18th Brigade, 45th Group, 39th Engineers, Company D
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October 1, Sunday
Went on mine sweep. Was supposed to have flank but we only had two detectors so that left 2 extra people. They were put on point and flank. I just walked down the road probing now and then, like an N.C.O. After sweep I dug a drainage ditch around the hootch and then just sat around till lunch. Went to ASP (Ammo Supply Point) after lunch and helped surveyors set up elevation stakes. Ate supper. Stub took the recorder. [It was his week to keep the tape recorder.] I wrote a letter and went to bed. One of the sergeants wouldn't let 5 of us go to church today. He's got a problem.
October 2
Went on mine sweep. Demo. Went to airfield after sweep and played around with the panels. Did the same after lunch until 5:40pm. Ate supper, took a shower, went to Matt and Stub's hootch and cleaned the recording head on recorder and listened to tapes. It rained pretty hard during the night.
October 3
Went on mine sweep ... south. Got soaked. Got mail. Got one package that was mailed August 8 and one with a Ray Anthony tape. Sat around all-day and worked on airfield at night, 6:45 to 10:30pm. Got a little wet.
October 4
Stayed back from mine sweep. Went to airfield but it was raining too hard and washing out the sand so we came back. Sat around all day. Painted the walls in my home. Had night guard.
October 5
Got to stay back from sweep again. Went down to culvert yard and put culverts together. Ate lunch and started back in on the culverts. About 3:00pm we were all sent to work over on the airfield. Came in at 5:00pm. Took a boucoupe cold shower and ate supper. Wrote a letter home and went to bed early. Had a weird dream about .... Started raining again.
October 6
We are off the morning mine sweep for a week now. Went to work on airfield at 7:15am. Quit at 11:30am for a poor lunch. It started raining so we didn't go back to the airfield. Started a letter to Shirley but at 2:30pm I had to go rebuild a headwall just outside the gate going to the beach. At second culvert. Ate supper, took a 
cold shower, finished my letter. Learned how to operate my new camera that Buckley picked up for me in Qui Nhon. Burg painted a thing on my wall. Got the first word about us moving from here from Campos.
October 7
No one woke us up for breakfast so we stayed in bed till 7:30am. Had a RC Cola and Vienna sausage for breakfast. Went out to rebuild headwall on other side of the road. This was on the same culvert site we worked at yesterday afternoon. Used up what little sand we had left from yesterday. 2nd platoon timber trestle bridge couldn't hold traffic for some reason and Buckley couldn't get through to us with more sand so we came in. After a 30 minute wait Buckley showed up and it started raining and we all went back to finish headwall. Finished at 12:20pm ... soaked. Turner brought me my lunch and we all spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing. I figured out how my camera worked and loaded it. Slept for a while and then got up and took a few pictures before supper, took a shower, went to supper. Wrote a letter and went to bed early.
October 8, Sunday
Got up and ate breakfast and laid around till about 9:00am. It was raining. I had to go fill potholes on highway QL1 till the 1st platoon got through with mine sweep and then they took over. I was back by a little after 10:00am ... soaked in my rain suit. It was raining hard. The beginning of a typhoon. Me and Fowler put a 24 inch strip of plastic around our windows just before lunch. Me & Burger picked up recorder from Stub right after lunch. The rain was getting worse, blowing hard. Set in my hootch and played some kind of name game with Burg, Fowler, Barker, Buckley and Male. Passed up supper because the weather was just too much. The wind got so bad we had to roll down the canvas flaps on the outside. That water sure was cold. Had to drain the water trapped in our white canvas ceiling. The rain was starting to lighten up. It got cold in our hootch so we had to put down our white inside liner. The lights went out so we lit up two candles and the whole place warmed up. Passed out about 10:00pm.
October 9
The sun finally came out. Had day guard till about 2:00pm when the plan changed. Now instead of one man in guard bunker there will be three. On one hour and off two to do as you please. I came up the hill and restacked a few sandbags and then listened to the recorder till 4:00pm. I pulled guard from 4:00 till 5:00pm. Took a shower and ate supper. Played recorder till about 11:30pm.
October 10
Ate breakfast and laid around till about 7:30am and then went down to the airfield. 1st platoon arrived about 9:30am after sweep and left at 10:00am because they didn't go far enough with their morning mine sweep. We left also to go put a culvert in just below 1st platoon's causeway, north of Duc Pho. It rained about 4:00pm and I got soaked. Stayed chilly too. I did that is. Came in around 7:00pm and ate supper, listened to the recorder and fell asleep. Had an alert. I was on reaction force. The enemy hit the ARVN's.
