Camp Holloway Discussion Forum Archive 02 - 05/07/01 to 02/28/03

Letters Home Oct 68

October 1, 1968: Received a clean change of clothes today sure felt good.

October 3, 1968: We have moved again and I do not know where I am. It is hot at this place. I paid a Vietnamese boy to dig the foxhole, you wouldn't believe how hard the ground is. I wonder what we will be doing here? Probably conducting patrols and guarding the perimeter.

October 4, 1968: Not much happening today. I had some more Montagnard's fill sand bags, we paid them 1 cent per bag and gave them beer and candy so they made out pretty good. We are eight thousand meters from the Cambodian border in a place called Duc Co.

October 5, 1968: Not much happening today. There is a swimming hole here and we get to use it frequently. I am getting a great tan here, this will be my year for tans. I made it back from the patrol okay.

October 8, 1968: Another day not much going on. I still do not know how long we will be staying here, it's not a bad place except for no shade.

October 11, 1968: We got lucky today the other platoons had to go and built a firebase that should take them three days. We had to go on a minesweeping operation. Saturday we packed up everything and waited on the airstrip for helicopters. We had been called up as a reactionary force but never went anywhere. This other guy and I walked up to the Special Forces camp and bought some soda. The minesweeping didn't amount to much, we walked along the road for half and hour and then rode the rest of the way.

October 14, 1968: Rained real hard and our hut leaked. We witnessed an air raid close to the Cambodian border. Every night they fire the big guns 155's & 175's what a noise. They also shake the ground.

October 15, 1968: Today was a hectic day, we had to go and cut some logs for our bunkers. We went down to this beautiful valley. There were bamboo trees and banana trees with fruit. To top it off there was also a mountain stream and we had a chance for a bath. Last night we witnessed a firefight, it was like the fourth of July. In the distance we could see streams of tracer rounds which were coming from helicopters and Puff the Dragon. The whole sky was lit up it lasted 45 minutes. We were about five miles from the battle.

October 16, 1968: This morning we went out on another mine clearing operation. (I have a picture of truck which hit a mine, we must of missed one mine) I think we will be staying here for awhile because we are building sleeping bunkers. A Company is moving out from here I think they are going to a firebase a couple of miles from here. Test fired my weapon today, 144 rounds without any problems.

October 17, 1968: Working on our bunkers. We pay the Vietnamese one-dollar a day plus a C-ration meal at noon to dig our hole. The bunker will be large enough for five people.

October 18, 1968: Rumor has it we will be here until Christmas (Duc Co). We have police calls, KP and have to have our names marked on our boots. They show movies in the evening. Four men from our squad went out on a SRP.

October 25, 1968: They are expecting trouble because of the November elections. We have to rebuild our bunkers.

October 27, 1968: More talk of a big offensive, we are taking precautions. Tomorrow we are stringing more barbwire.

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Letters Home Oct 68
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