Lifer Book - page 2


In the hooch I was in charge of making sure the work by the two Vietnamese girls was organized. The charge was $5 a month for shining your boots, making your bed, and sweeping your area (A). It was $7.50 a month if they also did your laundry (B). There was no cost if you didn't want their services (C). The two girls would need boot polish and cotton balls for spit-shining your boots. That was part of the duty too. You can also see in the list on the left what sections each of the men belonged to. This was around June of 1970.

On the left: This is where I kept track of my personal expenditures. Note the prices back then. The four digit number before the price is the Julian Date system that we used in the shop. For example, 0152 meant that for 1970 it was the 152nd day - June 1st. On the right: Every month the First Sergeant got in a free shipment of the latest paperback books for the Dayroom bookshelf. I left Vietnam in September of 1970 so this was the last few months of my reading just before going home.