Two names are missing from the list in the last post. One of them belongs to a vet who missed the bus on the first day of work and eventually the dinner when everyone else signed the e-mail sheet. He doesn't appear to be hanging out where the rest of us are, so he'll remain missing in action until breakfast tomorrow.
The other is Dick Moyer. Dick is concerned that no one will believe he's in Vietnam because he, like all of us, has gained rather than lost weight on this trip. It’s hard to believe with the high temperatures and the physical labor it takes to build a brick house when cement mixers and most other tools that would be at your disposal in the States are not available here. We cut bricks in half by holding a short piece of re-bar against the brick and striking it with a hammer. A wet saw would be a luxury, except there is no electricity. I found that a half brick tied to a string makes a perfectly fine plumb bob for plumbing windows. A five-gallon gerry can cut in half diagonally makes two nice size scoops. Cement bags are opened carefully then torn into strips to be used as bands to lift bricks six at a time to the top of the scaffold. Nothing is wasted; materials just take different forms depending on where we are in the build.
My apologies to Dick. He has been a tremendous asset to the team. Here is his service record and contact information.
Richard (Dick) Moyer, Sgt., Army “Airborne”, Co. F 51st Infantry, Long Range Patrol (LRRP), Co. P, 75th Ranger Regiment, Bien Hoa-Long Binh, Quang Tri, 1968-69.
I will continue to search for the last MIA tomorrow. I'll also add contact information for the non-veterans; they are honorary veterans now.
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