Winter First Quarter Journal 1968 January-March President LBJ

The Year  1968 Ages 16 and 17

My Journal from 1968

This was a small 4-inch store bought bound journal that I bought over the Christmas break in 1967 at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa. I had just finished reading “Ordeal by Hunger,” a historical account of the Donner Party tragedy by historian George Stewart. I was impressed that Patrick Breen kept a journal of his family’s ordeal and I wanted to keep a record of my life.  The Breen diary kept an account of the weather and made appeals for divine intervention so I kind of followed that model. 

As 1968 began I was almost midway of my Junior year at Rancho Alamitos. I was living at home at 11562 Dale Street in Garden Grove California with my mom and dad and my two sisters both who had already graduated from high school. Donna was attending Orange Coast College and Charline was engaged to Gary Clark a sailor from Healdsburg California. The writing style is tight due to the constraints of the size of the journal which measured four inches by three. 

I have taken the liberty to correct simple spelling errors but tried to leave the voice of my 16–17-year-old self. I kept a pocket diary since 1968 when I was a Junior in High School....as you can see from doodling on the inside covers I was against the war in Vietnam and for the Democratic peace candidate Eugene McCarthy the Bernie Sanders of 1968... Interesting to see how that 16 to 17 year old boy viewed the world...

I can tell you there were no girl friends to be found in this record nor sports... Fun record of me living at home as a teenager with my mom and dad and two older sisters... My oldest nephew was born that year too ...then Tet offensive, Johnson refusing to run, MLK assassination, Bobby Kennedy assassination, the Chicago convention police riot...made a comment on all... I was never a normal teenager lol" I was a junior in high school and Gay wasn't even on my radar in 1968. I was just trying to not to be called queer in PE because I "threw like a girl". The times they were a-changing.

1 Jan 1968 Monday

Its 1:30 a.m. and 1968. Its seems impossible that it’s here already. Its 9:55 a.m. and I guess I will do my school homework. "The song "ITCHEEKOO PARK" is number 1 on KHJ right now. Mom says will are going to Grandma Williams for dinner. Its 6:10 p.m. Had Grandpa's chili for dinner. Bonnie, Bill, and Larry were over at Grandma’s too. So was Wallace, Mattie Lee, Terry and Frances with her kids Ricky, Lisa, and Steven. Grandma looked tired today and Grandpa old and frail. Guess I'll write Grandma Johnson today and again I might not. The Trojans won the Rose Bowl game. Tomorrow I'll go back to school after Christmas vacation. I've written 16 pages on my term paper for history. It’s on the Donner Party. I still have my book report to do. Clear day. 67 decrees. Foggy nights 45 degrees. Got my book back from Minnie. "In Cold Blood". Gonna watch Carol Burnett Show at 10:00 p.m.

""•           Bonnie Ruth Williams age 36 (31 October 1931-31 August 1996) was my father’s sister. She married Billie Wayne Fagen age 41 (10 May 1927–19 November 1993. Bonnie had my cousin Larry Paul Fagen 21 January 1954- 6 July 1999) by a man other than Bill Fagen who married Bonnie so Larry would have a father.

""•           Willard Wallace Williams age 40 (17 January 1927)  is my father’s brother. He married Mattie Lee Jernigan age 40. My cousins Terrie Lynn Williams age 13 (19 May 1954) and Frances Anne Griess age 22 and her children, stepson Richard Edward Griess (6 August 1963), Aleesa Anne Griess (18 February 1966), and Steven Edward Griess (21 December 1967)

""•           Minnie Lee Williams age 38 (24 December 1929-7 June 1999)

""•           "Itchy coo Park" is a psychedelic pop song written by Steve Marriott and Ronnie Lane of the group Small Faces.

""•           KHJ Radio AM in Los Angeles was one of America's most formidable Top 40 radio stations in the 1960s. “Boss radio” featured Robert W. Morgan, Humble Harve, and The Real Don Steele. Top 40Count Down appeared every Wednesday.

""•           USC's Trojans beat the Indiana Hoosiers 14-3 O.J. Simpson scored both Trojan touchdowns

""•           In Cold Blood is a 1966 book by American author Truman Capote detailing the brutal 1959 murders of Herbert Clutter, a wealthy farmer from Holcomb, Kansas, and his wife and two of their children. Capote ultimately spent six years working on the book. It is considered the originator of the non-fiction novel and the forerunner of the New Journalism movement.

""•           The Carol Burnett Show is a sketch comedy television show starring Carol Burnett, Tim Conway, Harvey Korman, Vicki Lawrence, and Lyle Waggoner. It originally ran on CBS from September 11, 1967 to March 29, 1978 for 278 episodes and originated from CBS Television City's Studio 33.

""2 Jan 1968 Tuesday

""10:55 p.m. I went back to school today. Larry Jaeger, Randy Kollar, and John Adams are all well. I have a book report due tomorrow. I just got back from L.A. airport to pick up Charline from her stay with Gary Clark. Donna and I went up there around 6:45 and there were a lot of people there, sailors and other military men. Charline's plane was late so Donna, and I rode up and down the escalators and walked around for about an hour. I'm all worn out. Both Donna and I had fun there. Haven't wrote Grandma Johnson yet. Haven't time. At school at lunch talked to Jerry Smith and Fred Townsend about playing Risk this weekend. Thursday my Art class goes to the L.A. Art Museum to see some works of Rodin. Oh, I am tired and have lots of homework to do. Another heart transplant was done in South Africa in the news. Rain clouds were here today.

""•           Larry Jaeger, Randy Kollar, and John Adams were high school friends.

""•           Gary Clark was my sister’s fiancée who was in the Navy. She had gone to gone to Healdsburg to meet Gary’s parents and family and stay with them over the Christmas Holidays. The airport was packed with service men because the Viet Nam War was in full swing. Donna didn’t know that I was also cruising the bathrooms to check out the guys.

