rumor of war

Men were put on watches and snipers fired on the battalion's positions about nine or ten at night, as the Vietnam War became a nocturnal event. The sniping was light and inaccurate, but made the men nervous, as one could not tell where the firing was coming from. The days ran all together, as the heat wrenching wind picked up in the afternoon. The men could not look anywhere without seeing dust, whirling dust inside tents, thick dust that stuck to everything it came into contact with, such as skin, weapons, and leaves on trees (56-59). .
             Boredom became a chronic problem, which is usually the case in a defensive war. Diarrhea and dysentery were extremely common. Malaria was apparent, so the men had to take bitter-tasting pills to combat the disease. The pills made the men's skin have a jaundice color and there were two men that died due to black water fever. The most routine ailment was FUO - fever unknown origin. These diseases were due to the horrible living conditions the men were subjected to. Dust, filth, and mosquitoes filled their sleeping quarters during the night. Rice and beans was the only cooked meal they ate, as C- rations made up the other two meals. Field showers were not available at first, as there was not enough water for drinking (64-65).
             At the beginning of the Vietnam War, the atmosphere was like Kipling's colonial wars. The battalion's name of Expeditionary Brigade was even romantic. The battalion was the only American unit in Vietnam at the time as they expressed, "we few, we happy few, we band of brothers." Lieutenant Bradley called Vietnam the "splendid little war." For the Vietnamese it was not that splendid. The Australians had a firefight with the Viet Cong. One of the Australians had taken a souvenir off one of the dead bodies of the Viet Cong. The Australian held up "two brown and bloodstained human ears," like a trophy he had just won (66-67).