Cu-Chi, Tuesday, May 20,
10:00 pm:
I'm still
alive and safe so quit worrying. In fact I'll try and call you on MARS
tonight to tell you so.
It's been one of those days
around here, busy, busy, busy.
The days are
starting to get longer
as they get hotter it seems. But I
can stand anything because I'm getting
short (under l20
days). I turned in my request today for the early out
and it's on the Captain's desk
to be signed before it's
sent to personnel1 so
it won't be long now.
Our group leader, Capt.
Bills, got word yesterday that his 12
yr. old boy had his lower lip bit
off by a dog and his wife didn't get hold of the Red Cross so he
can't go home to help
out. He's worried
sick about it but could only talk three minutes to his wife on
MARS. It just shows you how stupid his
wife is. She said she didn't
want to bother him so he sits here worrying when he could be home already
if only she'd
called the Red Cross and had them call the hospital or doctor. Don't you ever be that silly dear, just
remember that you have to ask
for me from your end first.
We were just sitting over
watching "Star Trek" on TV
while we ate some hot pizzas (my
treat) that we bought at the new swimming pool snack bar. It's really
a hardship tour dearest.
I received confirmation that Larry and Barbara's china was sent on
the 1st of May, so they ought to get it
soon I guess. I'm
sending you a Noritake catalog so you can pick out the other set of
china to match the Bronzeware I bought
two weeks ago and have been dying to tell you about but I was going to surprise you with, but I can't
find any wrapping paper so
I can't send
it home anyway if you
follow. It'll have to be something
with a
gold edge or design
or something. I'll
send you a catalog as soon as they come.
You'll love the bronzeware
but we can get silver too. I'll
send you a catalog on that also.
Just because I love you so.
We're finally off Red, Amber,
Yellow and all those other
alerts so we can sleep in our
beds again. So we'll probably get hit
tonight.
I just went and weighed
myself at 206 lbs and
that's after eating a
pizza and coke.
So you see dear, I'm sacrificing for you. That's 14 lbs so far and still
going strong. When I
get to l90 lbs I'll stop for a while and rest up. My love handles aren't so firm as they were.
Well I have to get to
sleep now because I'm working longer days now.
p.s. Keep that gun handy
in case Jody comes to visit -then
shoot him!
Cu-Chi, Wednesday, May 21,
7:15 pm:
I love you, miss you and
adore you, what else can you ask for?
It has been an OK day so far. I
got four letters tonight but three of them were mailed in March to the 90th Replacement and just now got here. The one from you told about the first time I called you
from Cu-chi and last night must have been the 5-6 time. You know they woke me out of my first good sleep in a week and didn't
even give me time to wake up because you were on the air
already. I don't know if you could
understand anything I said because
I hardly remember anything that I said anyway. However, I did hear that you and the kids were OK which
is all I wanted to know
anyway. Just after you were saying good-bye, some 8" artillery went off outside the wire
and I thought for sure we were getting
hit with rockets but the operator said he hadn't heard any so
I should relax. It took
me awhile to get back to sleep after that because
8" guns are really loud and shake the ground real good.
Sept. 15 should be the
very latest I'll be home so that's less than 115 days to go dear. Smooth sailing at the barbershop except that my body is falling apart from standing up all
day.
My hootch girl, Lan, has
been bringing me presents the last couple
of days, Mangos and Pineapple from the jungle. The Mangos are real sweet
tropical fruit like
sweetened cantaloupe but shaped
like avocados and grow in
trees. I thought it was nice of her.
It's getting unbearably hot
here in the afternoons and my shop
is like an
oven most of the time. But with
115 days to go I can take it.
Gee, I'm sorry I didn't make
more sense on the phone. I'll try
harder next time.
It's hard enough trying to judge when you'll be home,
let alone something important to say.
I have to
go weigh myself. Wait one - oops
207 lbs. I must have drunk more today. I love you sweetheart and
think of you constantly so stay sweet.
p.s. Our shock absorbers are brand new! (letter march 15)
Cu-Chi, Thursday, May 22,
l0:l5 pm:
Great day today even though I didn't get any
mail. The barbershop was really
slow. The slowest it's been since came, so I took advantage and rested
up.
I got a letter
from the Division personnel office today after I went down this morning
and found my records for them so they could work on my early out. The letter reads:
HUDGAG-PA
Jacobsmeyer, Jon W. NG28294504
Subject: Early Separation to attend school To CO HHC
25th Inf Div APO 96225
From CG (Commanding General)
25th Inf Div Date 22 May 69
1. Approved for release
to the U.S. Army reserve
U.P. Chapter 5, Section VIII, AR 635-200 on or after l0 Sept. 1969
2. Unit commander will insure that EM receives a medical
clearance certificate from the appropriate medical facility not
earlier than 72 hours and not later than 48 hours prior to departure from this command.