""•           Jerry Smith is a school chum with whom I shared a birthday. We attended Bryant Elementary and Rancho Alamitos High School together. He went to Alamitos Intermediate School while I went to Marie L. Hare Intermediate School. He was my childhood play mate and was almost like a brother to me. Fred Townsend was his best friend in high school.

""•           Risk is a strategic board game, produced by Parker Brothers. Risk is a turn-based game for two to six players. The standard version is played on a board depicting a stylized Napoleonic-era political map of the Earth, divided into forty-two territories, which are grouped into six continents. Players control armies with which they attempt to capture territories from other players. The primary object of the game is "world domination."

""•           Christian Barnard performed the 2nd heart transplant. In December 1967, a human heart from one person was transplanted into the body of another by a South African surgeon named Dr. Christiaan Barnard in Cape Town. In early December, Dr. Barnard's surgical team removed the heart of a 25-year-old woman and placed it in the chest of a 55-year-old man dying of heart damage. The patient survived for 18 days. This first clinical heart transplantation experience stimulated world-wide notoriety, and many surgeons quickly co-opted the procedure. However, because many patients were dying soon after, the number of heart transplants dropped from 100 in 1968, to just 18 in 1970. It was recognized that the major problem was the body's natural tendency to reject the new tissues.

""3 Jan 1968 Wednesday

""11:15 p.m. Didn't go to school today was so tired I slept to 3:30. I wrote Kay Johnson and Grandma Johnson. "Spooky" was #1 on KHJ. I did my history note book. Weather 65 degrees. Very good. I cleaned up the kitchen and Mom's bedroom. I also cleaned up mine. We had roast beef for dinner. I wanted to watch Jonathan Winter's but didn't. Going to keep cat Eliza, I guess. Nothing much to eat in the house ‘til Mom goes shopping. Alpha Beta Market changed their prices to lower. Postal stamps are going up to 6 cents. Mom's not feeling well today. There's nothing in the news to record. I bought two comic books and a Coke and a TV guide. I copied down the KHJ surveys. Clear tonight. 48 degrees.

""•           Laura Kay Johnson is my first cousin granddaughter of Wilburn and Tressie Johnson born 6 October 1953 to JW Johnson and Pauline Allen.

""•           The Classics IV produced their first national hit in 1968 with "Spooky", a song they recorded in 1967 on the Imperial Records label.

""•           The Jonathan winters Show was a one-hour program on CBS that ran for two seasons beginning in December 1967. It featured the now famous Maude Frickert, as well as the character Willard "From the Couple Up the Street" sketch. Winters comedy was almost too unpredictable for conventional network television.

""The closest supermarket to our house was located at the retail strip called Stanton Plaza on Beach Blvd and Orangewood. The store was originally called Raisins but was later bought out by Alpha Beta 11382 Beach Blvd. This chain of California supermarkets began in 1917 as a system of organizing the groceries in the store in alphabetical order. In 1994, the Alpha Beta chain in southern California purchased Ralphs Grocery Company and renamed itself after Ralphs. All existing Alpha Beta stores in the state were rebranded as Ralphs or Food 4 Less and the Alpha Beta name ceased to exist by September 1995.

"" 

""4 Jan 1968 Thursday

""Went back to school today and also went to the L. A. Museum of Art to see the works of Rodin. We went all over the place. Also saw the L. A. Brea Tar Pits and talked with the man there. Joey Calamitas and Lynn [Johnson] walked with us guys all over the Museum and had fun riding the elevators until we got kicked off. We left school at 12:00 and got home at 6:00. In P.E. played Tennis with Jaeger for the Championship and lost. There is very good news. If Hanoi talks peace, we will stop the bombing. 9,000 Americans died last year in Viet Nam which was 1/3 more than the 6 years before. I have a splitting headache. I guess from the fumes at the tar pit place. I got a letter from Kay Johnson. She said "The Letter" is #1 for Texas. I have German and history homework to do still. I watched the "Music Man" on TV. 67 degrees. Clear day. 45 degrees at night.

""•           Joey Calamitas was this hippy wannabe Sophomore girl who was also in my Algebra class. She was kind of an underdog like me. Lynn Johnson was also a sophomore in my Junior Art Class taught by Miss Burns. That field trip for my art class was fun and an unusual one to go so far.

""•           The Letter was a hit by The Box Tops, a Memphis pop music group of the second half of the 1960s. They are best known for "The Letter," "Neon Rainbow," "Soul Deep," and "Cry Like a Baby." They are considered a major blue-eyed soul group of the period.

""•           The Vietnam War was a Cold War military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from September 26, 1959 to April 30, 1975. The war was fought between the communist North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of South Vietnam, supported by the United States and other anti-communist nations. In 1964 the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution gave the president power to conduct military operations in Southeast Asia without declaring war. By 1967 year's end, U.S. troop levels reach 463,000 with 16,000 combat deaths to date. By this time, over a million American soldiers have rotated through Vietnam, with length of service for draftees being one year, and most Americans serving in support units. An estimated 90,000 soldiers from North Vietnam infiltrated into the South via the Ho Chi Minh trail in 1967. Overall Viet Cong/NVA troop strength throughout South Vietnam is now estimated up to 300,000 men.

""•           The Music Man is a 1962 film musical starring Robert Preston as Harold Hill and Shirley Jones as Marian Paroo. The film is based on the 1957 Broadway musical of the same name by Meredith Wilson. The film was one of the biggest hits of the year and highly acclaimed critically. In 2005, The Music Man was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”. The Music Man was the perennial musical by Wilson

"" 

""5 Jan 1968 Friday

""6:30 p.m. I'm having hamburgers for dinner. I failed a German test at school today. Mr. Richardt is such a Nazi. Not doing well in that class. He hates me because I speak German with a Southern Accent and never go to his stupid class. I finished my term paper and have homework to do. Dr. Spock was indicted for his works against the war. God Bless him. I handed in my history notebook and the book report. In the news the fire falls of Yosemite ended today. Nothing I experienced as a child will be around for my children if I have any. Sure, hate PE because I have to run the 600 yds soon. I get so sick after I do. Did 3 pull ups and jumped 65" in the broad jump. Pretty bad. I'm in a sullen mood today. I had a splitting headache in PE while playing basketball. I should write Kay. 65 degrees. Clear and chilly. There's frost on the grass and car. I went to the school library for lunch. It’s expected to rain Tuesday. I hope so a little.

