June 13, 1967

Dear Lorraine,

Hi Honey! How are You today? This may be the first letter you get from me at your new address. Thanks for sending it and the great letter that was with it. I guess spending your summer taking some courses will be a bummer but it will make it easier on you next semester and might even get you out sooner.

I wish I could be there to help celebrate your new pace and meet your roommates. They sound like a fun group to hang out with.

Sorry I missed writing yesterday but it was a pretty bad day here. We had a mission with another Helicopter Company the 170th. The LZ we landed in was Hot and one of their ships was shot down. Before anyone could get to them we had to bring in more troops to gain control of the LZ. By that time two of them had already died. We spent the rest of the day re-supplying them with ammo. By the time it was over several ships had taken hits. We were lucky and got through with out a scratch. This place is so screwed up, sometimes you try everything to help and nothing works then when it’s over you have this empty feeling like you should have tried harder. You know deep inside that you did all the right things but still feel empty.

Today is my day to vent, sorry, but I need someone to lean on. This country isn’t worth one American life until the people in charge change the way we are fighting. We have to many rules and the VC and NVA have none. We just keep pissing on a forest fire and it starts somewhere else. As long as I’m here I am committed to my job and will continue to do what I can but if we don’t change the way we are doing it a lot of guys are going to die here. Right now it doesn’t make sense.

Honey I hope you don’t mind but I just don’t feel like writing anymore. Please don’t take me to seriously on what I said since I know I’ll get over it in a few days.

I love You Very Much and sure could use a HUG now. We can play catch up when I get home. I headed back down to the flight line to do my post flight and clean up. When we were done flying today I just walked away from it to cool off for a while. I need my head clear to check thing out.

Love
Tom
S.W.A.K.