Zot did such an outstanding job of memorializing the mundane punctuated with the moments of sheer terror - punctuated byan overwhelming sense of duty and professionalism. His dedication and integrity shine through in every comment from:
Tue 5 May - Civic Action trip to Buu Son District HQ, Duy Tan High School, Province HQ. Someone said the people like sweets, but have little sugar. CORDS is trying to introduce sugar cane. I said I thought strawberries would grow very well here. Visit Luong Tri. The parachute on a parachute flare failed and the flare went through the roof of their hamlet office-school. 35th Combat Support Group will fix the damage.
to:
Sun 2 Aug - Day off. Wrote to Wyn, Mom. Cleaned room. Strawberries! After supper, I got a call from the air freight terminal saying they had a large pallet for me, and went to the terminal. It was about half a ton of little strawberry plants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, all nicely packed in little boxes with cardboard dividers, wooden floors and risers for the layers. The pallet was addressed to Major Ben Swett, Civic Action, Phan Rang, Vietnam. I had not ordered it and didn't know it was coming, so it must have been arranged by the University professor to whom the Lieutenant sent soil and water samples and climate data. Unfortunately, I can't find or remember the name of the Lieutenant or the University.
To:
Thu 10 Sep - Fly 4.9 (5 sorties). Drops at Hoc Mon. Had a three hour weather delay at Tan Son Nhut, but completed Theater Qualification for Bernie Sher. On the last bundle drop, the pilot did a diving S-turn to keep the drop zone in sight between the clouds. I happened to look up through the top windows of the cockpit from where I was standing in the cargo compartment and saw a C-119 drop a string of paratroops in front of us. We were going to fly right through those troops. I got on the interphone and yelled, "Abort! Abort the drop! Break right!" The pilot immediately leveled the aircraft and did a hard right turn, so we missed the troops with plenty of room to spare. That night at the bar, the pilot, Capt. Pat Stajdel, bought me a drink and said, "Don't ever buy yourself a drink if I'm around."
My favorite posts were not only the ones about Civic Action but about Strawberry's. Unlike Captain Queeg's strawberry's these are about Americans making a difference in a war torn country that still positively impacts the Vietnamese people. It is an amazing vignette and a fitting tribute to your father. Hearing the story personally from him back in the CPAC days only made it more real for me.
I have a friend who is a Christian and believes the Bible is the inspired word of God because of Luke 8:55
Her spirit returned, and at once she stood up. Then Jesus told them to give her something to eat.
This is exactly how your Dad's diary strikes me.
May he rest in Peace. Peace to you, your Mother and your family.
Love ya,
TS
I just noticed that a more detailed version of my Dad's strawberries story was included by Michael Lee Lanning in his book, Tours of Duty: The Best Vietnam War Stories From the Men Who Served. It starts at page 35.