Dear Maxie

Love Letters from Vietnam

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Dear Maxie, Letters from Vietnam
 
I left Maxie to go to Vietnam on April 25, 1968, 45 years ago. We had been married for 18 days; we are still married today and are still very much in love.

Maxie experienced the war through my letters one day at a time until January,1969. On good days she would get a letter from me, on better days a couple of letters or pictures or some other tidbit from me. On bad days, no letter would arrive due to mail foul-ups, weather, or just luck. Sometimes the letters would get mixed up; I didn't date the letters and it would be difficult to sort out if the letters arrived out of order.


Dear Maxie
Love Letters from Vietnam
Printed Book Version

ISBN 978-1-257-04170-1

Experience Vietnam One Day at a Time
Reading Instructions Included (below)
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Reading Instructions

1.      Read one letter per day. Since there are 140 letters, your tour of duty is only four and one half months long. My tour was almost twice that long and the standard Vietnam tour was 13 months.

2.      You may read previous mail, but do not peek at future letters unless you have a valid future prophecy license from your state.

3.      Read one letter each and every day. The Vietnam War did not stop for weekends, holidays, birthdays, Christmas or the Jewish High Holy days. The war kept on going 7 days a week, every week, every damn day.

4.      Don’t worry if you spill coffee or anything else on the letters. The original letters are stained with Vietnamese dirt, ink running from rain drops, tears, sweat and other unknown things.

5.      Don’t quit reading just because you are tired, become bored, lose interest or get a better offer. We had to finish our Vietnam tours even if we wanted to go home; the only way to leave early was on a stretcher or in a body bag. Quitting was not an option

With only 140 days left from the first day as an FNG, you are already a “short timer” compared with everyone else in country.

Sometimes we did not know the day of the week, the day of the month, the actual month or the season of the year, but we always, always knew how many days we had left.

Note: Some of the letters contain strong language. No apologies are offered or needed; it was war.
The Letters

