Road to Recovery
Wounded August 15, 1969
by Charlie Deppen
Wounded August 15, 1969
by Charlie Deppen
Charlie Deppen Basic Training
June 20, 1969.
Dear Mom and Dad,
We are no longer with the Company element. The past few days have been absurd since we sit up in the hills during the day and wait until after dark to start down. The trails are rocky, steep, and very treacherous. We have already had one sprained ankle, and I’m lucky I don’t have one too.
Today we went into a village to wash up, shave, and get water (tastes bad, but it’s all we have). We also bought three cases of cokes from the local entrepreneurs ($10-$12 per case with ice). The ville is scenic but dirty. The most depressing thing is to see huts made of bamboo poles with tin siding or siding of old C-ration boxes. The children are friendly and crowd around you asking for chop-chop (food). Although there are many young children, you never see men of military age (they are either in a big town, VC or ARVN (loyalist troops).
I already have a small dose of jungle rot on my hands. Any scratch gets infected since you can’t keep clean out in the bush. The areas are small (just scratches) so it’s only bothersome and not too bad. This is just part of being a soldier in Vietnam.
Glad to hear the Lake Charles job is finally under way. I hope you get the other job
in that area.
We pulled guard every night. I think about playing bridge to keep awake. I also categorize the different things I’m going to drink when I get home. Milk heads the list, then there are juices (orange, grape, grapefruit, pineapple, apple and lemonade), soft drinks (about six types), mixed drinks, Kool-Aid, water, and root beer floats. Not very interesting, but the saliva keeps me awake. If I slept, I’d drown in it. Write me soon and say hi to Lucille and Harriet.
Love, Charles
Dear Mom and Dad,
We are no longer with the Company element. The past few days have been absurd since we sit up in the hills during the day and wait until after dark to start down. The trails are rocky, steep, and very treacherous. We have already had one sprained ankle, and I’m lucky I don’t have one too.
Today we went into a village to wash up, shave, and get water (tastes bad, but it’s all we have). We also bought three cases of cokes from the local entrepreneurs ($10-$12 per case with ice). The ville is scenic but dirty. The most depressing thing is to see huts made of bamboo poles with tin siding or siding of old C-ration boxes. The children are friendly and crowd around you asking for chop-chop (food). Although there are many young children, you never see men of military age (they are either in a big town, VC or ARVN (loyalist troops).
I already have a small dose of jungle rot on my hands. Any scratch gets infected since you can’t keep clean out in the bush. The areas are small (just scratches) so it’s only bothersome and not too bad. This is just part of being a soldier in Vietnam.
Glad to hear the Lake Charles job is finally under way. I hope you get the other job
in that area.
We pulled guard every night. I think about playing bridge to keep awake. I also categorize the different things I’m going to drink when I get home. Milk heads the list, then there are juices (orange, grape, grapefruit, pineapple, apple and lemonade), soft drinks (about six types), mixed drinks, Kool-Aid, water, and root beer floats. Not very interesting, but the saliva keeps me awake. If I slept, I’d drown in it. Write me soon and say hi to Lucille and Harriet.
Love, Charles