Captain William "Bill" Clark, Army Special Forces (retired) and his
bride of 42 years, Donna, reminisce of a time spent a world apart
as they re-open the letters they sent to each other. It was Bill's
third tour of duty in Vietnam that called him away just after their
first wedding anniversary and it became Donna's first-hand
experience as an Army wife during the Vietnam War. He was leaving
her four months pregnant to have their first child without him. She
would face fears almost as traumatic as her husband's safety in
combat. During the Vietnam War Special Forces teams were supported
by helicopters and their crews. They were unquestionably the most
heroic yet least rewarded units throughout the war. They would show
up when most needed, do the job and leave as quickly as they came.
Ammunition and food were important in re-supplying border camps and
patrols but nothing was more important than the mail; the only
communication available between husband and wife and other loved
ones. In Bill's case he carried a plastic bag with an operations
map, stationary, envelope, outgoing mail and letters he collected
from Donna. "You've got mail" meant something special then as
sending and receiving mail was the highlight of a soldier's day and
helped to sustain morale at a high level. In Vietnam they were
called Pony Express Helicopters, the horses of the old west with
pilots, door gunners and crew chiefs as their riders, but deep down
inside Bill called them by another name, locked in his mind only to
be shared with Donna ... until now. Donna and Bill promised each
other they would write every day if for nothing more than to say I
love you and to stay current. All their letters were eventually
mailed and received. Even though Bill's mail content was restricted
by the Military Donna could write about anything and she managed to
say everything. Together they carried on in humor and support of
each other by way of Helicopter Love Mail. Love for one another
through the trials of separation and the fear of the unknown.
Husbands attempts to hide combat participation, trying to show a
positive attitude to hide many problems, and trying to solve
problems half a world away with letter turnaround time of ten to
thirty days. Wife's difficulties with pregnancy and raising newborn
alone. Money and budget problems some brought on because of Army
finance problems. Problems with health mentally and physically.
Non-Fiction, Memoirs, Love letters written during the Vietnam War.
Married Couples, Military Families separated by deployment or war,
older readers who were affected by the Vietnam War. Both mail and
female since book is written by husband and wife. From the husbands
writing the tone is humorous, informative with solutions, and
mysterious on his actions and duties. From the wife the tone is
more anxious, dramatic, informative, and emotional. We wrote the
letters 40 years ago and are still happily married. We wanted to
show the difference in war then and war today as far as separation
from spouses when we only had faith, hope, and love with mail as
the only communication. We had no computers, no cell phones, no
land line phones, and 99% of the time no real way to contact each
other because of Bill's isolation. Over six hundred letters written
half a world apart and delivered or picked up by helicopter in
combat shows the time lag in communication with daily writing from
both Donna and Bill. Problems are laid out for all to see. As a
couple truly in love but newly married only to be separated by war
and the dimension of time suffering from the great fear of the
unknown.
General
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