""•           It was rumored was that Mr. Reinhardt had been a Hitler Jurgen.

""•           Pediatrician Dr. Benjamin Spock indicted for conspiring to violate draft law. Beginning on 4 December 1967, four days of anti-war protests begin in New York. Among the 585 protesters arrested is renowned 'baby doctor' Dr. Benjamin Spock.

""•           The Yosemite Firefall had been a nightly tradition in Yosemite National Park for some 88 years. Dad had a whole series of slides on the firefall. In 1968 the Park Service Director decided that the Firefall tradition should come to an end. He reasoned that since it was just a man-made attraction, and one which caused a great deal of congestion in the park, as well as damage to the meadows from the trampling of onlookers, that it wasn't worth continuing. Henry Berry, who was in charge of public relations for the park at the time, described the last Firefall in this press release: The Firefall, a fancy of James McCauley's that caught on, and was popular for almost a hundred years, died Thursday, January 25, 1968 in a blazing farewell. It was a dandy Firefall, fat and long and it ended with an exceptionally brilliant spurt, the embers lighting the cliff as they floated slowly downward...There weren't many people around to watch. Maybe fifty.

"" 

""6 Jan 1968 Saturday

""I mowed the lawn and brought in the trash barrels. I fought with Dad again. I have a headache. I didn't watch TV very much. Didn't get to see "The Birds" by Hitchcock. I got a letter from Mrs. Sullivan of' Texas. I wrote her back but haven't mailed it yet. Postal rates go up to 6 cents after midnight. When they do, I'll have to cut down on my letter writing. I walked up to U-Tote-M and bought a Playboy magazine. They think I'm older then I am. I started my English homework and will finish it tomorrow. Weather was warm in the afternoon 70 degrees but still cold at night with ice on the grass and the cars. Nothing in the news worth recording. Will write Grandma Johnson tomorrow. I probably won't go to Church. I don't feel right, and I hate school something awful.

""•           UtoteM, also spelled U-tote-M or U Totem, was a chain of convenience stores which operated until 1984 when bought out by the Circle K Corporation. This store was on a retail strip on Orangewood near Beach Blvd.

""•           I had started buying Playboys when I was 16y for my best friend Jerry Smith who was too chicken to do it. Since it was an adult magazine, the legal age was 18. I actually did it because I got a sexual charge from buying it from the cute guy who worked there. Except for the fact that it featured men sexually active Playboy itself did nothing for me.

""•           Mrs. Sullivan was my cousin Kay Johnson paternal grandmother. She lived just down the road from my Grandma Johnson.

""•           The Beatles' "Magical Mystery Tour," album went #1 and stayed #1 for 8 weeks 

""•           Dr. N E Shumway performs 1st U.S. adult cardiac transplant operation.

""•           Surveyor 7 (last of series) launched by U.S. for soft-landing on Moon

"" 

""Letter from Mrs. Sullivan dated 3 Jan 1968

""Dear Junior. Received your letter and intended to answer before you started back to school. But we had lots of company and gone quite a bit the last two weeks. Guess your school started Tuesday. They did in this part of the country. We are in "wonder winter land" this morning. Mist froze on everything last night. Leonard and I enjoyed the different Parades New Year Day. Pauline tried to get us to come up and watch in color. Toni did too but we were too comfortable to go places. If you have heard from your grandmother, they enjoyed their trip to Texarkana. They like the town. Like the house John lives in. Picked up pecans in backyard. Hope John keeps on liking his work. If you have been keeping up on the agriculture situation and I expect you have there just isn't any future for the little farmer anymore. In fact, they are being pushed off the farm. The little farmer that hangs on isn’t going to make but little money. But I say this right quick- it’s a good place to live. Seems to me everything is fixed to where everyone will do well to make a living. Aimed to get this in the mail today. Postman just passed so may right several pages more. ha! Junior the reason I like to discuss things with you first you seem to grasp and understand important things. Second you don’t get huffed if I don’t agree with you. One thought you brought up right now I am not sure I agree with you on. It is the statement "War is an abomination before the Lord". Now my generation and my question are doesn't the Bible say that "there shall always be wars and rumors of wars"? Matt 24:6-7. Do you have the time to read Exodus 14:14 and 15:3. Seems to me like I remember reading in the Old Testament of God telling Joshua or someone to go into battle. Don't remember where to find it. I wish we could have a world without war. Don’t believe it will ever be and I'll tell you why I believe this. Fighting will continue as long as there is hate in the heart. There will be hate until a person is born again a child of God. There will always be some that refuse Jesus Christ as God’s son. Some refused to believe when he lived on the earth. He was murdered and he was perfect. The End. Just read two solid newspaper pages of things to expect by the year 2000. I won't be here. Good thing. I guess for seems to me it is going to be terrible. Back in the 1950’s things were getting better and better every year. I began to wonder what could be better than this age. Then last night after reading all that- this man I forgot his name was on TV telling us there will be a world shortage of oxygen which may make breathing hard. I just thought well what next? In spite of all this I am glad I am living right now, old age and everything. An awfully sorry for the young men that have to go to war. I liked your closing thought about serving God and your country. Texas may have several running for Governor before it is over. You forgot to tell me how Donna is doing in college. Shirley likes the school in Denton. Think I told you she wants to be a medical missionary. Tell all your folks hello. No Jr. you don't offend me at no time. In politics I am for the man not the party. Best Wishes to you. Sincerely Mr. and Mrs. Sullivan.

