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I was in Quan Loi for the rainy season (May to September). The deep red dust that covered the ground became mud. We learned the hard way that firing the 175 gun during a heavy down pour was a bad idea. A shell exploded as it came out of the tube and from that point forward, we ceased firing in the slightest bit of rain. No one was injured in the incident but it was a very close call.

Living underground during the rainy season gave me some sort of sickness that caused me to be evacuated to a field hospital for several days. The illness was never identified but it was labeled as a “fever of undetermined origin”. I returned to the unit and moved back into the hole without further illness or symptoms.

I took R & R in Hawaii in June of 1967. I met my wife there and we celebrated our second year wedding anniversary together. We intentionally waited until late in my tour so that we would not have so long to wait until we were together again.

While I was in country, I constantly wrote letters to my new wife and family back in the states. We also used tape recorders to share thoughts and experiences. I am glad that those tapes were thrown away. I took many photographs while I was in Vietnam. I mailed each roll of film back for development so that my wife and family could see what I was seeing.