so I went along.  The MP wouldn't let us drive down to the laundry so we had to carry everything down on foot.  Several vehicles came in the laundry so on our way back to the 3/4-ton truck Smity got into it with the MP.  Came on back and finished my letter.  Ate supper at 5:30pm and took a shower.  Went over to Gil and Obrien's hooch.

February 8
Ate breakfast.  Everyone else went on sweep to the river.  I washed a set a fatigues and some other stuff.  Ate lunch.  Everyone came back in about 3:00.  They had to build an ammo bunker and police the area.  The lieutenant got back with the beer and soda so a few guys had to go pick up our share and load it into our bar.  I took a break during all the work.  Went to the shower at 5:00.  Ate supper and wrote "Time Magazine" about my change of address.  Went to bed early.  The CO and First sergeant talked to me and Smity and Skok about harassing the MP by the laundry.  Someone booby-trapped the MP hut at the gate with a blasting cap.

February 9
Boy was I mad.  I got stuck on KP today because Thompson doesn't pull KP anymore.  He is a jeep driver now.  Just as I finished up the breakfast pots and pans Constillo told Mike I would have to be replaced because I was going to start processing out.  Saw Paterson and he gave me my clearance papers, which needed some initials.  Took papers to the motor pool sergeant to get his initials.  Took my paper work to supply but Murphy was on mine sweep. Went to hooch and packed everything up and took what was needed to supply and went back to hooch.  Went to supply again a little before 11:00am and caught Murphy.  He filled out a new clothing form for me and told me to get the CO to sign it. The CO told me to get the XO to sign it but he wasn't around.  Ate lunch and found out Smity had to fill sandbags for one or two nights for abusing the MP the other day.  Skok got away because he had to go to Chu Lai for Spec 5 board.  I was processing out and was already a day late.  Got the XO to sign my new clothing request form and Murphy initialized my clearance forms.  Got Smith to drive me and my duffel bag, laundry bag and box to the orderly room in the 3/4-ton truck.  The mail truck went to test its 50 cal machine gun so we didn't get away till about 1:40pm.  It was a bumpy, dusty trip to Chu Lai.  Got there about 4:00pm, got me a cot and bedding and got settled in.  Brought my stuff in off the mail truck and went to supper.  Came back and started a game of cards but due to a gray alert all the lights had to be turned out.  So I went to bed at 8:00pm.

February 10
Got up at 7:40am.  No breakfast.  Sat around till 9:00am and went to PX.  Saw a real traffic accident.  Bought $5.30 worth of junk and went to the USO.  Got two hotdogs and some milk and came back to area.  It was 11:30am, lunch time, but I wasn't hungry.  Came back to barracks.  Lost in a game of Rummy and took a cold shower and shaved.  Ate supper.  Went over to 554th for awhile and came back and went to bed at 8:30pm.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

February 11, Sunday
Got up at 8:30am.  Hurd, Moody and I started a tour of the place by foot and thumb.  Ended up at USO where we spent most of the day.  Read a few magazines, drank boucoup coffee, had a salami & cheese sandwich with milk, stated to watch a movie but it wasn't worth it so I played ping pong.  Returned to the 2nd movie but the film was broken in too many places.  Came on back to area.  Went past chopper pad and airfield and got some pictures.  Got back at 3:30.  Took a shower and shaved.  Ate supper.  Went to 554th again for awhile.  Meier and Brokerick moved into our hooch. Talked till about 12:00am about nothing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

February 12
Got up at 8:00am.  Started processing out with Meier & Brokerick.  Got to the final stage, personnel, and found out the CO forgot to mark my conduct & efficiency rating and I would have to go back out to the company area for him to do it.  The mail truck wasn't (but did) going back to my company area today because some bridges were blown out so I decided to wait till tomorrow.  Slept from 2:00 to 5:00pm.  Ate supper.  Messed around in hooch till 9:00pm and went to bed.  It rained most of the day after lunch and continued through the night.

February 13
Got up at 8:00 and washed & shaved.  Lt Shamblen told me last night he would call the CO and see if he could sign my efficiency & conduct.  Checked with him at 9:00am but he had not called my CO yet.  Lt Shamblen asked S-2 Master Sergeant & he said I would have to go back to the company and to check with S-3 for first available transportation.  That was the chaplain.  The S-3 sergeant told me to wait in the chaplain's office till he got back and hop a ride with him.  At 10:30am the chaplain's assistant came in and told me the chaplain had already left on a convoy.  Came back and laid down till lunch, disgusted.  Ate lunch.  Black was going to get Lt Shamblen's jeep to go to the PX but couldn't.  Laid around and read a little.  Took a good hot shower after 4:00pm.  Ate supper at 5:30pm and met Thompson who was on his way to Da Nang for R&R.  Went to the bar till 8:30pm when it closed and was in bed by 9:00pm.