"" 

""7 Jan 1968 Sunday

""10:55 I didn't go to church. Didn't wake up in time. I watched Walt Disney and the Mothers-In-Law. I cleaned up the kitchen and my bedroom. I listened to Firesign Theater on KRLA. I sprinkled vitamins on the grass in the Front yard to help it grow. I talked to Mom about wanting to move to Rhodesia, Africa. I have to go to school to marrow. I drew a very good likeness of Jeff Davis last Friday. I have to turn it in to Art. Did most of my English homework. I will finish it later tonight. I hate German, P. E. (especially), and history. I do very good in history I just don't like Mr. Mesa. The weather got up around 73 degrees but tonight its 50 degrees. The weather is very clear. We're invited to go to Bill Fagin’s mother's wedding Saturday. No news to record. May God protect us in the coming future.

""•           The Mothers-in-Law was a weekly American television sitcom for NBC starring Eve Arden and Kaye Ballard. The show ran from 1967 to 1969 and was produced by Desi Arnaz after the dissolution of both his marriage to Lucille Ball and Desilu Productions. Most of the episodes were written by Madelyn Pugh Davis and Bob Carroll, Jr., who had worked with Arnaz on I Love Lucy. Despite being sandwiched between The Wonderful World of Disney and Bonanza, the show never garnered the ratings NBC had hoped for. NBC considered canceling the show after the first season but agreed to renew the show for the same price as the first season (after sponsor Procter & Gamble had announced plans to move the series to another network.

""•           In the mid-1960’s Los Angeles radio was king. Southern Californians lived in “Boss City” where new rock and roll, soul and jazz mingled on the dial. Wolfman Jack howled from his border blasting XERB in Mexico with the raunchy, nasty Rhythm and Blues that L.A.’s FCC wonked AM stations were afraid to play. Vin Scully filled summer evenings with melodious accounts of Dodgers baseball on KFWB while the Real Don Steele, B. Mitchell Reed and Lloyd Thaxton spun Top 40 discs for us kids on stations like KRLA and KHJ.

""•           “Firesign Theatre” group members were Phil Austin, Philip Proctor, Peter Bergman, and David Ossman. If The Beatles captured the 60’s spirit and were the generation’s de-facto kings, then the Firesign Theatre were the court jesters. What The Beatles were to music, the Firesign Theatre were to comedy. Like the Beatles, they were light years ahead of anything anyone else were doing. They set the stage for clever, youth oriented, irreverent comedy enterprises like the National Lampoon and Saturday Night Live.

""•           By this time Mom and Dad stopped going to church in Brea. When I was younger, we went on a regular basis. Dad was going through his drinking period, so I think that is one reason he stopped.

""•           Jefferson Davis was the President of the Confederate states. I had an obsession about my Southern identity because I knew I was different from the regular boys at my school…so being Super-Southern gave me an identity to hide behind and actually was my cover for the reason I was different. Rhodesia was a white ruled British Colony in Africa named for Cecil Rhodes.

""•           Within 9 years I was married to a woman on this date.

""•           1st class postage raised from 5 cents to 6 cents

"" 

""8 Jan 1968 Monday

""First week of the year. 11:00 p.m. Didn't go to school. Didn't wake up in time. I'm thinking about dropping German. I'm not very good in it. I talked with Jerry Smith and Fred Townsend at lunch again. Saw Donna's friends Lanie and Dan. In the news another heart transplant was performed a few days ago. I got a letter from Grandma Johnson. I'm doing my English, German, and Algebra homework. The weather is up around 68 degrees clear and no frost at night. Aren't going to write about God in this diary any more for its being proud. Praise God in Secret. I went to the store with Jean Horan and bought a magazine to read. Watched TV in including Carol Burnett Show. I cleaned up the kitchen and had steak for dinner and tacos for lunch. My cat Eliza is missing. I didn’t read the newspaper today. On TV was a National Geographic Special on Sharks. The store I went to with Jean was an Art Shop.

""•           Fred Townsend was Jerry’s good friend and I got to know him better my senior year. My last months at Rancho I would drive Fred and Jerry around during our lunch hour where they would drink a Japanese beer called Kirin.

""•           Jean Horan lived across the street from us and was like a 2nd mother to me. She was my mom’s best friend and she brought out the creative side of my nature.

""•           Lanie was this guy with a who Donna ran around with during her Senior year. He had a lot of issues, and it was through her that Donna met Terry Pierce who was her first husband.

"" 

""9 January 1968 Tuesday

""Suppose to rain tomorrow. I didn't go to school today. I cleaned up the kitchen, the front room, the bathrooms, and Mom's room. I also did all the wash and cleaned up my bedroom really good. I found my book "Night at Camp David" and read a little from that. We had pork chops for dinner. My cat Eliza showed up this morning after having run off. Today was a dismal 65 degrees and tonight its cloudy 52 degrees. I watched a new show on TV "It Takes a Thief". It’s pretty good. In the news there's been another Heart transplant. That makes four not counting a baby that soon died. I didn't read the newspaper today. Charline and Donna are fighting again. They haven’t gotten along in a long time. Tag, our Boston Terrier, ran away again but he soon came back. I've lost 4 pounds since Christmas but look fatter. Also, in the news. Gov. Reagan says that there'll be no new taxes this year. ha! Rockefeller still says he ain’t running for President. Smart man if he don't. It looks like it will be Johnson again. Hanoi's peace terms they say aren't very reliable, so we aren't going to take them.

""•           Night of Camp David," by Fletcher Knebel who was also a nationally syndicated columnist. "Night of Camp David," published in 1965 is the story of a first-term U.S. senator who is suddenly called upon to be the running mate of an incumbent president seeking a new term. As the story unfolds, the prospective running mate gradually comes to realize that the president of the United States has gone stark, raving mad.

""•           Mom really didn’t mind me ditching school if I kept the house up. I wrote my own notes.

""•           Tag was a Boston terrier that mom brought home when someone she worked with gave him to her. I guess his kid poked Tag in the eye and blinded him in that one eye and Tag didn’t like small kids. I loved Tag and was the first dog I really felt like was a pet.

""•           The Surveyor VII space probe made a soft landing on the moon, marking the end of the American series of unmanned explorations of the lunar surface.

""•           The TV show "It Takes a Thief" with Robert Wagner began on ABC. It written and produced by Leslie Stevens (d.1998) and ran to 1970.]

