A.W. (Peter) Machen to Arthur W. Machen, Jr.

September 9, 1969

Vietnam

Dear Dad,

Well yesterday I got mail, a flood of mail!  Must it be an almost 10 letters there.

Last night we left Hill 124 and had an overnight ambush.  No sight of the enemy.  It's been raining and I've been humping through rice paddies and carrying an M-60, a pack, 200 rounds of ammo plus 15 magazines.  It's a bitch!  Went on out in the bush.  The only water available is what you can get.  Even if it's stagnant and dirty, I'll drink it when there is nothing else for miles.  I only wish I could express how much that Kool-Aid means to me.  One package is good for two canteens and it's good to have.  Thanks!  If you remember, just drop one in a letter.

I got a letter from Mrs. Lewenz and a postcard from the 7D, which I got a big kick out of.  Jack wrote me a great letter.  I liked the picture of him with Miss Montana.

Well we may go on ship!  Possibly this month, I'm not sure.  The word is that we are going on the USS Valley Forge on the 29th.

Da Nang was hit the few nights ago for the first time in a long time.  Da Nang is one of the most secure military places in Nam.  I was on watch on [Hill] 124 at the time and I saw a flame shoot up like an atom bomb.  The gooks hit it an ammo bunker with a rocket.  The next day we went out on a mission in the mountains to find the rocket site which we thought was there.  We humped those hills and jungles from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. without more than 15 minutes rest at a time.  I didn't know how I was going to make it.  I just grit my teeth and keep on pushing.  We found nothing.  Only some bungee pits at the makings of some old booby traps which we carefully inspected.  Then went back to Hill 124.  Some of those jungles are so dense you can hardly see the man in front of you.

Hill 190 gets hit every night so I'm expecting to see some real action pretty soon!

I'm interested in your wanting my opinion on the people and the whole general thing.  Here goes:

Actually, I've had a lot of contact with the Vietnamese people.  They would come near the hill and sell cokes, beer, noodles, rice etc..

They are friendly, generous and strong hearted.  They gave me some rice and fish head one day which wasn't really too bad.  They got a big kick out of watching me use chopsticks.  Finally they gave me a spoon.

Their morale is high and they are no fools.  Some of them, ARVONS, are fighting with us.

After Ho Chi Minh died, the NVA announced a three-day cease-fire.  This was not recognized by the South Vietnamese government or US forces because the NVA have never observed a truce yet.

It seems to me that the chances for military and political independence are a long way off.  Either we train the South Vietnamese people to fight their own war or we use our air power and bomb the hell out of Hanoi.  We can't pull out and forget about it.  These people will fight as long as we are here.   At night you can hear Hanoi Hanna.  She says that the NVA are trying to liberate the South from the American imperialists.

Vietnam is only a thin strip of land but it is so stretched out-- north with Communist influence and south which wants independence.  I believe it is politically impossible for the two to meet.  The two will have to form their own separate forms of government.  But will the Communist ever leave South Vietnam alone?  Only if they are strong enough to retaliate and they aren't.  Somebody is stuck with supporting the South Vietnamese government to promote independence and stop Communist influence and we, the US, are stuck with this dirty but necessary job.

This war has gone now almost 9 years.  What's going to stop it so just now?  The American people have no idea what's going on here, and I think that the news media has been holding back too long.  The American people ain’t going to stand for this war much longer!  Mainly because they have no idea what is really happening.  It's hard to understand and harder to explain.

356 days to go.

I am now an A-gunner.  That’s an assistant gunner--the man who feeds the belt into the gun.  Well I was an ammo humper.  Hope I make gunner.

Those naval guns can sure make a blast.  They can do a job as you probably know.  Some of those guns can go over 20 miles.  It gives the gooks something to ponder about.

H &S Company is a company attached to any division which might need them. 9th MAB is the same.  I've also attached to the 1st div.  Marble Mountain is only 10 miles from here.

Those new amtracks can go up to 60 mph.

Thanks for the Kool-Aid!  I'm going to write Mom!.

Love to all, Pete

Get my best to Mrs. Chewning

I'll keep my head down old Buddy

PS.   Here is some fresh rice straight from Vietnam.  You send the Kool-Aid, I'll send you lunch.