Two weeks before we departed for Vietnam - my second child was about to be born, and I got a hop in the backseat of a birddog to Nashville. There I caught a flight to NC for the weekend and a chance to see my newborn daughter. Two days later I returned to Campbell, then on to Vietnam.	LT Vaughn	LT Ken Beebe	LT's Zeltner and Vassy
We all gathered around waiting to load		MG Powell, COL Sunday and CSM seeing the Adv Party off
			Our last view of Campbell Army Airfield - for many years in my case

Comments:

Thanks for sending me the copy of "Behind the Green Water" on July 1. I enjoyed it immensely. I think I will send it on to my son, a Captain in the USAR and a 1993 West Point grad, for Christmas. He enjoys the same sort of fiction that I do. I have been a fan of Nelson DeMille for some years - didn't realize he'd been in the 11th ACR during Tet. I worked with the Howitzer Batteries of the 11th ACR in 1970 when I was with the 1st Cav Div and we invaded Cambodia. I was the Divarty S-4 of the Cav then.

About 2 years ago you sent me an e-mail after you read my entry in Ivan Worrell's guestbook. You and I shared that C-124 from Travis to Nha Trang in 1965 with the Advance Party of the 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Div. I don't remember your face either. After 5 days on a C-124, it's a miracle any of us can remember anything. I was a 1LT and the S-4 of 2/320 FA on the Advance Party. I continued at S-4 until November, 1965 when LTC Bill Braun, the Battalion Commander, gave me command of A Battery, 2/320th FA at Phan Rang. I made Captain shortly thereafter. If you are coming to the reunion in Fort Worth in October, I should see you there. I'm planning on attending.

Once again, your book was great. I'll send you an order and a check for "A Flash of Emerald" forthwith. Airborne!

Dave

LTC (Ret) David B. Smith

Vernonia, Oregon