Another "Fallen Angel"

What I have realized in this war is that we have hours of inactivity, and only seconds of terror.  Another one of our platoon was killed today Carroll was killed in an ambush; Perry is taking all the blame when he shouldn’t feel as if it’s his entire fault.  Perry said it’s his fault though because he was too scared to fire his weapon.  Every one of our squad was promoted one rank for there valiant performance in a dangerous situation, but Perry spends tortured hours trying to find a reason for Carroll’s death.  Our Platoon is assigned a new leader, Lt. Gearhart, who has only been in Vietnam for two months.  Perry’s mom wrote to me to have me tell Perry that she loves him.  Perry was very sad that his mom couldn’t express her feelings directly to him.  When the news feature about our squad airs, no one mentions the fact that Lieutenant Carroll is shown walking among us, still alive.  Brunner expressed his anger at the “faggots and Commies” back home who burn their draft cards. He blames them for the constant shortage of men in our squads.

It has been a few weeks now and I really don’t want to be here right know i would way rather have stayed at home with the people I love.  The other day I was sent on patrol with Perry we were out all night and we managed to kill one Vietcong, but when we returned to base camp Jamal informed Perry and Me that Captain Stewart reported three kills for the patrol despite we only killed one.  There isn’t a day that goes by were I don’t worry about being killed by a mine or a Gook.  I had to write a letter to Earlene on Perry’s behalf because, since it’s too painful for him to write it himself.  Also the other day Perry was sent on a mission with Charlie comp. and they killed a dozen of our own men, he is very troubled how there deaths are a result of such carelessness.  It’s a very scary place here in Nam all I wish now is that I don’t end up getting killed by our own people.  In this war we never do know who we really are fighting.

First Days in Vietnam

Today I arrived in Vietnam I learned fast that it was very hot and it was going to take me quite a while to get used to the change in climate.  We were sent out on our first patrol around camp, I was walking with Jenkins talking about life back home, when I heard a loud boom.  When I realized what just happened I saw Jenkins laying on the ground with a piece of metal protruding from his chest, he had just stepped on a landmine set by the Vietcong.  This was very disturbing for me to watch someone I was having conservation with get killed by a piece of shrapnel, as they told me to get a bag I ran back to the camp and got a body bag.  When they zipped up the bag it really made me think about writing mama to tell her how someone in my company had died and how I was glad it wasn’t me.  But then I realized that I shouldn’t make my mother worry.  When I finally got back to camp I just wanted to go home and forget about what I just saw, then me and Perry got to talking about were we thought we would get sent next.