Friday Night, 27 August 1965
Well, I’m not sure at all of everything that has happened in the last 3 days but I am sure that never have so many panic buttons been pushed in such a short period of time! Am not even sure of the details anymore as so many things happened. Tuesday and Wednesday were 20-hour days. Yesterday was all right as I got home about 9 p.m. but was so physically and mentally exhausted that I just wanted to go to sleep. Started to get out of bed and write, but decided overall it would be better to get caught up on sleep. Feeling much better today and am home at 6:30 p.m. for a change. Maybe I’ve got control of things again. I hope so. Thought I had a handle on everything Monday but things just seemed to collapse around me. Remember to write about the Joint Chiefs of Staff report on port status.
I expect to move any day now. I am #1 on the list for new quarters.
We have had a lot of trouble getting car transport in the time I’ve been here but we are rapidly solving the problem in my branch. We acquired a jeep about a month ago, got another one last week, getting another one next week, and have now set my sights on acquiring a 1964 Ford Falcon sedan with air conditioner. Getting known as the best scrounger in Vietnam!
Some people call me the Miracle Man, and it gives me a good feeling to be able to do something when others think it just can’t be done. For example, last night I got a call at 8 p.m. to see if we could transport 500 orphan children (flood disaster victims) from Da Nang to Saigon for the Catholic Relief Organization. Before midnight all 500 were at Tan Son Nhut airport. Some people didn’t think it could be done. I get a big kick out of helping any children over here as they are the helpless victims of a war not of their own making. Sometimes I think if we sent over here 5,000 doctors, 5,000 teachers, and 5,000 social workers, we would be doing a whole lot of good. There is a great need for social help here. There are so many poor people here and the tragic thing is that very few people care. The Peace Corps is desperately needed over here to do the things that the military cannot do.
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