Of all the letters that I wrote from Vietnam only six could be found. Hopefully I'll find some more to be added to this page. Mail Call was always a morale booster for the crew of the ARL-23. We looked forward to receiving mail and packages from our friends and loved ones. We usually shared any goodies with others. Sometimes the cookies, cakes and candy would be in pieces, but they were enjoyed anyway. All outgoing letters were mailed free of charge from Vietnam. Before mailing, 'Free' was written in the upper right hand corner of the envelope. We were charged for mailing packages but it was very little. If I remember correctly it took approximately five days for a letter to arrive back in the states. Mail sent to the ARL-23 was addressed to the Fleet Post Office in San Francisco, California. Our mail usually arrived via helicopter, LST or some other boat bringing supplies. Occasionally a boat crew would travel to a near-by air strip for service. The mail bags were red and yellow in color. I can't remember what the colors designated. The letters were retyped because a few of them were almost unreadable and would have been difficult to scan. They are exactly as written while I was in Vietnam. Some were water stained and one was stained in blood. A helicopter carrying our outgoing mail crashed after leaving the air strip near Thoung Thoi. My parents probably aged ten years after receiving that letter. These six letters were sent to my family in Oklahoma. My father died of cancer in 1994.
                                                                                                               Bruce Schulze RM3
                                                                                                               ARL-23 (70-71)

Letters From Vietnam