Day 0     140 Days Left     Letter from Okinawa. Last letter before Vietnam
Day 1     139 Days Left     First Letter from Vietnam
Day 2     138 Days Left     Taking shower and cooling off at night.
Day 3     137 Days Left     What am I doing here?
Day 4     136 Days Left     Glad that we are married
Day 5     135 Days Left     Jets bombing near DMZ, The Club
Day 6     134 Days Left     Getting used to the heat
Day 7     133 Days Left     Have been apart for a month. Just another boring day
Day 8     132 Days Left     New guys and incoming, FNG
Day 9     131 Days Left     What if they gave a war and nobody came?
Day 10   130 Days Left     Road sweep
Day 11   129 Days Left     NVA’s not Jewish, incoming on the Sabbath
Day 12   128 Days Left     Vietnamese. K Company hit, Cookout
Day 13   127 Days Left     Patio and Spa. Numb.
Day 14   126 Days Left     Drinking. Another Jewish Marine. Into the trench naked
Day 15   125 Days Left     Telling Maxie I’m safe
Day 16   124 Days Left     Canned steaks. Maxie looking for apartment for us. The office
Day 17   123 Days Left     Mosquito net
Day 18   122 Days Left     Military Payment Certificates. MPC
Day 19   121 Days Left     Afternoon in the trenches
Day 20   120 Days Left     Lima Company is hit hard, Joyner killed
Day 21   119 Days Left     At the Wall in D.C.
Day 22   118 Days Left     Typing Condolence letters
Day 23   117 Days Left     Condolence letters
Day 24   116 Days Left     Guy Missing, Larry, Good Conduct
Day 25   115 Days Left     We get new people to replace the ones we lost
Day 26   114 Days Left     Found missing guy
Day 27   113 Days Left     Depressed, more wounded
Day 28   112 Days Left     Two more people from L Company killed, my anger explodes
Day 29   111 Days Left     How lucky I am. Sorry about angry letter
Day 30   110 Days Left     Maxie's upset by the angry letter, my response. Moustache
Day 31   109 Days Left     First food package. Condolence letter.
Day 32   108 Days Left     A short Letter
Day 33   107 Days Left     June stats, mess hall, skinny
Day 34   106 Days Left     Form letter from all of us to all of our wives and girlfriends
Day 35   105 Days Left     Still typing condolence letters, lost my pen
Day 36   104 Days Left     Short Poem: M16 and AK47
Day 37   103 Days Left     Air show, living quarters, mosquito net
Day 38   102 Days Left     Hot, watch, racial strife
Day 39   101 Days Left     Maxie's pictures keep me going. Bugs and more bugs
Day 40   100 Days Left     Busy day, 11 new people. Hungry.
Day 41   99 Days Left        We all chipped in $15 for typewriter for condolence letters
Day 42   98 Days Left        110 pounds of steak!
Day 43   97 Days Left        I love you and I will forever
Day 44   96 Days Left        I sent Maxie a roll of film.
Day 45   95 Days Left        No mail today. Maxie fears the worst.
Day 46   94 Days Left        Maxie finally gets a letter that explains the pictures of the dump.
Day 47   93 Days Left        The Dump is finally mentioned in the U.S. newspapers
Day 48   92 Days Left        Larry's convoy ambush, terrible chow, the moon
Day 49   91 Days Left        172 days left. Monthly budget. Shaving
Day 50   90 Days Left        Maxie and Teddy. I go nuts.
Day 51   89 Days Left        High Finance, Picture of Maxie
Day 52   88 Days Left        USO Show!
Day 53   87 Days Left        Incoming again. Maxie encounters prejudice
Day 54   86 Days Left        This is for you
Day 55   85 Days Left        Hungry. English Major. The Corps
Day 56   84 Days Left        25 cent women
Day 57   83 Days Left        Convoy to Ca Lu, Fathers Day card?
Day 58   82 Days Left        New Ho Chi Minh's
Day 59   81 Days Left        A Conversation. What am I, a walking calendar?
Day 60   80 Days Left        Getting Drunk
Day 61   79 Days Left        Maxie Bikini. At the club, got unable
Day 62   78 Days Left        Lonely rain
Day 63   77 Days Left        Jody. Still trying to steal our women
Day 64   76 Days Left        Typhoon. Bunkers cave in
Day 65   75 Days Left        Will it ever end?
Day 66   74 Days Left        A little incoming. Short letter better than no letter.
Day 67   73 Days Left        One day we will be too old to have sex . . .
Day 68   72 Days Left        July 4th, rockets red flare. Underwear, or lack thereof. Tabasco
Day 69   71 Days Left        School cut mess. Going to Quang Tri. Hardback.
Day 70   70 Days Left        Seven days a week. Friends
Day 71   69 Days Left        Maxie, you are prettier than the Playboy bunnies.
Day 72   68 Days Left        Last birthday in the Corps
Day 73   67 Days Left        Another so-so day
Day 74   66 Days Left        Drinking to escape