3. EM's records will
be adjusted in order that his ETS will read l0 Sept.
1969 and his DROS will
read 8 Sept. 1969.
4. EM will be notified of the above. The original of this correspondence will be retained at this
Headquarters for inclusion in
Individuals field 201 file.
Signed: K.L.Pierce Capt. Agc
EM Enlisted man, ETS= End of active duty,
DROS= The day you leave Vietnam
So
my sweetheart on or about the night
of l0 Sept. 1969 we have a date, OK?
I might have to attend
meetings another year but I figure that's better than dodging rockets till
Dec. 15. I'm short
dear, only l08 and a wake up till I leave this
place. On the 1st of June I'll be down
to two digits.
Another thing that made my
day nice was that it
got cloudy and cooled off
this afternoon. And yet another thing is that Pix called and
said to tell you Hi and sends his love (platonic or course).
I hope you still plan to register for me at Pierce. I don't have to
go to Glendale but I will if you can't get
me into Pierce.
I'm still waiting for the shower truck to come
so I can shower and go to bed. I
showered out of a water
can last night so I have to shower real good tonight.
Well Sweetheart,
I must leave you now for I hear
the water truck coming and I must get some
sleep tonight if Charlie will let me. I miss you
but only for a short time to go.
See you in 109 days.
p.s. I still want a picture of you in your bikini
with a good tan.
p.s.s. You better start getting more sun.
Cu-Chi, Saturday, May 24,
l0:30 pm:
This is my third letter for the day so forgive me
if I forget anything. I wrote
Marlene, and after I got
your care package with Svetlana '5
cards in it I wrote her one and now my favorite one. I read a 165 page book (The Dictators)
during work today, need I say more.
The only trouble about being slow is I don't make much money.
I went to the movie tonight
for the first time in a week and
took along some
fresh popped corn to munch on. The movie was "Duffy" with
James Coburn and it was real good.
I recommend it
to Larry because it has a tricky ending. I talked
to a Red Cross
man today who has some wrapping
paper he'll give me so your bronzeware
should be on the way in a day or two.
Got another cockroach
crawling across my
pillow –smash! Oops, he's
still trying to
crawl away - squish That's all for him.
Another body countl! No letter
tonight because it came last night with
two others. So tomorrow night I
expect one for sure.
I guess you wrote a letter to Svetlana as well as sent her some
books so we're all
set there. The
letter surprised me in so far as her English is almost perfect the way
she writes. Her letter was better
written than most of mine are.
Not much from the front dear. Things are pretty quiet this week so I've
been catching up on my
rest a little (very little).
Well goodnight
for today. I must rest my blurry
eyes for awhile.
Cu-Chi, Sunday, May 25,
l0:15 pm:
Lovely day
today. I only had five or six customers this morning,
took the rest of the day
off and got
a package of goodies from you. Plus I got to wrap a present for you which I'll send by boat
tomorrow and should get to you
in three weeks or
so (bronzeware). So now you have
something to look forward to for the next few weeks.
No letter tonight but the peanut
butter, film and ROACH KILLER was fantastic. I put the can in my room ready for action
and I haven't seen a- roach yet. I
guess they heard I had a new
weapon.
I started a new book today,
"Seven Days in May", so I can get my brain in a learning mood again.
It's been so slow
I could've gone on leave and
nobody would have missed me.
I think I will take an
R&R to Japan in August to get some
lenses for your camera before I come
home. I'm going to get my tape recorder
next month so you'll just have to live
on what I send you this month plus the $500 you get
next month. I'm saving up and hope to
be able to send you $150 or so this
week but I really don't have very much saved up
yet. If you really need more money next
month let me know, but if you don't
say anything I'm going to get me a tape recorder or something.
You might check with Jerry
Giese and see if we can get back into
our house in October or so. I
think the people will be nice about it and if they're not, I'll
shoot them all when I get home.
It sure feels good to be a
short timer. Next week at this time
I'll be under a hundred days and counting.
I got a haircut today
but just had him cut a little around
the edges so it'll grow out. Ha.! Ha!
Cu-Chi, Monday, May 26,
11:30 pm:
I
started reading the book, "Seven Days in May", this morning and I just couldn't put
it down. I wish I weren't so tired or
I'd finish the last 80 pages tonight.
I sent off your tableware
today so be expecting it in a couple of weeks. I
went swimming tonight to cool off but I'm sweating right
now and it's nearly midnight. That Black Flag Roach
Killer really works on
these gook roaches. Thanks
again.
I got my garments
and statue in
one piece today. Thank you. I love you
sweetheart and miss you always.
Cu-Chi, Tuesday, May 27,
6:30 pm:
I love you just because
you're you and nobody else. If I
would have chosen my wife for myself instead of fate deciding for me,
I never would have gotten
anyone more precious to me, more loving, or more understanding
than you my dearest. I'm so thankful
you're my wife and mother
of my children. I mention it
each night in my prayers.