October 11
Was late getting to KP. Got there about 7:30am so naturally I washed pots and pans. Got off KP around 9:00pm. Sgt Male hosted a party in our hootch. I took a shower and passed out about 11:30pm while the party continued.
October 12
Ate breakfast and laid around till about 7:30am. Went out on QL1 to fill potholes again. I sat in the 3/4-ton truck and counted loads of dirt and monitored the radio. Came back in for lunch and went back out at 1:00. At 5:00pm we were told to cease operations and come in because they had to send the grader and all the trucks to the bridges on the road to the beach. Ate supper. The generator blew a rod but they connected in a small 5k unit which ran the company's lights. Took a shower, wrote a letter and went to bed.
October 13
Went on mine sweep. A couple of photographers tagged along and took pictures of us in action to send to our hometown newspapers. Returned to camp. Went back out on QL1 around 10:30am to finish filling in washouts. As soon as we got there we were told to come back in because the trucks and dozer were to be sent to the beach road bridges. Sat around till lunch. At 1:30pm I went down to help 1st and 2nd squad to build culverts. At 3:00pm we were back out on QL1. Quit at 6:00pm. Ate supper, listened to the recorder. We're running two 5K generators tonight.
October 14
Went on mine sweep. It sprinkled a little. Went out to work on QL1. Came in at 11:30am for lunch and went back out at 1:00pm. Started to knock off about 3:30pm because the burrow pit was too sloppy. A convoy from the 555th Engineers, 198th Brigade was coming through and one lowboy got stuck on the roads shoulder. We got in a little before 5:00pm. Picked up my mail and waited for supper. Buckley got some brochures on the new Pontiacs so naturally I looked them over. Listened to recorder. Made a mono tape of the backside of my good music tape for Rolen so he could test out his recorder. Took a shower. Passed out about 11:00pm.
October 15, Sunday
Went on mine sweep. Got back in about 9:30am. Was on guard so I went to bunker #35 but I was really supposed to be in bunker #33. Thompson pulled guard from 6:30am to 12:30pm in #33 while I pulled guard in #35 from 10:00am to 12:00pm. Ate lunch and then we got our bunkers and shifts straightened out. Oiled recorder and at 2:00pm went back on guard in bunker #33. Was relieved at 3:30pm so I could go get my mail but I didn't get any. Messed with the recorder and ate supper. Left for guard about 6:45pm. Went to bunker #35 and discovered an infantry unit had taken it over. 1st platoon had bunker #34 so I came back up to the area. Met Buckley and found out we're on bunker #30 tonight.
October 16
Was supposed to go on mine sweep as demo man but class="greenName">Sgt Male let me off so I slept from 6:30 to 10:30am till the sweep team came back in. Found my 40mm mortar round. Left here at 10:45am for 1st culvert on beach road west of the double bridges. First we went to 2nd platoons work site below our old area and then turned around and came back for lunch. Left again at 1:00pm and built a new head wall for the culvert mentioned previosly. I monitored radio. Was back in by 4:45pm. Rested till supper, ate, went to the flick "Walk-Don't Run", took a cold shower, finished a letter and was in bed by 10:00pm. The water point broke down today and wasn't fixed till late. Burg didn't get off KP till 10:00pm. Still talking about moving north.
October 17
Went on sweep. After sweep we went out on the beach road and rebuilt another culvert headwall just above the culvert we worked on yesterday. Worked with Sgt Dedmond. Finished one side by lunch. They made the whole platoon go eat lunch at 12:00 so we could hurry down to the culvert yard and load two culverts and get back to work. Put the culvert in just below our old camp area and finished a little before 5:00pm. Took a shower, ate supper, hunted for a movie but couldn't find any so we came back. I wrote a letter and went to bed early.
October 18
Went on mine sweep. Finished about 9:00am. At 9:30am we went down to culvert yard and started work on a new culvert till lunch. After lunch, about 1:30pm we started back on the culverts. Finished a little before 
4:00pm and came back up the hill to hootch. Sat around till a little after 5:00pm when Burg came in. Burg, Barker and I went up to Sgt Nagy's tent for a meeting. Heard the usual routine and then a little about what we would do IF we moved. Ate supper, got Brennan's stuff wrapped and ready for mailing. Went to bed about 9:30pm.
October 19
Went on mine sweep. Finished about 9:00am and a little before 10:00 we were down putting culverts together again. We spent most of the time inside one completed culvert talking. Ate lunch and back to the culverts. Was called back up the hill at 4:00pm. Was told a rumor we would be going to Tam Ky. Ate supper. Sat around and talked. The lights went out so we used candles. Went to bed early.