Day 75   65 Days Left        Piss on it. Shocking Old Ladies
Day 76   64 Days Left        Moving to Quang Tri. Sometime around Rosh Hashanah.
Day 77   63 Days Left        Going to Danang for Yom Kippur. I feel empty.
Day 78   62 Days Left        Wed? More condolence letters.
Day 79   61 Days Left        Yom Kippur in China Beach. DaNang - ice cream and slums
Day 80   60 Days Left        I’m sick of the whole machine that sends people out to get gloriously shot at
Day 81   59 Days Left        Missed Rosh Hashanah. Moved to Quang Tri. C's.
Day 82   58 Days Left        Maxie's last picture - going out of my mind
Day 83   57 Days Left        Missing the world
Day 84   56 Days Left        Quang Tri midnight attack on the other side of the base
Day 85   55 Days Left        Lonely rain
Day 86   54 Days Left        Back to Dong Ha to steal telephone poles. My medal
Day 87   53 Days Left        50 Pound Package! Air conditioner went out.
Day 88   52 Days Left        Todo  en amor es triste . . .
Day 89   51 Days Left        Drunk First Sgt.
Day 90   50 Days Left        Planning for life after The Corps.
Day 91   49 Days Left        Maxie worried about drinking.
Day 92   48 Days Left        Larry's R&R in Australia. He wouldn't shut up.
Day 93   47 Days Left        I married the right sister.
Day 94   46 Days Left        Lonely weather.
Day 95   45 Days Left        New work schedule makes time go faster.
Day 96   44 Days Left        What does it really take to live?
Day 97   43 Days Left        Nothing has happened today – just another boring, long, hot day.
Day 98   42 Days Left        Trip past the Rockpile
Day 99   41 Days Left        Map of my Vietnam
Day 100 40 Days Left        What do you do with an afternoon off in Vietnam?
Day 101 39 Days Left        Being in Vietnam is the worst part of being in Vietnam.
Day 102 38 Days Left        Deck of cards. One card per day.
Day 103 37 Days Left        Maxie finds apt. I can't get medal.  Going on R&R.
Day 104 36 Days Left        How did I get to the airport when I left?
Day 105 35 Days Left        Muddy first days at Quang Tri
Day 106 34 Days Left        Bodacious package
Day 107 33 Days Left        What is worse than a boot lieutenant?
Day 108 32 Days Left        A dark letter.
Day 109 31 Days Left        Thinking about R&R as other people go.
Day 110 30 Days Left        Money
Day 111 29 Days Left        Dear "Abby" Maxie. 50 pound package.
Day 112 28 Days Left        Just passing time in the Corps
Day 113 27 Days Left        Found a good book. Seeing guys that went thru boot camp with me.
Day 114 26 Days Left        Free beer, even Ski got drunk. Guy wanted to shoot someone.
Day 115 25 Days Left        Craving a big salad, fresh vegetables, iced tea and a banana split.
Day 116 24 Days Left        Black and White
Day 117 23 Days Left        I realize that I won't have any clothes when I get home.
Day 118 22 Days Left        New job with H&S company. I'm lucky.
Day 119 21 Days Left        I've had enough rain. Wanting to dance with Maxie.
Day 120 20 Days Left        I’d almost forgotten what sex is like
Day 121 19 Days Left        I get an R&R date and plan on going to Hong Kong
Day 122 18 Days Left        R&R! I’m angry when I meet an admiral who gets combat pay.
Day 123 17 Days Left        Back in Quang Tri and this place seems like such a hole now.
Day 124 16 Days Left        Getting excited about being short. Short timer calendar.
Day 125 15 Days Left        Damn, Damn, Damn, I'm here and you're there
Day 126 14 Days Left        Maxie, stop worrying. We'll be ok.
Day 127 13 Days Left        Short timer attitude. My mezuzah broke. Met an old shipmate from the Shangri-La
Day 128 12 Days Left        I'm pissed. With only 20 days to go, they are sending me up to Vandegrift!
Day 129 11 Days Left        Well, I’m at Vandegrift now. Gave away the chairs I stole.
Day 130 10 Days Left        The guys at Vandegrift drink. Hate the dust from choppers.
Day 131   9 Days Left        I’m tired.  I’m tired of working 7 days a week, etc.
Day 132   8 Days Left        1969! Our year.
Day 133   7 Days Left        I've been lucky.
Day 134   6 Days Left        10 Days to go
Day 135   5 Days Left        Inspections in Vietnam?
Day 136   4 Days Left        I tell Maxie that I'm so short that it is time to stop writing me.
Day 137   3 Days Left        I’m this short and don’t know yet exactly how many days I have left.”
Day 138   2 Days Left        Back in Quang Tri. First step in the journey home.
Day 139   1 Days Left        Last letter from Vietnam. Gooks in the line.
Day 140   0 Days Left        Going Home!!!
Epilogue                            I return in 2007 and find my Dong Ha

© Copyright 2013 Gary Canant