Mothers Are About the Only Really Consistent Writers

SGT Marvin Dale Miller to his mother, 24 August 1971. Written twenty days after his promotion to E-5, eleven days before the September 3 letter. Contains the most detailed account in the collection of his photography operation and the financial arrangement with his mother.

24 Aug 71

Dear Mom,

Well, here I am again. I haven't been too busy lately so I have time to write more. But there isn't much to write about.

It's been pretty cool over here lately and it hasn't rained in the last 3 or 4 days. Hope you're having nice weather back home. It makes the days a little brighter.

I'm going to start sending my film to a different firm. It would cost about half as much to develope them there. The only trouble is they don't except COD's. Which means I'll have to get some money orders or if I can't get that, you'll have to send me some greenbacks. Maybe I can get the money orders if I go back to the rear (Bien Hoa).

Well's how's everybody back home. I haven't been getting too much mail lately. I get one from you about every three days tho. Mothers are about the only really consistent writers we fellows have over here. It's usually the first letter we read too.

Well it's getting too dark to write anymore

Love Marv

Transcription Notes

• Marvin spells "develop" as "develope" and "accept" as "except" — these are his natural spelling and grammar, preserved exactly as written. Not errors to correct but authentic voice.
• Page 1 top: faint mirror-writing visible through the page from a previous letter in the same envelope or stack — not part of this letter.
• "Mothers are about the only really consistent writers we fellows have over here" — the word "have" appears written above the line as an insertion, added after he wrote the sentence and realized he'd omitted it.
• Letter ends mid-close — "Well it's getting too dark to write anymore / Love / Marv" — suggesting he was writing outdoors or by natural light and the day was ending.

Archivist Notes

Date context and sequencing: August 24, 1971 — written exactly twenty days after his promotion to E-5 on August 4, and eleven days before the September 3 letter. There is a gap of approximately three months between this letter and the May 22 letter. Whether letters were written during this period and lost, or whether Marvin wrote less frequently during the summer months, is unknown.

"I haven't been too busy lately" — operational tempo: August 1971 was a period of reduced operational activity for many US units as Vietnamization accelerated. The fact that Marvin was "not too busy" in late August may reflect the broader operational picture — fewer patrols, less field time, more base time — rather than anything specific to his platoon.

The photography logistics: This letter contains the most specific information in the collection about Marvin's photography operation. He was sending exposed film to a commercial photo developing firm and was switching to a cheaper one — "about half as much to develop them there." The problem: the new firm did not accept COD payments. His proposed solutions: get money orders (possible if he could access Bien Hoa), or have his mother send him US dollars ("greenbacks") directly.

"Greenbacks" is significant. US paper currency was officially prohibited in Vietnam under the MPC system. Marvin asking his mother to send him actual US dollars suggests either that this rule was loosely enforced in practice, or that he was aware of the workaround and comfortable using it. The word also confirms that the money his mother was managing on his behalf was held in US dollars.

Switching firms to save money suggests Marvin was developing film regularly enough that the cost differential mattered — consistent with the 50–60 photographs from his tour that survive.

Bien Hoa as the rear: "Maybe I can get the money orders if I go back to the rear (Bien Hoa)" — he parenthetically identifies Bien Hoa as "the rear." The fact that he says "if I go back" rather than "when" suggests access to Bien Hoa was irregular and not guaranteed from the field.

"Mothers are about the only really consistent writers": He was getting a letter from his mother approximately every three days — roughly ten letters per month, sustained across his entire tour. He notes that mothers were uniquely reliable compared to other correspondents, and adds: "It's usually the first letter we read too." Written in the plural — "we fellows," "we read" — he's speaking for a group of men sharing an experience of mail call. His mother writing every three days placed her among the most attentive correspondents in the platoon. He's telling her, in the understated way he tells her everything, that what she's been doing matters.

Cross-references:

• MDM-LETTER-19710522 — previous letter in sequence (3-month gap between)
• MDM-LETTER-19710903 — September 3 PS about film money clarified by this letter's fuller account
• Unit History: August 4, 1971 — Marvin's promotion to E-5 (20 days before this letter)