Vietnam Letter to Home

Dear Mom and Dad, Hey! I miss you all so much. Every day I think about you guys and the rest of the family! I’m sorry that I haven’t written to you all in a long time! A lot has been going in the past few weeks. The war out here in Vietnam is mostly what I expected. Our enemy, the Viet Cong, wants to spread communism throughout South Vietnam. In order to do so, they need to beat us. The Viet Cong knew that they had to engage in guerrilla warfare, which is a style of fighting that relies on the element of surprise. Although it seems our army is stronger and more experienced, there are a plethora of complications and frustrations us soldiers face. Out here in Vietnam, the weather is definitely an obstacle. The hot climate is a detriment to our energy. Another frustration out here is guerrilla warfare. The Viet Cong had sneaky moves that makes us not know where they are coming from. Lastly, all the Vietnamese look alike. Therefore, we could not tell any of them apart. As a result, we may be killing innocent citizens, or Viet Cong members. Four days ago I was walking cautiously in the jungle. This is because the Viet Cong set up traps, so I could have easily stepped on one. This would have resulted in a severe injury, disease, or death. As I was walking, I came across a stream. The body of water was moving fast, so at all costs, I had to avoid falling into it. The stream was too wide to jump across, so I moved slowly toward the two vines set up that would help you across. I came to the conclusion that the vines were meant to be used like a bridge because they were set up perfectly parallel to each other. Therefore, while holding onto the vine above your head for balance, you could walk along the vine below you to get across. As I did so, the vine below me snapped, and I was hanging above the stream by two hands on a vine that could not hold my weight for long. I tried to move my hands one at a time across the vine, but every time I would move, it would shake even more. However, I didn’t have to worry about doing that. This is because a multitude of Viet Cong members were yelling and running toward me. Without hesitation, I let go of the vine and ran across the stream. When I tried to look back, I couldn’t see anything beyond the stream, so as I turned my head back around, I banged into a huge tree. I knew I had to get up, but I had to keep going. Therefore, I crawled into a bush to hide from the Viet Cong. For as long as I can remember, I was in that bush for a whole day. When I woke up, I was being cared for by U.S. medics. I asked them what happened, and they said that some troops who were going on search and destroy missions found me lying in a bush passed out. I am so thankful that they found me because if they didn’t, I probably wouldn’t be writing this letter home. Although I don’t know what the future will bring, I am eager to see what happens out here in Vietnam. I promise to stay safe and give it all I got for the sake of my country. I love and miss every single one of you! See you soon!
Love,
Steve Workman