February 14
Got up at 8:00am and went to the mailroom to see about getting a ride back to the company on the mail truck.  They said they would be leaving any minute.  After lunch, at 12:30, we finally left.  Got my papers initialized by the CO and brought the Supply Sgt back down to open the conex to get my tapes, khakis, etc.  Was finished and back in the barracks at Chu Lai by 5:00pm.  Took a shower and went to supper.  Wrote a letter home and back to the company.  Got in bed at 9:00pm and then the rockets began flying over.  Stayed outside on alert till about 9:30pm and came back in and went to sleep.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

February 15
Got up and cleaned the barracks because we were told the Sgt-Major would be nosing around this morning.  Washed, shaved and combed my hair.  I lost my toothbrush.  Took my two letters up to the mailroom.  Laid around till lunch.  After lunch Hurd and I took another tour.  Went to the Marine PX and toured the marine jet installation. Caught the bus and rode down to the naval installation and then got off at the USO.  Had a snack, read a little bit and hitched-hiked back to our area.  Ate a poor supper.  Read till about 9:00pm and went to bed.

February 16
Got up a little after 8:00am and cleaned up.  I will be going to Cam Ranh Bay today.  Went up to personnel to get my records but they were still out being signed.  Waited in mailroom till my records showed up.  Waited in mailroom some more for transportation, which Hurd rounded up for us at about 10:30am.  Went to airport and once more waited.  Due to plane engine trouble we didn't leave Chu Lai till 5:44pm.  Got to Cam Ranh Bay at 6:44pm.  Had a bologna & cheese sandwich and a Coke.  Caught the bus to the R&R center to hide out but the place was too crowded so we walked the short distance on over to the Returnee Detachment.  Processed in, picked up our blankets and was settled in a little before 9:30pm.  Went to the clubs but they were closing up so returned and went to bed.  Couldn't sleep.  Stopped up nose and headache.

February 17
Got up at 6:20 and ate breakfast. Shaved and watched the morning formation.  As they split for police-call Hurd and I left for the tailor shop to get our khakis pressed.  They weren't open.  Went to USO and played two games of pool and sat around till 9:00am when tailor did open.  Went back to tailors.  Went over to terminal and had a ham & cheese sandwich and a Coke.  Went to Air Force PX by bus and we got a tour of Cam Ranh Bay camp.  Came back to plane terminal and had a soda and four doughnuts.  Came back to area and went to the hamburger place and had a cheeseburger and Coke.  Went to Red-Cross recreation area and sat around till 5:00pm.  Ate supper.  Went to movie and saw "To Sir with Love"

 


February 18, Sunday
Today I'm boucoupe short.  Slept till I had to get up for the morning formation.  Hurd and I sneaked off while everyone was on police call.  Went to the barbershop and USO.  Both were closed.  Went back to barber shop at 9:00am and got the works for $2.00.  Picked up my khakis at tailors and came back for lunch.  At 1:15 we left on E&E again.  Went to the club, then the PX and finally the Red Cross and read till 4:50pm.  Returned to barracks and ate supper.  Polished my brass and decorated my khakis.  Brought this here thing up to date.  Went to the movie and watched "Mission Impossible".  Left when "Bonanza" came on.  Took a shower and went to bed.  Had a real time getting that stuff out of my hair that the barber used on me.

February 19
It's really February 23rd and I'm home now but use your imagination.  I've been busy.  Slept till I had to get up to go to formation. While on police call Hurd and I sneaked off.  Went to plane terminal and caught a bus to Air Force PX.  Arrived about 1 1/2 hours too early so we had a little breakfast ... bologna & cheese.  Walked around one Air Force units area.  Saw some real grass with sprinkling system.  Got into PX at 10:30am.  Bought a "Reader's Digest".  Came back to area and ate.  Went to formation at 1:30pm in my khakis so they wouldn't put me on detail.  I was put on detail anyway policing the whole road around our area.  Was through in 30 minutes.  Went to PX and got a decoration bar so I could take the pin-snaps off and use them on my extra unit crest.  Took a shower.  Went to 4:30pm formation and was immediately dismissed for supper.  Turned in my bed stuff.  At 5:30pm we began out-processing.  Our port-calls, money turn-in slips, and customs papers were returned to us.  Another guy and me were held back so 2 Air Force people could go home on emergency leave but that was changed and I got in line to turn in my Vietnamese play money for real money.  Took my bags through customs.  Had my shot record checked and got a seat number.  At 8:30pm we lined up by line numbers and boarded buses for the play terminal.  Stopped at the officers quarters and picked up 3 officers.  One was about 5 minutes late for which we waited.  Waited at terminal for permission to move up to the plane.  Was on plane by 9:30pm as scheduled.  At 9:41pm I left Vietnam.

 

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