Right now
I'm laying on my bed writing, munching on Ritz crackers
and eating Skippy crunchy style peanut
butter from the 12 oz
bottle, which is just the right
size. I received two packages and two
letters today so I was
very pleased when evening came
and just as I laid down to read your letter Pix called with all the latest
gossip. So it's been a nice evening.
And then as I lay here reading your wonderful letters it rained for
about 10-15 minutes to cool the
place off. And I'm writing this
letter early tonight because I want to be asleep by 9:00pm after staying up
till midnight with that dumb
book which I finished at lunch
today. It was a fascinating book so you
have won my heart again by sending it
to me. However, as I said
earlier I have plenty now so keep them for my library.
I think I'll try and go to
Pierce because it's closer to
our house and I won't have to transfer from Glendale in the spring. I should be home in time to register
but you can do it
for me if you get me a catalog so I can pick my classes I'll need to know what's required for a
degree in History and Language for teaching credentials from Valley State. So see what you come up with along those
lines.
I'm sorry about the short
note last night but I
was really tired at the time.
Early last
evening we watched a helicopter gun ship shoot at something right
outside the wire for an hour
or so. We haven't been hit for so long it's getting to worry
me a (very) little. I'm fine
physically except I
have a bruise on my lower
back somewhere on a
vertebrae that bothers me.
I just heard that Star Trek
is on tonight so I
won't get to bed before 10:00pm again tonight.
My
clippers broke so the CO is taking them to Hawaii with him
on R&R to get them fixed. The tips have been slacking
off because everyone is broke. Thursday is payday I think.
Thanks for
the wrapping paper, you're always one jump ahead of me. Now the presents can start again.
I love you.
I did hear you
telephone, "I love you, over and out." at the end and I was
crouching at the time
because I thought we were getting
rocketed, but it was only outgoing 8" shells.
Take
care my precious, only a few more
days till I'm home.
Cu-Chi, Wednesday, May 28,
10:00 pm:
Half a week gone again and I'm sure glad. My back has been giving me a little trouble
because I don't have anyone to rub
the kinks out at
night. I went
and got some wintergreen
ointment today and the heat makes my
back feel good if
nothing else. It's
right in a spot that I can't reach good even with the
vibrator you sent
me. I hope it'll go away in a day or two.
It's raining
right now, lightly, but when it
started an hour ago it came down real heavy
for a good while. I was over watching Mission Impossible
about some dead senator that wasn't or something. You probably saw it two months ago or so.
(Editors note:
a page and a half were censored here and lost forever. Well, not really lost because I found
them, but I still
couldn't print them because of their sexual nature.)
Well honey, it's that
time again. Time to trip off into
dreamland and visit
you. I hope you're all in good
health and happy and don't forget that I'm
coming home in l04 for sure.
p.s. Roses
are red, and violets are blue, but if I had a rose,
I'd give it to you!
p.s.s. Rain, rain, dropping on my roof above,
Send a message - Morse code,
send it to my love.
Tell-her that I miss her so,
More than she will ever
know.
And tell her not to worry
none,
Tomorrow's awaited, usually
come.
Hold on with courage just
l04,
And big strong me'll come to
your door.
Horny, happy and full of
life,
Come home to love my kids
and wife!
Cu-Chi, Thursday, May 29,
10:00 pm:
I love you more today than yesterday. (eventhough
the mail didn't come today)
I went into Saigon today
but didn't have time to call you because I went by jeep. That
makes three different ways I've gone into Saigon,
Jeep, Bus and helicopter. The only
other way is walking and I hope I
don't have to try that way. I know my way around
Saigon pretty good now but I hate to go there except to call you. It stinks and is so crowded you have
to watch every direction at once to keep from killing someone. I
dropped my clippers
off to be sharpened again.
My room was just filled with flying ants or something so I grabbed
my roach killer and ZAP! They all disappeared somewhere.
I'm glad Yorty won the
mayors race although I didn't really want either one. I just don't think four years of
a negro mayor would
help anything or
anybody except troublemakers.
I'm waiting for the water
truck because I had to open an hour tonight. No one came in but I was reading a new book,
"The President's Plane is Missing!"
It's pretty good so far
but I've only read 80
pages. It's nice to be back in the
swing of reading books. My mind can wander and imagine more out of a book than TV. I hope you don't mind a man that likes to
read every now and then.
Day after tomorrow is payday
but I don't get very much anyway and
this month I'll send it all to you to pay the bills or
something.
Next month you can put
a little money aside to pay customs on my tape
recorder when it comes which won't be for a month or two.
I
miss you dear and can't wait to get
home to you again. But most of all I'm true!