"" 

""10 Jan 1968 Wednesday

""Its 11:30 pm and I didn’t go to school again. I will tomorrow. I did the dishes and made up my bed. That killer Kirche got the death penalty and one of the heart transplants died. Surveyor is on the moon getting everything ready for a manned flight. "Spooky" is #1 on KHJ. I finished reading Camp David and it was very good. 58 degrees tonight with rain and cloudiness. Suppose to rain tomorrow too. I ran out of hot water while doing the dishes. I had to fix the garbage disposal too. We had fried chicken for dinner. I think my cat Eliza is pregnant. I hope so. The weather isn't very cold. I hope it will stay like this. We have had 76 days of school so far. I recorded the KHJ survey. Now I'm getting a headache. I hate school with a passion. I didn’t take a bath today and I didn't shave. I had a MacDonald hamburger for lunch. I don’t feel too well. In the evening I emptied the trashes and watched a little TV. Congressman Adam Clayton Powell of New York is in Watts stirring up the niggers. I don't like him.

""•           My Texas racism was evident here. The Rev'd and Hon. Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. (November 29, 1908 – April 4, 1972) was an American politician and pastor who represented the Harlem section of Manhattan in New York City in the United States House of Representatives between 1945 and 1971. He was the first African American elected to Congress from New York. He challenged the Southern practice of charging Blacks a poll tax to vote and stopped racist congressmen from saying the word "nigger" in sessions of Congress. He was in Watts making speeches to encourage the Black Power Movement.

""•           The 10,000th US airplane is lost over Vietnam.

""•           A McDonalds Golden Arches franchised opened on the corner of Katella and Dale Street in 1966. I remember that Hamburgers were 15 cents, and fried were 12 cents. Drinks were 10, 15, 20 cents. You could get a hamburger, fries, and a coke for under 50 cents.

"" 

""11 Jan 1968 Thursday

""12 Midnight  I went to school today and Mr. Reichardt my German teacher gave me a dirty look. I got Algebra homework to do, and I finished my term paper outline for history. I talked with Fred Townsend and Jerry Smith at lunch. In English I talked to Mrs. Herning about "Night at Camp David". I ate too much today. It rained last night. It’s damp outside. 61 degrees and 55 degrees at night. Cloudy. I brought out the barrels. Fought with Charline. She's being such a bitch because she can't see Gary. Made up Mom's bed and mine. Another heart transplant in the news. This one in Yugoslavia. In the evening I went to the library on Chapman then over to Fred Townsend where I stayed for three hours. We talked all the time. He drove me home. I did my German Homework. Deutsch nich gut! In PE I talked with Steve Hall mostly. We had steak for dinner. I had a history test on the Civil War. I also had a letter from Grandma Johnson. My Cousin Kay is sick. Jerry Smith was feeling not to well either. I told everybody I had the mumps, but I didn't. Had to come up with some excuse for missing so much school. I’m getting rid of all my paperback books because I have too many of them.

"" 

""12 Jan 1968 Friday

""I went to school today. Jerry Smith was absent. I helped Fred Townsend and Steve Hall on a history test. In PE had to run the 600 yards but didn't feel as bad as usual. I won't record the speed. I finished my art project we took home. We had sirloin tips over mashed potatoes for dinner. On TV I watched JUDD FOR THE DEFENSE and SINBAD. Mom and Dad were fighting tonight. Jerry Smith had braces put on. Fred Townsend wants to do a book report on the book I gave him called "Macbird” which is a satire about LBJ doing in JFK. I brought the trash barrels in, and Mom went grocery shopping. Nothing in the news but the same fight between China and the US over the Viet Cong going into Cambodia which is a neutral country. China said that we bombed one of their provinces. We probably did. Oh Gov. Romney of Michigan has declared that he's a candidate for the Presidency. The weather was blue skies and cloudy. 72 degrees and 47 degrees at night. I cleaned up the kitchen and, in the evening, walked up to U~Tote-M to buy a coke. There was a lot of kids out. I still have all my paper backs.

"" 

""13 Jan 1968 Saturday

""12:15 am. This morning I mopped the kitchen and then walked to the store. Later Donna and I went back to the store where I bought some comic books and some paper backs. I’m reading “the Source” now. I watched "Saratoga Trunk" on TV. I was supposed to go over to Jerry Smith's today, but I didn't. I didn't go to Bill Fagen's mother's wedding either. I did walk to Rancho to get my term paper out of Jerry's locker and climbing the fence I ripped my shirt and pants. I had tacos for lunch. No news. Weather 75 degrees clear and warmer then what it has been. 50 degrees at night. I got a letter from Mrs. • Sullivan and Grandma Johnson. Grandma said she got a new rug. Donna is babysitting right now, and I spent $4 foolishly today on comic books and books. I don't feel well. Everybody was grouchy this morning. I have to finish typing my term paper. I lost my water and ink drawings that I made for my art class. Somebody threw them in the trash. I didn't go bowling with Jerry like he wanted.

""[The U.S. reported shifting most air targets from North Vietnam to Laos.]

"" 

""14 Jan 1968 Sunday

""I watched "Hatari" on TV. Pretty good. Jerry Smith came over today and borrowed some of my Albums. Sgt. Pepper's and The Doors. I talked to Fred Townsend over the phone. I did my German and history homework. We had burritos for lunch. Dad is down with the flu. Grandma Williams called mom today. I finished my term paper outline. 71 degrees, cloudy and 50 degrees at night and cold. Full Moon tonight with a ring around it. That means its gonna storm soon up in the mountains. I should write Grandma Johnson, my cousin Kay, and Mrs. Sullivan but I haven't any 6¢ stamps. Our dog Tag ran away again today but came back. I played with my cat Eliza. Poor old Tag is getting so old, and he don't care much anymore. Nobody and nothing in the news. I didn't go to church. I'm going to play RISK with Fred Townsend next Saturday. Donna is going to only two classes at Orange Coast next semester. Charline is making a diaper bag for a girlfriend of hers, Linda. Mom is okay, I guess. I'm going to school tomorrow. I hope.

