Larry's Army Letter #7: "I used Tracy's pennies"

April 21, 1967

Did you hit play and hear Adam reading Larry's words?

This letter from Vietnam came on plain white stationary with the military cartoon on the page.

There's plenty of room for humor in the Army. Where would the soldiers possibly be without it?

After three months in uniforms and fatigues, Larry gets clothes from home and slips them on with pleasure, probably regaining some of his lost identity. He's finally reunited with Butch, the friend he went into the Army with on the 'buddy system' but rarely served alongside him. Once they got to Vietnam, Larry searched high and low for Butch.

I'm so proud of my brother here, even if he did write in his army letter to home confessing that he had spent some of my pennies for cigarettes. School was getting harder for him but for the first time in his life, he was studying. He even sent home a picture to prove it (Larry's on the right)!

Army soldiers studying at Fort Rucker, Larry Smith on right, friend on left with arm injury