October 20
Went on mine sweep. Had day guard all morning followed by night guard. Pulled guard from 9:00am till 12:00 noon and was then off till 6:30pm.
October 21
Went on mine sweep. After sweep I helped load 12 8x10s on a low boy to take to fallen bridges on the beach road. Unloaded them and came back for 103 6x6s. Loaded 47 and quit for lunch. Helped Turner pull some 
nails out of some left over plywood, which took about 60 minutes. Went to the beach with Bess and Phillips and fired my .45 pistol. Relaxed till supper. Took some pictures of Burger's artwork on the walls in our hootch. Stole some lumber from down at new mess hall that is under construction. Wrote a letter or two and went to bed early.
October 22, Sunday
Went on mine sweep on demo. Got some pictures on sweep. Burg gave me some film he had and I finished it 
up by noon. Went to fallen bridges on beach road and filled a few sandbags and came back in for lunch. Waited till after church to go back to work, which was about 3:00pm. Filled a few more sand bags at fallen bridges. Came back in and loaded 12 3x12s and quit by 5:00pm. Took a shower and ate supper. Picked up recorder from Stub and played it till about 11:00pm.
October 23
Went on mine sweep. Counted dirt loads and monitored radio at burro-pit. Ate lunch and went back to burro-pit. About 2:30pm I was called back to rest up so I could go work on airfield tonight but we didn't have too. Ate supper, took a shower, listened to recorder till about 11:00pm.
October 24
Went on mine sweep. Cleaned shower and policed area. Sat around till lunch. Found out after lunch I was resting up to go work on the airfield or A.S.P tonight. About 4:00pm they said it was called off so I had to paint tools till 5:30pm. Ate supper and played recorder till about 9:00m. Another change. Now I do have to go work on the airfield. Worked all night.
October 25
Still working on airfield. Quit at 5:30am for breakfast and climbed into bed. At 7:00am they got me up to go back out to the airfield again till the morning mine sweep was over. E-6s and officers were doing the sweep. Finally was relieved at 9:15am. Got ready to go back to bed and Doc came down and talked for an hour and a half. I slept till 4:30pm and ate supper at 6:00pm. Played recorder for a while and wrote a letter. Was back in bed by 8:30pm.
October 26
Stayed back from mine sweep and pulled guard till 10:00am and was then off the rest of the day. Had to clean and put away a few tools during the afternoon. Went on guard at 6:30pm.
October 27
We are off of mine sweep for a week. Charlie blew A company's culverts again just north of Duc Pho. Burg and I had to touch up some of the tools with paint. I was pulled off that to pull security on QL 1 while 3rd platoon 
began a bypass around 1st platoons blown culvert. Came in for lunch. Helped put the roof on the new mess hall addition. Quit at 4:45pm and took a shower. Ate supper and played recorder and wrote a letter. Burg began painting the floor of our hootch. Phillips taped a few things.
October 28
Had a platoon police call. Got rid of some old timber and canvas in the squad area. Loaded all the plywood on the trailer. Slept till lunch. Burg and Barker took truck 33 up to Chu Lai to DX it for a new one. Test fired my M-79 at beach. Filled and stacked sandbags around Captain's hootch. Ate supper. Listened to recorder. Burg & Barker finally came in a little after 8:00pm. Took a shower at 10:00pm and got ready for bed.
October 29, Sunday
Cleaned up hootch. Took the broken handles out of one sledgehammer and one axe. I started sharpening the axes but was sent out on QL1 building the by-pass at the blown culverts. Never got any loads of dirt so we 
came back in at 11:00. Ate lunch. Helped Burg paint the floor of our hootch. Sgt Nagy had me steel wool the inside of a rusty cooler so we could paint it. Went to church services at 2:15pm. Went down to 4th Division area and got a haircut by one of the Vietnamese for $.35. He even shaved my ears. Rested from a hard days work, took a shower, ate supper. Stub picked up the recorder. We are supposed to pente-prime the chopper pads soon. Was told we would be moving soon to an island just off the Chu Lai coast.
October 30
Had KP all day. Got off at 6:45pm. A Spec 4 from Company A on TDY here told us that the woman that predicted this war, Kennedy's death, etc claimed Chu Lai would be wiped out sometime in November and this "conflict" would be over in April. Took a shower and went to bed.
October 31
Have guard today. Went on police call and wrote a letter. Went to A.P.O. with Music to get money order but the line was too long. Came back and went on guard. Got off at 2:20pm and had a soft drink and some cheese. Slept till 6:30pm and then ate supper and went back on guard.
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