28 March 1970
We’re starting our 9th day in the bush, and I still haven’t received any mail! We expect to go back to Baldy today or tomorrow and perhaps I can find out why I haven’t had any mail.
The mosquitoes are just swarming all over me! The pesky things really get bad between Sunset and Sunrise!
I controlled my first flight of air yesterday! The target was a bunker complex our patrols had found. I had requested 500 pound bombs, for two days, and finally got a flight with napalm, which is the wrong kind of ordnance for that target. But it was fun anyway. Out of the two weeks I’ve been with the grunts, that’s the first time I’ve done my job!
Sure would like to have some chocolate pudding. This pudding is a new product and it comes in a “snack pack”, a small can with a peel open lid, much like a Vienna sausage can. I’ve had one can and it is very tasty.
I understand the postal strike is over, at least for now! I certainly hope so because it’s miserable without mail.
When we do go back to Baldy, we’ll go on “react”, which means we have to be ready at all times to “react” to help troops who are in contact with the enemy. Kind of like standing the hot pad. I don’t care what we do, just as long as we’re back at Baldy and can get good chow and a shower (cold) every day.
C rations aren’t as bad as I thought they would be. If you heat them good and use a little catsup, they’re not bad. We do get some supplementary food occasionally, such as large cans of precooked bacon, frankfurters, etc, and even cans of juice.
We also get things like candy, cigarettes, cigars, stationary, and toiletries. A few items that a person might run out of in the bush. This stationary came in the resupply about two days ago.
It’s cloudy this morning and looks like rain! But I’ll take anything but rain! I’m so glad I wasn’t with the grunts during the monsoons.
It’s time for breakfast, which will be a canteen cup of c-ration instant coffee!! And maybe some c-ration instant cocoa!
Photo - digging a fox hole.
I so miss being a grunt in combat. You rub your legs to feel they're there and know you're still alive.
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