Missed 3 Masses.

Rode to Phu Bai. Ate at mess hall. No forks or spoons, so… we ate with our hands.

Rode to Da Nang. Lt. Barclay decided to keep me in liaison.

Went to a movie: One Way Wahinis

Stood watch in Bunker – saw a Movie (?)

Saw Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines.

Mess Halls all have COLD milk, now.

Moved up to Cam Lo. Saw Hawkins.

Built sleeping quarters.

No Mass. Artillery round landed near perimeter.

Went to B.A.S. Doctor. …Says it looks like I have some type of bacterial disease on my face, neck and rear end. Impetigo, maybe.

Monday, 7 March through Tuesday, 13 June was all filled in today, mostly from memory. A few things were left out here and there.

Charles Barnette got a Purple Heart.

Believed James Anderson is dead (Andy)

I’ve seen John Burr a few times.

I received numerous packages from home.

Received one from Sorority of girls.

I got a letter from Melinda Ascanio, a little 4^th grader in Merritt Island, Florida.

I have missed 11 Sundays going to Mass.

One day during the week, Fr. McDermott came out to Hill 51 somewhere around 26 or 28 April.

L/Cpl. Mortimer was wounded on an operation and is now in a hospital 20 miles from Tokyo, Japan. He may go back to the States, soon.

L/Cpl. Wetzel is supposed to return to the Battery today or tomorrow. When he does, I will take over the equipment section of Liaison. Book keeping and such.

This book cannot be toted in the field for it will get wet. For quite a while, I was separated from my sea bag. That is why I filled in so much today. Most of it (2 months) from memory. I almost gave up on the idea of keeping it, one time.

This Jim Anderson I mentioned on the previous page in one of the paragraphs above is the same one mentioned on the very first page of my log.

I have already spent over 1/3 of my tour over here.

L/Cpl. Wetzel left today. Now I am in charge of whatever I am in charge of . I did a little bookkeeping and "organizing" today.

Yesterday, the rain flooded us out, so we dried everything out today.

We are putting a sandbag roof on our bunker. Cpl. West was in the middle (on the roof) and as he put a sandbag on, the whole thing fell in. …not hurt!

Today, a Marine bought a can of Coca-Cola from the "Gooks." The little Vietnamese boy opened the can and it exploded. The V.C. had booby-trapped it and resealed it. Again, no one was hurt.

Sgt. Houser has been buying us (we pay him) a case of beer occasionally. He loaned us his cooler and we buy ice. The only thing is Jerry and Ski and Darrell drink it all up while I’m on watch. I usually get 2 to 3 cans from a case.

Got up at 0700 and went to chow. Squared away comm. gear all day.

Lt. Decided F.O.’s would help stand radio watch. So Stanley came on from 2000 to 2200. Perrelli stood from 2200 to 2400. I sat with him.

Milsap came on then.

I slept from 2400 to 0200. At 0200, I came on watch. At 0400, Barnette came in and I sat up with him ‘till 0500.

At 0700, I got up and went to chow.

After chow, I began "P.M." (Preventive Maintenance-a means of cleaning the radios to prevent failures at undesirable times) of radios and inventorying gear. Found a missing radio (No, I didn’t find a radio missing, but found one that had been previously reported as missing.)

At 1800, Stanley came on ‘till 2000. I sat with him.

Perrelli 2000 to 2200 and me.

Milsap 2200 to 2400. At 2300 he woke Kennison to come to the bunker to aid in a fire mission. I woke up and sat out side about 30 minutes listening to a Johnny Cash album.

Thursday, 22 Jun ’67

When I first came to the field, I was with Stanley. We were left in the rear for Sparrow hawk. All of the rest of Fox Company were out and getting all shot up. All kinds of men were being medivaced – some died. Some skated.

Then, May 10, Jerry and I left for Chinook. As a rule, Jerry is with Echo Company. They were at Kee Sehn getting shot at; mortared. Barnette was with them and he got wounded. Again I skated.

At Chinook, Koho didn’t have a radio operator. He tried to get me to go to the field with him. I stayed with Jerry.

Three days later, Koho was killed by a booby trap. The man before him and the man after him were seriously injured. Koho carried his own radio this time.

A Radioman stays right behind his F. O., usually closer than a grunt will walk. [This is so the F. O. can relay fire coordinates back to the firing battery.] Once more, I skated.

L/Cpl. Koho was on a 3-month extension.

After Operation Shewanee, Golf Company went to Nam Bou for security for a bridge detail. Everyone else went up to Gio Lihn. Many people were killed. Mortimer and his F.O., a Lieutenant were wounded and went on the Repose.

All this time, I sat on my rear by the river swimming every day. I skated. [I only learned of these incidents after they occurred and reports came back in. I do not want it to sound like I was intentionally trying to get out of being in the action. Fate had a hand in that!]

Then, when Golf Company came to Dong Ha, and went out, (2 men were medivaced before the night fell.) the Lieutenant kept me in the rear in Liaison. Another time I skated.

Sunday, 25 Jun ’67

I went to Mass.

On Friday, we are going on a two-day operation (supposedly) to Hill 174. Supposed to be quite a hill. Lt. Barclay said he wanted two radio operators in the field with him. Sgt. Houser said, "I wish you’d leave Worden here. He knows all the gear and he’s the only one that works." …Made me feel nice that somebody noticed.

I pretty well know where everything is now and what I am doing. The Lieutenant can say "Where is…" and practically before he says it, I have handed it to him. I learned fast.

Today, I took a shower in the rain, with no clothes on. Can you imagine going outside in the States, during a downpour and stripping down? Wow!

At 0400, I got up for radio watch, got off at 0730 for chow. At 0900, I got relieved.

New Lieutenant came down. I had to find him a radio; had none- RC292 missing. Had to take 2 bad items to make a good one.

At 1600 got on trucks. Walked all night.

Walked ‘till 0400. Sat down on hill. Ate snack. Slept for approximately 1 hour. 0500-moved on. 0700-"Gooks" hit us. I hit deck, scratched my wrist. I could have gotten a Purple Heart for it if I’d shown the corpsman. Four Marines died. Fourteen to sixteen were wounded. (Hardly made my scratch worth even looking at.)

At sundown, we left Hill 174. (200 meters form DMZ.) I took first radio watch when we set in.