March 23, 1970

Dear Mom,

I just wrote you this morning so if you get this letter before or at the same time as the earlier one, read it first. Remember I said I went out to the mountain this morning but nothing happened so I came back. Well I took my CEV (combat engineer vehicle) which looks like a tank, but had all sorts of things on it. It has a gun that fires a 40 pound C-4 charge (C-4 is like TNT only more powerful) We use the gun to destroy bunkers and enemy obstacles. Anyway when they can to shot at the mountain they use it because it fires a shape (?) charges and is used for destroying things, whereas most of the artillery and tanks over here fire anti-personnel shells that throw off shrappnel for killing people, but isn't much good for destroying things. They use the CEV to fire at the mountain and destroy the boulders the enemy hides behind.

Anyway, I got a radio message that the tank commander (the vehicle leader) was killed. I rushed out there and what happened is that he fired at he mountain from about 400 meters. But he did not button up (get in the vehicle and close the hatch) Anyway when the round hit the target (a big rock) the back blast flew back and a rock about the size of a baseball hit him in the chest. He was sitting on the hatch and when the rock hits it explodes his chest all over the inside of the tank. When I got there the crew wouldn't get in it so I went in to turn on the radio and call the company. About 2/3 of his blood was splattered all over the inside and was about 2 inches deep on the floor of the tank, of course the membrane and skin from his chest was splattered all over the inside.

We took it back to the fire support base and the CO, myself, and some other people from my platoon spent the afternoon cleaning up the mess. We had to take a box and scrap the mess off the floor with the box. It still isn't all cleaned. We are using tooth brushes to clean in the cracks and crevaces. If we don't get it all out it will start smelling, especially in that closed area.

It sort of amazed me that I didn't feel sick or anything cleaning it up. I have really gotten hardened this last month. But this is the first person I have known personally to get killed. By the time I leave I don't think any sight will bother me.

Of course don't mention this to Pat.

Later,

John