""[The Green Bay Packers under Vince Lombardi, after winning its third consecutive NFL championship, won the 2nd Super Bowl Football game over the Oakland Raiders. This was Lombardi's last game as coach of the Packers. The game drew the first $3 million gate in football history. US forces in Vietnam launched Operation Niagara I to locate enemy units around the Marine base at Khe Sanh]

"" 

""15 Jan 1968 Monday

""11:00 pm. Dad is sick with the flu and didn't go to work. In PE I broke my glasses while doing sit-ups. Don't know how I'll see without them. At lunch hung around with Fred Townsend and Jerry Smith. I forgot to bring my art work to school. Joey Calamitas was absent today and we got a new student in my art class. She's from Chile. I fell asleep when I came home from school. We had tuna and noodle casserole for dinner. Tom and Jean Horan came over about 6 to visit. There was a bad earthquake in Sicily killing about 300 people so far, so we talked about earthquakes. Jean was living in Fullerton during the 1933 Long Beach Earthquake. Also, in the news only two of the heart transplants are still alive. 68 degrees. Clear with light clouds. 55 degrees at night. Cold. Watched TV tonight. Mainly the "Monkees" and Carol Burnett. Dad doesn't like us to watch the Monkees. I have Algebra and English homework to do. I played tennis in PE. Jerry Smith borrowed some of my albums yesterday to tape record. I joked with Kathy Shaw in English and messed around with Steve Hall. Grandma Williams called.

"" 

""16 Jan 1968 Tuesday

""11:00 pm. 'Went to school. What a pain. Came home at lunch because of a heartache I have from not wearing my glasses. Moving to front of the class in Algebra I because I can't see the blackboard. Joey Calamitas came back to school. Starting baseball in PE soon. Ugh! How I hate sports, especially baseball. In history drew maps and did my history homework. At home watched Garrison's Guerillas, It Takes a Thief and a movie called All about Spring on TV. Pretty good. Dad is still sick and didn't go to work. Donna is reading my book "The Source" so I am reading "The Proud Tower" about the Royal Houses of Europe before World War I. Charline is reading "Winthrop Woman". I already read it. 61 degrees. Cloudy and dismal and overcast. 51 degrees last night with slight rain. In Guatemala two American Generals were murdered. Charline is painting a picture. I helped Mr. Starr in PE on the school directory. Anything to get out of suiting up. We had pork chops for dinner. Drank some iced tea with slices of lemon from Jean Horan's lemon tree. I also had a coke. Finals are coming soon. Ugh!

""[Jean Horan had this experimental lemon tree that had lemons that were sweet instead of tart.]

"" 

""17 Jan 1968 Wednesday

""11:30. Finished studying for German. Sat in Algebra at the front of the class because I couldn’t see the board. I didn't suit up in PE. I got a B in history so far. At lunch talked to Fred Townsend who is upset about something. Steve Hall and Kathy Shaw and I got into a fight in English over Texas. In art sat by Gene Johnson because Miss Burns moved me for talking to much with Joey. Joey Callamitas is well. Dad stayed home today from work but is feeling better. Mom now is coming down with a cold. We had Spanish Rice with hamburger for dinner. Went to have my eyes examined. My vision is 275 over 20. I'm getting new glasses. Didn’t record all of KHJ's survey. "Nobody but He" is number 1. High today 65 degrees and 45 degrees at night. President Johnson gave his State of the Union speech. Didn’t say much. Didn't watch TV except for the "Golden Age of Comedy". Charline was upset today about something. Must be about Gary. I can't get along with Dad. President Johnson wants us to go off the Gold Standard.

""[President Lyndon Baines Johnson (1908-1973) delivers his last State of the Union Address]

"" 

""18 Jan 1968 Thursday

""11:30. Went to school and had a German Quiz. Think I did good. Tomorrow, I have an Algebra test. In PE I didn’t suit up, so I had to fold towels in the towel cage. 350 of them. I still have my term paper to turn in. Mom stayed home from work because she has a cold. Dad went to work. Warm today 76 degrees. Breezy and beautiful day. 52 degrees at night. I had chicken for dinner. Went to the Society of Politically Active Teenagers or SPOT Club for short and paid my dues. I joined this club last fall and it’s the only club I

""have ever joined at Rancho. We talked about the lyrics of music such as Peppermint and Incense by the Strawberry Alarm Clock and White Rabbit by the Jefferson Airplane It was really interesting. Came home at 9 and watched a Bob Hope Special on Christmas in Viet Nam and Suspense Theater. In English I fought with Steve Hall again over Texas and the South. Jean Horan came over this evening to talk to Mom. I cleaned out my locker at school and gave one of my paperbacks away. I brought out the trash barrels. I won’t record this anymore because I always bring them out and in on Thursdays and Fridays. My favorite song right now is "Darling" by the Beach Boys. No news to record.

""[Steve Hall and I had a friendly ribbing over being Southern. I really loved the SPOT club because it was challenging my intellect]

"" 

""19 Jan 1968 Friday

""Dad's 43rd birthday. Its 1 am. I went to school and saw a movie in German. We had a test in Algebra. In PE I got mad at the old fart who runs the towel cage for yelling at me for not folding the towels the way he wanted. I turned in my term paper out line in history. Had a spelling test in English. Mrs. Herning is my favorite teacher. In Art Miss Burns blushed reading some dirty stuff someone had written in a note. I thought it was funny to see her turn so red. This kid Mike Garisek is trying to make me mad, but I won't do it. Steve Hall and I called a truce. Mom stayed home again. Still has a cold. We had ice cream and a cake for dad's birthday. We also had turkey and gravy over potatoes. I checked some books out from the library on South Africa. Watched TV a little. Mom got Dad an electric razor for his birthday. 80 degrees. Beautiful warm day. 53 degrees at night and clear. Could not find anything to watch on tv. Tom and Jean came over to talk to dad on his birthday. Tom is coming down with a cold. No news. Gave all my Paperbacks away to Barry Wendall.

