IN THE BEGINNING

MY VIETNAM EXPERIENCE

This project began more than Thirty-Eight years ago when I was in Seattle Washington waiting, along with about one hundred and fifty other military personnel, to board a plane that would land us in a war zone that was over ten thousand miles from the little town of Ridgeland, Mississippi, where I was born and raised. For some still unexplained reason, I purchased a diary that was destined to allow me to write and reflect upon its content.

The history of this diary since my return from Vietnam in June of 1969, Three-Hundred and Fifteen (315) days after I departed the “good ol U.S.of A”, until my return. The book was lost for ten years, only to be found in a storage shack belonging to my Aunt Zettie. The wind blew it down and I was asked by my cousin to help clean up the debris. I was visiting my hometown from Joliet, Illinois where I was then living. The Diary was beneath my weather beaten military clothing, wet but readable. I took the book back to Joliet where it was misplaced for another five or six years. When I returned home for good in 1984, it was found again among some of my old college books and materials. Moving twice more from 1984 to 1997, the Diary was again lost and found as I move to my present home. I then put it in plastic where it has remained until now. Therefore, this project is the fulfillment of a promise that I made to myself when the diary was purchased in 1968.That being to review it and write about my Vietnam Experience.

Throughout this project, I will reveal, within reason and good taste its content day by day, and reflect on my experiences as it relate to the entry. This is not something I want to do, it is something that I feel compelled to do. READERS PLEASE ACCEPT IT IN THE SPRIT THAT IT IS PRESENTED!!!!

DAY 1: JULY 26, 1968: FRIDAY

This is the day I left the States. I was shaky, but most

People are at this stage of the game. We boarded the plane at

5:30 AM and at 6 AM we (153-55) others were on our way to the

Republic of South Vietnam. We were on to make one stop

And that was in Yokota, Japan in 9 ½ hours. I said my prayers

On the airplane, for I don’t like flying and the plane ride almost kills me.

We land in Yokota at about 9:30 Japan time on the 27^th of July.

We had flew through a day and night in just 9 ½ hours.

Aman