I almost let it slip by......

Memories are those things in your brain that linger for a long time, whether they be good or bad. I'm not sure why we can remember some things forever, yet so easily forget other things before we have time to turn and walk away. One thing that burns into our minds are those events we call tragedies.

The following are exurbs from my Vietnam Journal written 36 years ago.....

April 21, 1970:
"...I can look out the window (of my EC-47 Airplane) almost anywhere and see fighting going on down on the ground. There are lots of flares down there lighting up the area. From here they look like big stars. I can see tracer rounds and mortars exploding all around. And the war goes on. We are a little too high for them to shoot at us but it has been known to happen...".

April 22, 1970:L
"I'm feeling a bit down this evening. Remember that friend of mine, Mike Conner, in Pleiku? He's the one besides Tom and I who were trying for that early out. Well, I have some bad news. He was flying today and his plane went down. We haven't any definite news on what happened but word has it that it was shot down. You know he does the same work and flies the same planes I do. They (the people here) don't know if he is dead or not, but they think he is. There were 6 guys on the plane... four parachuted out and were picked up by helicopter. Mike and the pilot crash landed...and 15 minutes later the plane caught on fire. Maybe they were still in it...we don't know. I can't be sure but some guys say he's dead. I am shocked to say the least. I've known him since Germany and it's really bad when something like this hits close to "home". He and I were pretty close; so is Tom.
We all three ran around together in Texas. Mike and I were always going to the lake every chance we got. We would go fishing almost every evening. We even went to Mexico together. You know that picture of me that was taken at the lake? He took it. I just hope and pray he's alive somewhere. He may get captured but at least he'll be alive! It's sad, too, because he's married and his wife is expecting. It's really shocking! We fly over here all the time because we have to. And we try to make ourselves believe it's real safe. So things go smoothly for a long time and we've convinced ourselves so well that it's like in the states. We feel just as safe flying as we would going out for a Sunday drive to the lake. Then this happens. A lot of guys are shaken up...myself included. It isn't quite as bad as it could be. If it had been a plane from this unit, things would be very shaky for us. I would be afraid to step onto another plane! So would a dozen other guys. I guess people have to die in a war, even your friends. That's why they say, "War is hell". Well, enough of that. I just hope he's safe."