Life at the front no picnic for GIs - Letter from a soldier

<snip>Our living conditions are just so difficult to keep clean and maintain it all. I washed my one blanket and my cot, but I do not have any hot water (well the water is hot but you know what I mean, like hot in a washing machine to kill the buggies in the clothes stuff). It has not been bad today, but I wake up with all of these tiny red bites. My hair is long and does not itch, but I think something is still going on. I am using all of your bug stuff, but I think they are stronger than what we have in the States. The mosquitoes laugh at me when I put OFF on. You have to put on the straight DEET and hope you will not have cancer in a year.

We have been hit 18 of the last 19 days. I feel like I am at Da Nang or Phu Bai. It just sucks. Luckily, "only" about 45 people have been hurt. Yeah, a lot, but considering how many they lob in here, that is not too bad. It is wearing on me along with the constant oppressive heat, no sleep, no food (yeah, they shut off our food resupply without any warning, things are getting slim, we are fine but it is not a good feeling to have so little spare food and water) and spending every night and day now trying to dodge mortars. More than half a month under siege and luckily we are all still safe.

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