September 3, 1968

The doctors never did discover what caused Alex to be ill. His fever was from "unknown origin", they said. He should be coming back in a day or two. I have only 46 more days to freedom... getting short!

September 5, 1968

Weather… wet

It has rained for the last few days. Typhoon Bess is due to hit full strength at noon today. Our tent almost washed away the other night so we thought about building an ark. When the weather gets better we will need to repair the damage to the sandbags that surround our tent. One good thing, the weather helped to keep "Charlie" quiet. He must be bailing out his tunnel. Alex was just released from the hospital so he should be back shortly. It will be nice to have some help with radio duty once again.

September 9, 1968

The NVA lost a major battle last month. I hope our success keeps "Charlie" quiet until I get out of here. Yesterday, I received my separation orders. I must report to Cam Ranh Bay on October 15, for my flight home.

September 18, 1968

Approximately five days ago, we received orders to move to Quang Ngai. This time I did not volunteer. My orders were to go along and set up a mobile radio station. I only received two hours notice, so I had to hurry to get my gear together. We traveled the 50 miles from Hawk Hill to Quang Ngai after dark. Our troop arrived on the outskirts of town at three in the morning and camped there until daybreak. In the morning, we headed for an airport located south of the city. Here, we set up a base camp while our troop continued to scout for the enemy. It was not long before we needed to move the camp closer to the fighting, to improve the communications. In a few days, we declared victory and headed for home. On the way back, we stopped in Chu Lai for the night and parked right on the beach. While there, I had a chance to swim in the South China Sea and even saw a stage show. We returned to Hill 29 in the morning. I now have 30 days left.

September 22, 1968

I will remember this night for a long time. At 0200 hours, the Viet Cong began an attack on Hawk Hill with rockets and mortars. Suddenly, there was a loud explosion nearby. The shrapnel tore holes in our tent and hit the sandbags surrounding the sides. In the morning, we looked at the rocket craters and the damage to our tent. I was amazed that no one was killed. The next time these guys want to celebrate someone's birthday, I hope they will wait until after I leave. Only 19 days left.

September 29, 1968

My tour of duty is finally almost over. I have 11 days left on Hawk Hill. Soon, I will depart for Cam Ranh Bay to catch a flight home.

October

July

Aug.

Sept.

Oct.

Nov.

Dec.