"I miss our still. Even if we only got to use it once," Erin said forlornly. The table was now cleared, besides the lamplight, two days ago they had gotten the official order from Colonel Dayton that it was to be taken down. No matter how much Erin or Darlene tried to change his mind.

"I certainly don't miss it. Drinking is not a habit that army nurses should pick up," Jo stated.

"Who asked for your opinion?!" Darlene snapped back.

Jo rolled her eyes and continued to neatly spread her blankets over her cot. Not that she'd be needing them anytime soon, the tropical August heat was almost unbearable.

But all turned towards the door at the sudden knock.

"Mail for the ladies!" Sargent Porter called.

"Come on in," Erin said.

Porter opened the door and approached the three nurses.

"Captain Arnold," he said holding out an envelope to Jo, who gladly took it.

"Lieutenant Bradly," he called next, handing her a slightly crumpled envelope.

"And last but not least, Lieutenant Hunnicut," he said, handing Erin two envelopes.

Darlene smiled as she began to rip open her letter. "Thanks Porter."

He smiled back. "Hey, you ladies have a nice day," he fanned himself dramatically, "try to not let the heat get to you!"

Darlene chuckled, "Alright you too, now scram," she replied jokingly.

Erin began looking at her mail. Darlene was already avidly reading her's.

"Letter from your folks?" Erin asked.

Darlene sighed and nodded. "Yeah," she replied, distant and forlorn.

"Not good news I presume?"

Darlene nodded once again. "Before I signed up with the Red Cross, I worked at my Uncle's private practice just outside Britton. Now the business isn't making enough money and he's going to have to sell the place and get a job in a city hospital," she shook her head and sat the letter beside her, "...maybe if I hadn't come to Vietnam, I could have stayed at the practice and helped him out. If only I didn't leave... his practice might have been able to survive a little longer..."

Erin frowned, "Don't beat yourself up over it. It's not your fault."

"Maybe not, but at the same time... if I hadn't been so eager to join the army, this wouldn't be happening."

"Well, try not to worry about it too much, okay?"

Darlene nodded, "Yeah, your right. So what did you get?"

Erin hadn't opened her letters yet, but she expected at least one of them to be from her parents. She looked at the address of the letter on top; it was from Mill Valley, as expected. But the second envelope had an address that she had never seen before.

She held up the first envelope in front of Darlene before setting it down. "This one's from my folks."

"Well aren't you going to read it?"

Erin had already picked up the second one, the curiosity she had for the mystery letter was hard to contain. "Later, this second letter, though."

"What about it?"

Erin shrugged, "I've never gotten anything from this address before, but the name sounds familiar."

Darlene took the envelope out of Erin's hands and looked it over. "Boston, Massachusetts. From a Charles Emerson Winchester the third," she mumbled as she glanced over the writing scribbled on the envelope. She began to open it up, revealing a small letter.

She handed the note to Erin. "Read it."

Erin took hold of the letter and began to read it aloud to Darlene.

Dear Miss Erin Hunnicut,

I doubt that you will have the faintest memory of me. Unless, of course, your father had something to say of me. When we first met, you were very little, just a young girl. It had been a year since the Korean War ended, and a reunion was held by a Colonel Potter. Your father had come, bringing you and your mother along as well. Back in Korea, your father's talk of his precious girl was endless, and when I first met you, I could see why. You were quite the friendly little one, and everyone at the reunion fell in love with the girl who was the talk of the 4077th.

After the reunion, we had met on one other occasion. Your father had invited me and another one of his close friends, Benjamin Pierce, to stay for a few days in Mill Valley. You, I believe, would have been five or so at the time.

Over the years your father and I had shared a few letters, fewer and fewer as the years dragged on. However, I recently received a letter from Mill Valley. It was from your father. Truth be told, Erin, I had thought our correspondence had ended years ago, when I received my last (and I had thought final) letter from him.

But it is now brought to my attention that you have joined the army. I realize that is what you want to do, to help soldiers live through the war. But I must give you my advice. Never take anything in Vietnam for granted. The friends you make, the little pleasures you find, anything. Because in a war, the things you hold dear can be easily taken away. War is in fact hell. Sometimes I feel that isn't said enough.

I also hear from your father that Margaret Houlihan is your head nurse. Please do tell her that Charles gives his best wishes.

And Erin, please do take care of yourself.

Your friend,

Charles Emerson Winchester III

Erin sat the letter down. She remembered the name now. She remembered the few pictures her father had shown her of this man. She remembered her father's stories. But as Charles had written, she hadn't the slightest memory of meeting him.

And it was only now that she realized a few tears had begun to escape her eyes.

"Erin?"

She looked over to Darlene, "I had no idea these people, people I hardly remember, cared about me this much..."

Darlene nodded. "If you want I can go over to my own bunk and leave you to read the letter from your parents in private."

Erin smiled and shook her head. "No, your welcome to listen."

"Well what about me? Don't I get to share my letter too?" Jo asked, in a somewhat forceful, yet sincere tone.

Both Erin and Darlene glanced at each other and shrugged.

"Go ahead we're listening," Erin replied.

Jo smiled and held up her letter. "It's from my boyfriend," she said in a suggestive tone. She held the letter up in front of her and began to read. "Dear Josie, you know how much I love you. But with you gone, so many many miles, I'm sure you can understand how lonely I am. And I know you're a forgiving person, so I thought I should tell you that I..." Jo trailed off, her eyes buzzing over the paper as she continued to read the rest silently to herself.

She shot up from her cot. "THAT SLIMY WORM!!" She screamed as she stormed out of the tent.

Erin tunrned to look at Darlene as the door to the tent slammed shut. "Looks like you're not the only one with bad news."