THIS IS A LETTER WRITTEN HOME ON:  16 MAR 1968

Dear Dad an Mom

Well guess you thought I was dead and like to run. We had three ambushes yesterday. My truck was the first one that got hit. I was driving along and my windshield started cracking and I fell to the floor and then I raised up to look and there about 15 feet stood 4 VC and one had a rocket and throwed it at my truck and I fell to the floor again and when I raised up again I looked in my mirror and the ass of my trailer was in blaze. Then I grabbed my weapon and opened the door to jump out, and when I got on the running board of the truck, 3 more VC raised up and started shooting at me and I jumped back in the truck and layed down again, so I couldn’t get out of my truck. So I just started hitting gears and I thought my tanker would blow up. But I pulled it a little over a quarter of mile and flames going 50 feet in the air and the road was on fire where the fuel was running out. So I got to the curve in the road and I’m going 40 miles an hr. So I thought I’d rather get shot than burn to death. So I cut the truck off the road and as it went over the bank I jumped out and ran for for a big bank. So the truck in behind me, my best buddy came threw the fire and I run to the road to get on side of his truck and he didn’t see me and keeps on going. So just happen a Tank came over the hill and I ran to it. and my leutenent came back and I got on the jeep with him and went down to the truck and fire was going every where. But my tracter wasn’t on fire just the trailer. So I run down to unhook the tracter and the fire is so hot. So I ran back to the road. By then there was M.P., Gunships there and I told my buddy if he would unhook the trailer I would go and drive the tracter out and then the top & seat of my truck was on fire so He did and I drove it out. and that was so hot I couldn’t hardly stand it. And the smoke liked to choked me to death. But I made it. My C.O. said I would get a Bronze Star for saving the tracter and be brave enouph to drive all the way threw the ambush with out stopping in the fireing zone. But I never even got one scratch. When I jumped out of the truck as as it was going I never even fell, about two steps and I was allways across the road. that was the scardist I ever benn in my life.

THE REST OF THE LETTER IS PERSONAL, HE FOUND IT IN THING’S HIS MOTHER HAD KEPT.

Posted in 1967-8