We have been trucked out to the grave yard north of Camp Books and dropped off. We are on the south edge of one of the villages we patrol. Three of the village kids have come out to meet us in hope of getting some C-ration crackers and peanut butter. One of these kids is my friend Lizard, everyone know and liked Lizard. I liked it when the kids were around because the chances are there will be no VC in the Vill. That's me in the foreground caring the M-79.
During the monsoon season when the rain never stopped we would sometimes sleep on top of graves. The graves where made of mounds of sand or earth and would keep you a foot or more above the ground. I felt a bit exposed up there, and I was still sleeping in the rain, but I wasn't sleeping in water.
These Vietnamese kids will all be men by now and will all have there own stories to tell. One or more of them may have there own computer and may be looking at my web sight now. If so I want you to know that I hope all of you kids are alive and well, and good luck to you. I was working in one of your offshore oil fields a few years back. I had planed to visit your hamlet before leaving but was unable to get ashore. I never got the chance. Funny thing is that it was the French with the contract to develop the Vietnamese offshore oil field I was working in. I was working for a subcontractor that had the diving contract. "Rockwater" a Halliburton subsidiary. That's politics for you. In fact the CEO of Halliburton at the time is our vice presided. Go figure. Good luck kids.
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© Copyright 2002 by Billy Joe Churchwell.