Robert De La Fuente
120 Sidmey Street
San Antonio Tx 78203
210-533-4345
Click Here To See Robert's Photo From Nam
These are the last three letters from Robert De La Fuente
telling me of what was going on after I had left Viet Nam.
Hi Chuck
Received your letter on the 15th of Sept. and I was glad to hear from you. Well over here its not the same.
Damn gooks started ambushing every truck that went through between Payable and Ca Lu. So there we go to see what's going on. The first time two Companies went out Lima & Kilo. My squad had point. All of a sudden we started getting automatic fire. Dejesus got killed ( new guy) Cpl Hunter got wounded, he was in front of me and Loyd got wounded too, he was in back of me. A lot of other guys got wounded. The second time we went out Lawson got killed. Detora got wounded. And Sgt Jarvis got wounded on both arms, they thought he had medivaced himself but he didn't. About 4 days later we went out again to burn down the village, while we were sweeping, we found Sgt Jarvis with all his fingers cut off and shot through the head. Well, so much for that.
Have you gotten any leg yet? Well I haven't taken much pictures due to the weather, its been raining just like monsoon and the pictures I have taken are slides. I took some pictures of the last sweep. I should get them in about 2 weeks. The black & whites I have taken are mostly of damn gooks cutting grass. I got the slides of the pictures I took of the broad on R&R, and I sent them to be made into prints. I'll send you a couple when I get them ( Excuse the ink, I've been running out of ink and it's drizzling) I would be glad to send you my black & white film, let me know when I can send it. Well I guess I'll close for now. I'll write again as soon as I get the pictures of the brood. By the way, I made Lance Corporal today.
So long for now
Best of friends
Chicken Man
Hi Chuck
Received your letter on 6th of Oct. and I was glad to hear your doing all right. That was a real cool drawing you made. You got the makings of a real honest to goodness hippie. Well over here its getting kind of hairy. There's people probing our lines at night and on the 24 of Sept. we got hit by rockets-102 mm spin-rockets. And would you believe, one rocket hit the E-8 tear gas launcher. Yep, blew the shit out of it and there was gas all over this damn hill. Worst of all, most of the guys that had gas masks, the filters were all fucked-up. So, there we were taking terns with somebody's gas mask. We didn't sleep all night. Guess where 3/3 is going. Con Thien (help!). We're suppose to leave tomorrow (6 Sept). They say we might be a roaming Battalion like 1/9. Well, so much for that. About pot, there' s a whole acre of it growing right under our noses. We just pick it, dry it, and blow it. And also the gook truck that brings ice, also brings beer, buku beer man! So just about every night we get fucked up. I'm sending you some of the pictures I took of the broad on R&R. They're not too good, cause I didn't have bi-pods and I was in a hurry to get in bed with her. Markris, Holcomb and Hebert all made it all right. Cpl Rizley just left about a week ago. He was glad to go since we got hit. The rest of the platoon is ok. Well Chuck I guess I'll close for now. We have to store our personal gear and all that bull shit. Till then.
Best of friends
Chic
PS What's this Cpl on your address, congrads.
Hi Chuck
Just these few lines to let you know that I'm still alive. Well we rotate out of here on Nov. 22nd. We are moving down to the Cam Lo Bridge. I'm glad to get out of here. This incoming gets on your nerves after awhile. I hadn't written sooner cause we left all our personal gear back at Dong Ha and I forgot your address. I even had to leave my camera. Man I could have taken some outstanding flicks while we were here. We have been on three operations (1 month) so far, I hope we don't have any more. At one point we were 200 meters from the DMZ. By the way, remember that 12 day operation when we passed by a church and there was a priest in black standing in front of the church? Well that's where we went, we walked on that same road, and would you believe the B52's bombed the shit out of that place, that old church is in ruins. Man I wish I could get another R&R, especially when your out here. You get jumpy as a mother fucker. We've been having some decent weather lately. I don't understand it. Well Chuck, I guess that's all I've got to say for now so I'll close. Till then
Best of friends
Chicken Man