Hope you had a wonderful 18th birthday

About Bob (part 3 of 3)

“It’s too bad we didn’t get you pregnant before I came over.”
June 11, 1969.  Camp Evans, Vietnam. Dear Rita, It’s noon now and I decided I’d start that long letter I promised you.  Don’t know what I’m going to say to make it long, but… I’m on sandbagging detail today.  We’re making sure we don’t work too hard though.  We laid three rows of bags all morning (about a half hours job). Honey, I’m all out of tapes, so if you want to get any more you’ll have to send one first.  I can’t get a hold of any more over here.

“A friend of his was killed.”
June 10, 1969.  Camp Evans, Vietnam. Dear Rita, I’m being yelled at to turn out the lights and go to bed, but I want to get off a quick letter to you.  It won’t be long but I’ve been thinking of you and feel like scrawling a few lines.  I finally found a box for your birthday present and got that ready to go.  I’ll send it in the morning.  Remember, I don’t want you opening it until the day of your birthday.  I also got some slides and a tape ready to send the folks.  So you’ll have some more slides to look at.  We are definitely going to

Vietnam Tape #7 – “Blowin’ up the A Shau! Goin’ on a gun run!”
June 7th, 1969.  Camp Evans, Vietnam. The first song is a parody of “Working in a Coal Mine,” by Lee Dorsey The second is the Colonel Bogey March. The third I don’t recognize.  Anyone? Ethan

“He stopped picking his ears with his feet.”
June 8, 1969.  Camp Evans, Vietnam. Hi Beautiful! Wish I were with you to tell you just how beautiful you are and how much I love you.  That is my biggest dream.  And someday it will come true if I can just live through the waiting. It’s awfully hard at times.  But when the time comes it will be worth the wait. If my writing looks different it’s because I’m writing on a table for the first time since I got here.  I sneaked off long enough yesterday to slap one together.  After writing on my knee for so long this really feels weird.

“Everyone is sitting around singing new words to old songs.”
June 4, 1969.  Camp Evans, Vietnam. Dear Rita, Okay, here’s that cheerful letter I promised you, and I am in a pretty good mood, so… One reason I’m in a good mood is because today I worked on helicopters, after not being near one for three days.  That’s a big help.  Also, no one was bugging us for a change.  Real different. This morning we did go out to the range and sighted in our weapons.  I found that I had a real fine one.  I’m going to send one of my targets to Bob and let him eat his heart out.  The