Sleeping was difficult with the burn bandage, and I was having a hard time getting my boot laces tied so I tucked them inside the boots. Doing simple everyday tasks was becoming a burden.
After breakfast I went to the Dispensary, and Lieutenant Clark decided to lance the blister on the back of my hand. He applied a new dressing and purposefully bent my fingers before wrapping the outer bandage (he said it would help later with flexibility).
When the Admin truck arrived, PFC Wilson and I went to FLC and picked up our big dry goods order (Gunny Sampson had placed one for me). With a full load and the mailbag, we headed back to Hill 65 on Convoy Road.
Everything in the mess hall was running smoothly. Sumo and Reb had things under control. I served the Swiss Steak at dinner (left handed) with a pair of tongs, and I got a lot of comments about my “Q-Tip” shaped hand.
After dinner I showered, but it was a challenge, and getting dressed was awkward. Writing to Jenny left handed was also a mess. I scratched out a short letter explaining the burn and made it sound like a minor issue (R&R was two weeks away). It looked like a child’s note.
In my tool box were 20 pads of supply order receipts. I knew I had ordered solvent and needed the receipt copy to confirm my order. Finally I found the pink carbon copy. This was evidence in case of an Article 15 inquiry.
I talked with Leggs about the solvent, and he said the gun crews also needed it for maintenance, and motor transport was in the same predicament. Everyone was improvising as best they could. Leggs wanted to check out the burner and asked if he could bring it to his shop. He was interested in finding out the cause of the flare-up.
I am a retired restaurant manager. My wife Jenny and I have been married for 50 years, have three grown children and two teen grand kids.
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My Vietnam Experience 