Chicagoland Veterans Museum

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U.S. Air Force

Andy R. Barlok

Sergeant (Sgt)
Det 1, 619 Tac Con Sqdn
Phu Quoc Island, Republic of Vietnam; earlier Dong Ha, near the DMZ
December 15, 1967
January 16, 1968

His Story

Andy R. Barlok served in the U.S. Air Force and wrote to Barbara Madro of Cicero, Illinois, from Vietnam in the winter of 1967–68. His letter of December 15, 1967 thanks her for a Christmas card and explains how much mail meant to the Air Force men on Phu Quoc Island, where it arrived only three days a week — Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. At the time, Andy was twenty years old and about to turn twenty-one on January 15. He described himself as six feet one inch tall, with brown hair and green eyes, weighing 186 pounds. By mid-December he had been in Vietnam about six months and expected to return home in June. He spent the first four months of his tour at Dong Ha, near the Demilitarized Zone, before being moved to Phu Quoc Island — a small radar site of about eighty men, six miles south of Cambodia and twenty-five miles west of the Vietnamese mainland. His letters are warm and good-humored. He wrote about his older brother and two young nephews, about listening to the Sugar Bowl while he worked, and about the birthday mailing from Barbara — a card, Charlie Brown cartoons, and a picture of Snoopy — that he called the best present he got (and, he joked, the only one). By January 16, 1968, he was counting down 154 more days until he would be home, joking that seeing cars, American girls, and paved streets again might be too much shock to stand. He also described a Navy destroyer firing its guns over the base, and a six-day "famine" without mail.

Letters

December 15, 1967
Phu Quoc Island, Republic of Vietnam

15 DEC 67
PHU QUOC ISLAND
REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM

Dear Barb,

Well I really don’t know how to start off this letter but I guess the best way would be to thank you for sending me a Christmas card. It really builds our morale to get mail like yours. It tells me that people are backing you in your fight. Also it shows me that people are thinking of me.

Mail is a very important thing over here. When the mail doesn’t come in everybody is mad. We only get mail 3 times a week. The mail days are Monday, Wednesday & Friday. Those three days are the most important days in the life of us Air Force guys down here on Phu Quoc.

Well I guess its time for a brief rundown on myself. I’m 20 years old until my birthday on January 15. Then I’ll be 21 of course. I’m 6 feet 1 inch tall have brown hair & green eyes, and weigh 186 lbs.

I’ve been over here for 6 months, and in June I shall return. I spent my first 4 months up at Dong Ha near the D.M.Z. Then I got moved down here to Phu Quoc Island which is located 6 miles south of Cambodia and 25 miles west of the Vietnamese mainland. Its a small radar site consisting of about 80 guys.

I hope you have a nice holiday season. I’ll be thinking of you all the time. If I ever get around your part of the country I’ll stop in to thank you personally.

Well Barb I guess I’ll close for now. Feel free to write and ask any questions you might think of. I’d be more than happy to keep writing to you. Take Care & God Bless You.

Sincerely,
Andy

Two pages on tan paper. Spelling and punctuation follow the original (for example, "its" without an apostrophe). NEEDS VERIFICATION — envelope pairing: the envelope with the red-and-blue air mail border carries a very faint archive number that appears to be "1", and the envelopes for the other two letters are numbered 2 and 3. The envelope is matched to this letter on that number and on date order. The right margin is clipped in the scan, so a few line-ending words are partly cut off. Barlok wrote "doesn't" over an earlier attempt at the word.
January 2, 1968
Phu Quoc Island, Republic of Vietnam

2 JAN 67
PHU QUOC ISLAND
REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM

Dear Barb,

Well Happy New Year & Good luck in 1968. It sure was good to hear from you. Its really good to get mail, and I appreciate you writing back. If I ever get around Chicago I’ll look you up. I have an uncle that lives in Chicago, so someday you just might be surprised.

Your description sounds great, even though you said its not as great as it sounds. It sounds great to me.

It looks as though you have your hands full with all those pets and your little sister along with going to school.

I never had any younger brothers or sisters. I have one older brother who’s 26 and two nephews one will be 2 in June & the other will be 5 in October, so when I’m home on leave I most definitely have my hands full. But I like it.

As soon as my roll of film gets back from being developed I’ll send a picture along to you. I’m hoping they come in tomorrow. The mail only comes in on Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays, and tomorrow is Wednesday so the mail plane comes in.

I like to get letters with questions in them so start thinking up some good ones and I’ll be glad to answer them.

Right now I’m working and listening to the Sugar Bowl rooting for Wyoming.

I sure would appreciate a picture of you, if it’s not too much bother.

Well Barb I have to go now so take care & write soon.

Love,
Andy

Two pages on tan paper. Spelling and punctuation follow the original. NEEDS VERIFICATION — date: the letter is headed "2 JAN 67," but it wishes Barbara a happy new year "in 1968," and the writer says "tomorrow is Wednesday." January 3, 1968 was a Wednesday; January 3, 1967 was not. The "67" therefore appears to be a slip of the pen, and the letter is filed as January 2, 1968. The date as written is preserved in the transcription. NEEDS VERIFICATION — envelope pairing: the envelope is numbered "2" in the archive's numbering and is matched to this letter on that number and on date order. The right margin is clipped in the scan, so a few line-ending words are partly cut off.
January 16, 1968
Phu Quoc Island, Republic of Vietnam (Needs Verification — not written on this letter)

16 JAN 68

Dear Barb,

Well how’s the “unpredictable blonde” today? I hope everything is fine. That really was a nice Birthday party you gave me. It, believe it or not was the best present I got. Of course it had to be since I didn’t get any others.

I really enjoyed everything in it. I enjoyed the cartoons of Charlie Brown. Your card was nice too also that picture of my AirForce buddy Snoopy was beautiful.

So what’s going on back in the States these days?

It sure is going to be good to get back in 154 more days. Think of all the things I’ll experience. I’ll see cars, I think that’s what they’re called. I’ll see real live American girls. I’ll even see paved streets. Seeing all of that might be too much shock for me to stand, but I guess I’ll make it.

There’s really nothing new over here. We have a Navy destroyer firing his guns over our base. When he fires it shakes the whole place. But as long as they all go over and none of them fall short we’ll be all right.

We’ve been having a famine on mail. Its been 6 days since we had mail come in. I sure hope we get some tomorrow.

I’m enclosing 1 each, type picture. Its about the best I could do now, but I’ll be sending more later. Well Barb I can’t think of much more to write so I’ll close for now. Take Care & write soon.

Love,
Andy

Three pages on cream paper; page 1 is unnumbered and the next two are marked (2) and (3). Spelling and punctuation follow the original. NEEDS VERIFICATION — location: unlike the first two letters, this one has no place written at the top. Phu Quoc Island is inferred from the earlier letters, the same return address (Det 1, 619 Tac Con Sqdn, APO San Francisco 96236), and the description of a Navy destroyer firing over "our base." NEEDS VERIFICATION — wording: "I'm enclosing 1 each, type picture" is transcribed as it appears; the meaning of "1 each, type" is unclear. The photograph he mentions enclosing is not among the scans. NEEDS VERIFICATION — envelope pairing: the envelope is numbered "3" in the archive's numbering and is matched to this letter on that number and on date order.
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