SUN 26 MAR

My Darling Girls,

Went on an op to Quang Dien today. The natives got restless and burnt another refugee village so we loaded up on APCs and off we went Sporadic contact all day snipers and 60mm mortars but no really good hard contact - back in at 7 PM. Did I tell you they are pulling Besserman in to do a staff job at DIV I'm delighted he's used up his luck and I'm sure he needs a break. He's a good lad. There are a handful here that I'm really close to and he's one of the old firm of Badcoe, Turner Clements Lehman Besserman and Scales He's got the most drauling Southern accent you ever heard - he never needs to say who it is on the radio - although he alleges for some reason he has no trouble identifying me on the radio! and wears his sailing hat in the APCs. Despite that he's one of the bravest most dedicated young sods I've ever known. Hard to think that its Easter Sunday today and that the girls will be going to special services at Sunday School in their pretty dresses. when Daddy stinks like a pig and spent all afternoon putting in napalm strikes on suspected mortar positions. It just seems sometimes like another world my darling A lovely dream world that I once knew with a very beautiful Neisi and those adorable little princesses but its real and its not that long now until it will be real for me again and Vietnam will seem like a dream and 804 and 810 will be just numbers and PHU THU and QUANG DIEN places I once knew - not the driving obsession they are now. The kids are doing well We've got a smooth professional team now. They don't need many orders - a wave of the hand or a hand signal and they just fall into place. They are good people and we've slowly developed absolute trust in each other. I've sacked [deleted] the replacement to LEHMAN. He's off to be an assistant in a subsection and I'm taking Garcy a good steady lad - big enough to carry the radio - and me!

My Vietnamese has improved a lot lately The kids tell me I now have a good HUE accent

I'll be taking a holiday soon. I Don't think I'll go on R R - too much dough for just living. I might take a few days off and go and live out on the island with the Junk Fleet base. Its pacified out there and I could just lie in the sand and listen to the waves. Col Kelly's been on back again about taking a leave but there is just so much to be done and with Lehman dead, Alverado wounded and a new Colonel I'm the only one with any background that knows what's going on. Anyway that's enough moaning for one night Sorry this is such a miserable letter my darling but my Neisi is the only person I can let it all out to. Like Neisi at home I've got to keep unruffled outwardly as all the kids watch me and depend on me. I love you my gorgeous wife did I ever tell you? I do love you so very much my darling Neisi. Not long now

Petie