Diary Entry 39: En Route to Da Nang, Sunday Afternoon, 1 August 1965

                                                                                        En Route to Da Nang
                                                                                        Sunday Afternoon, 1 August 1965



This trip came up rather suddenly yesterday afternoon, so here I am in a very nice plane just a few minutes off the ground at Tan Son Nhut.  Destination is Da Nang where will have some discussions tomorrow with Major General [Lewis] Walt and Brigadier General [Frederick] Karch, US Marine Corps.  Expect to arrive Da Nang about 5 p.m.  Will return to Saigon Monday night.  Colonel [Arthur] Hurow is going up with me. Brought my camera along, but so far no opportunity to take any pictures.  We were in kind of a rush to get out to the airfield on time.

Spent all yesterday trying to get caught up with the paperwork and made arrangements for the trip.  Last night had supper with Colonel Hurow at the Majestic Hotel.  Real good meal. Heard on the radio last night that the VC threw a bomb in the Australian EM quarters.  Don’t know whether anyone was hurt or not.

This morning I was at work until noon, still battling the papers, then went down to the BOQ and packed up for this trip.  Am in a nice plane with 4 passenger seats and 2 pilot seats.  Very comfortable.  Engines are turning over nicely and we are cruising at about 12,000 feet, speed about 150 miles per hour.  We have one vacant passenger seat on the plane.  The other passenger besides Colonel Hurow and myself is a Specialist 5th Class Flynn who was looking for a ride back to Da Nang where he is stationed.

Next week will write a letter to the Personnel Branch stating my “druthers” on assignment when this tour is over.  Will request assignment to Montgomery or close vicinity.  The way things are shaping up now, I would not be surprised to see the Department of Defense impose some kind of sanctions or controls on voluntary retirements.  This particularly true if they call up any Reserves or Guards.  But I still have about 3 years and 5 months to do from right now before I will complete 20 years, so this thing should be settled by that time (I would expect).