Author Archives: Stephen Nielsen

Originally posted on Stephen Nielsen:
I came in the house carried food from afar Like women of old, who shopped at bazaars. Was tired and beat from reading the signs, From standing on blue tape and waiting in lines. “How…

Originally posted on Stephen Nielsen:
A Chaplain holds a service in Vietnam. There was always something to take you away from your regular duties. My diversion was that I needed glasses. I can’t remember what happened to them. Either I…

Originally posted on Stephen Nielsen:
This is me writing a letter. “Dear mom, I’m getting ready to go out on patrol. Please pray.” Contrary to what some people probably think about the Vietnam war, we weren’t always in battles, fighting…

Originally posted on Stephen Nielsen:
Me and this Marine made the most of the day under this sun shelter. In addition to weekly platoon patrols, we almost daily went on squad patrols, mainly just for security around our location—hill 52.…

Originally posted on Stephen Nielsen:
Here our entire platoon was getting ready for a major patrol. I arrived in Vietnam in February of 1970. I had just missed most of the fighting, which mainly occurred during the Tet Offensive in…

Originally posted on Stephen Nielsen:
This is a good shot of the bunkers. I don’t remember the names of these two guys, but they were good guys. An open bunker on the right and our stylish, Marine-made toilet in the…

Originally posted on Stephen Nielsen:
Lean into your screen. Now inhale. Can you smell it? I really wish you could right now. Imagine sitting on my patio together as the sweet aroma of jasmine gently drifts past us. This lovely…

Originally posted on Stephen Nielsen:
This is a CH46 Marine helicopter, used to transport Marines and cargo. After my combat training in San Diego and my week off at home, my first stop on the way to Vietnam was Okinawa…

Originally posted on Stephen Nielsen:
I hope to conclude this boot camp segment with this blog. Then I will begin writing about my tour in Vietnam. About halfway through boot camp they (my drill instructors, I think) decided that I…