""[Garisek was calling me queer. I had known Barry Wendall since elementary school Cambodia charged that the United States and South Vietnam had crossed the border and killed three Cambodians]

"" 

""20 Jan 1968 Saturday

""2:45 am. I cleaned up my room and the front Yard today. We had tacos for dinner. I read "the Short Cut” which was about the Donner party. It was pretty good. Fair. Watched "Captain Newman" and "Bye Birdie' on TV. Birdie was really good. Started watching another moving "Untamed" but was too tired to finish it. Mom and Dad went over to Milton and Marie' s. They got drunk so they are spending the night over there. Donna's friend Lynn Sutter came over today and cut 4 inches off of Donna's long hair. Later Donna went babysitting. Charline went out dancing with Joyce and Bill and some other guy. 79 degrees. Beautiful warm clear day. Cool at night 50 degrees. Mr. Clifford is appointed Secretary of Defense in the news. I watched TV for most of the day and drank three Royal Crown Colas. Mom went shopping this morning and Dad got a haircut. Didn't go over to Fred Townsends to play RISK. I had to dig the grass up in the front yard around the plants. I should write Kay or somebody. I haven't in a long time.

"" 

""21 Jan 1968 Sunday

""11 :00 pm. I watched "Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte 'I which was really good. Read the Sunday paper and had burritos for lunch. Walked up to school

""with Jerry Smith to get some books out of our locker. I threw away an old shirt

I had. I bought it when the family went to pick Mickey Wheeler up in San Diego

""in July of 1966. ""In the afternoon I played a game with the cards. Watched Walt Disney and Mothers-In- Law" Cooler today than yesterday. 75 degrees and 50 degrees at night cool. Of the two surviving heart transplants one died in the US. The

""one in South Africa is still okay. Charline and Donna went to the show tonight

""and Donna cut her hair again real short. Nom still has a cold but is getting better. I felt grouchy all morning. Listened to the radio most of the day in my room. I hope I can get my driver's license soon. I have a permit I got last October. Not much in the news. Same thing about Russia, Red China, the US, and Viet Nam. I sure get tired of it all. Charline washed her car today.

""•           20,000 NVA troops under the command of Gen. Giap attack the American air base at Khe Sanh. A 77-day siege begins as 5000 U.S. Marines in the isolated outpost are encircled. The siege attracts enormous media attention back in America, with many comparisons made to the 1954 Battle of Dien Bien Phu in which the French were surrounded then defeated. "I don't want any damn Dinbinfoo," an anxious President Johnson tells Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Earle Wheeler. As Johnson personally sends off Marine reinforcements, he states "...the eyes of the nation and the eyes of the entire world, the eyes of all of history itself, are on that little brave band of defenders who hold the pass at Khe Sanh..." Johnson issues presidential orders to the Marines to hold the base and demands a guarantee "signed in blood" from the Joint Chiefs of Staff that they will succeed. Operation Niagara II then begins a massive aerial supply effort to the besieged Marines along with heavy B-52 bombardment of NVA troop positions. At the peak of the battle, NVA soldiers are hit round-the-clock every 90 minutes by groups of three B-52s which drop over 110,000 tons of bombs during the siege, the heaviest bombardment of a small area in the history of warfare. The Battle of Khe Sahn was the longest and bloodiest battle of the Vietnam War.

""•           An American B-52 bomber carrying four hydrogen bombs crashed at North Star Bay, Greenland, killing one crew member and scattering radioactive material. Reports began to surface later and in 1995 the Danish government paid a $15.5 million settlement to some 1,700 exposed workers.

""22 Jan 1968 Monday

""11 PM. Didn't go to school and slept in till noon. Mom didn't  go to work but is getting over her cold. Charline cleaned up the house. I got a letter from Grandma Johnson. Everybody back there has the flu. 80 degrees clear and cool day and 52 degrees at night. Foggy along the coast. We had steak for dinner, but I didn't eat any. Donna's friend Lanie came over and introduced a friend of his to her. Donna has a date with this guy Friday. Heard Chris and Linda aren't living together anymore. Last Spring when Donna was a senior and I was a sophomore Donna started running around with Lanie, Linda, and Chris Barber. Linda and I had Commercial Art together from Mr. Balsam, so I knew her anyways. They were kind of wild and one time last May we were all cruising around, but we were almost out of gas. We didn’t have any money because we spent it all on some Peppermint Schnapps and Creme de Menthe. So, we stopped at a construction site and Lanie and his friend siphoned off a tank full of gas. I didn’t like the taste of booze, so I didn't get drunk, but Donna and Linda and Lanie and Chris got bombed so I had to drive. Donna got so sick that she threw up all over the back seat of mom's car. After cruising we had to clean the car up, but we couldn’t get the smell out, so we poured my English Leather aftershave cologne in the back seat to try and cover the smell. All it did was make it smell like puke and English Leather. When school ended, we stopped hanging around them because they started shop lifting and we didn't want to get in serious trouble. Then back in Texas that Summer Buddy Husky and Donna became engaged. They just broke up. Donna broke it off because Buddy would never write her. My arm feels funny like its raw the skin does. Don' t know why. Also, I have been dropping things lately. I cooked two pots of popcorn and burnt both. Donna finally made a good pot. Nothing in the news. Finals are this week. Got to study. Watched "Pale Face" with Bob Hope. Very Funny. Also watched Carol Burnet Show. Donna borrowed a cup of oil from Jean Horan. They just came down from the cabin. I like the song “Peaceful.” Dad's okay.

