Encoded for for the Veterans History Project, September 17, 2020.
All letters in the Robert Geisler collection were digitized.
The following letters were transcribed from the handwritten originals by Veterans History Project staff. No alterations to this transcription has been made, although spelling errors are indicated with [sic]. Any special emphasis (i.e. underlining) is presented *between asterisks*.
Aug 7
Hello Family,
Well, I was supposed to go to Chuli[sic], but I missed the plane. I don’t care, me and one of my buddies both missed it so we’ll go tomorrow. You should see these people, they are the ugliest things in the world, and the dirtiest. If they have to go to the bathroom, they just squat down alongside of the road. I’m sleeping in a tent now, I’m lucky. Most of the time you sleep on the ground.
The people here live in shacks. They’re so poor, the rats in there houses go out to eat.
Tell Bob White, that he will most likely get to see V.N., because we have a lot of guys here, who were in Sea Duty.
Down here, you don’t salute
officers. The friends that I have left here think I’m crazy, because I talk to the officers like I would anyone else.
It’s sort of scary here, you don’t know what to expect. One guy was telling me that his best friend was sleeping when a V.C. snuck up and put a grenade next to him, and blew the guy to bits.
The base I’m on now, is pretty safe, but not long ago it was hit with mortars, and a lot got hurt or killed.
How’s about mailing me the Game News whenever you can.
I’m going to try to get a bunch of pistols. I’m allowed to keep pistols if I kill a V.C. that have them.
So far I’ve seen Okinawa, Tokyo, Danang[sic], and soon I’ll see South V.N. and I don’t like any of it.
Sanitary conditions are terrible, if you get a little scratch it gets infected real fast.
If you think it’s hot back there, you should be here. I’m laying on an Army cot now, just writing, I’m almost naked, and I’m sweating to death.
When I come home I’m going to have a lot of hair and a mustache. I’m growing one now.
You won’t be able to write me yet, but I’ll be getting an address soon.
One of my buddies, as soon as we got here, they put him in a recon unit and sent
him out on patrol. This particular unit, on its last patrol lost over ½ of there men. He’s a nervous wreck.
We are one day behind you here, so if it’s 6 o’clock Monday at home, it’s 6 o’clock Sunday here.
Well I’ll write tomorrow if I can, See Ya!
Love Bob.
P.S.
I sure hope Phil don’t have to go through this. Time goes fast, and it won’t be long until he has to go into the service.
covered with dirt.
We live in tents like this
ENTRANCE
V.N. Soldiers supposedly on OUR SIDE
DA NANG AIR BASE BUILT BETWEEN BIG MOUNTAINS
ENCLOSED IS THE KIND OF MONEY WE SPEND HERE. We get in trouBLE IF WE SPEND AMERICAN DOLLARS. DON’T WRITE TO THIS ADDRESS. IT’S NOT MINE, AND I WON’T GET THE MAIL