"" [The friend was Terry Pearce. The TV variety show "Laugh In" began on NBC with comedians Dan Rowan and Dick Martin. It continued running to May 14, 1973. It was the top-ranking network show on television for two seasons (1968-1969) with rankings of 31.8 and 26.3%. Apollo 5 was launched to the Moon; unmanned lunar module tests made]

"" 

""23 Jan 1968 Tuesday

""11 pm. Went to school. Beautiful day. Got really warm and windy. 85 degrees and clear. 52 degrees at night. Ripped my gym shirt in PE. Went to the school library with Jaeger for lunch. Talked to Kathy Shaw and Steve Hall all through 5th period English about old times in grade school and Jr. High. Didn't do much in art. We had pork chops for dinner. Read 7 chapters on "Scarlet Letter". Also learnt a new word today "Phantasmagoric.”  In the news North Korea captured a US ship and everybody is upset about it. The USS Enterprise is heading towards Korea now. We might go to war over it. Russia is mad at North Korea for doing it. Mom stayed home from work, but I guess is feeling better. Playing tennis in PE. Studying for finals in Algebra I, German II, and History. I already took my English final and got 100 on it. Talked with Kim O'Neil in German mostly.

""[Spy ship USS Pueblo and 83-man crew seized in Sea of Japan. North Korean patrol boats capture the USS Pueblo, a US Navy intelligence gathering vessel and its 83-man crew on charges of violating the communist country's twelve-mile territorial limit. This crisis would dog the US foreign policy team for 11 months, with the crew of the Pueblo finally gaining freedom on December 22.] North Korea seized the U.S. Navy intelligence ship Pueblo, charging it had intruded into the communist nation's territorial waters on a spying mission. One crewman was killed in the attack. Cmdr. Lloyd Bucher (d.2004 at 76) was quickly separated from the 81-man crew. The crew was released 11 months later.

"" 

""24 Jan 1968 Wednesday

""11:10 pm. Went to school. Read "The Source" a little while there. Studied my Algebra and German for my finals tomorrow. I cut up with Kathy Shaw and Steve Hall again in English. Read another Chapter in "Scarlett Letter". I made an appointment to see my counselor Friday. Prepared for a final in art. At home cleaned up the kitchen really good and washed my bed sheets and bedspread. It was warm enough today to be called hot. 81 degrees. 51 degrees at night. It was clear but not as windy as yesterday. We had steak and Potato salad which I made for dinner. Got a letter from my cousin Kay. She said she got a new bedroom set. Also found a letter from Mrs. Sullivan which came on the 19th. I wrote Kay and used my first 6¢ stamp. Copied the KHJ survey. "Green Tambourine" is number 1. Will have to write to Grandma Johnson and Mrs. Sullivan soon. Everybody is mad about the ship that was captured by the North Koreans.

"" 

""25 Jan 1968 Thursday

""10:00 pm. Went to school which was on half day schedule for finals. Had a German and Algebra final. Played tennis in PE. The Coach told me to bring some white socks because I hadn't been wearing any. Cleaned up the kitchen and brought out the barrels. Played some albums and read all but four chapters of the "Scarlett Letter". We had spaghetti for dinner. I drank three cokes today. Studied for my History and art final tomorrow. Weather was cooler today about 75 degrees and 50 degrees at night. Its suppose to rain tomorrow. In the news President Johnson called out the air force and the navy reserves and asked for a meeting of the UN Security Council. Everybody wants to rush into North Korea and take our ship back. What everybody wants is another war. Mom stayed home again from work still weak. Donna didn't feel good yesterday but is better now. I have a sore throat.

"" 

""26 Jan 1968 Friday

""12 midnight. Went to school and had a final in history and art. Talked to Kathy Shaw in English but I didn’t feel good today. I had a sore throat and a runny nose. I guess I am coming down with a cold. Saw my counselor today and got out of German II today. I walked back up to school this afternoon for Mr. Mesa, but he didn't need me to help correct tests after all. I walked with Jerry Smith home. It was overcast this afternoon and around 6 it began to rain. 70 degrees and 49 at night. Cold. Watched "Alexander the Great" and "Operation Entertainment" on TV. I wrote a short story about the South. We had tacos for dinner. Mom still didn't go back to work. Dad's well. Charline is expecting Gary’s ship to be in this Thursday. Donna went out on her date. My friend Cliff Hodson is moving away to Santa Ana. In the news the UN is debating about the Korean Crisis. In the LA College there is a big fight about the play "The Beard" whether it should be played at a college because there is a sex act in it. I sure don’t feel good.

""[The Beard" by Michael McClure was to the theater what "Howl" was to poetry and "Naked Lunch" was to the novel.]

"" 

""27 Jan 1968 Saturday

""Cleaned up the kitchen really good and mopped the floor. Made up my bed too. It started to rain last night and its continued all day. 55 degrees and 41 at night. All the streets are flooded. Donna had a date again with a kid named Terry. They went to the walk-in at Brea. Charline and I went to the show too but not with them. We saw "Fritzwilly" and "Clam Bake." Mom gave me two dollars for cleaning the kitchen. I went over to Jerry Smith’s. Told Charline how I felt about dad. We just don't get along. He doesn't like me, and I don't like him. Dad made some soup, but I had burritos instead. Mom bought a jig-saw puzzle and they worked on that most of the day. I read the funny papers and watched "Boss City" on TV. Didn't do any homework all day but rewrite my short story and read a little. The UN is still debating on the Korean Crisis. I got a letter from Grandma Johnson. She and Grandpa are down at the lake where Grandpa goes bird hunting with his hunting dog.

""[ Dad and I were fighting about just everything at this time. I told my sister that I actually hated him which I might have at the time. I was only 16 years old.]

"" 

""28 Jan 1968 Sunday

""11:30 pm. I wrote that Gary's coming the first of February but he's not. Charline says his ship will be in tomorrow. It didn’t rain today but it was cold. 55 degrees with cloudy blue skies. 47 degrees at night. Snow is down to 4000 feet. I woke up not feeling well and now I am sick. A cold I think because I cough and wheeze. I cleaned up my room good and finally finished my stain glass tissue paper teddy bear. Mom and Dad went over to Milton and Marie’s about 3 and didn't come home until 10. I didn’t really have any dinner just warmed up some burritos. Charline washed her car for Gary's return. I slept from 3:30 ‘til 7:30. Still don't feel good and I can't get warm, but I am running a fever. Dad finished the jig saw puzzle. I watched channel 4 from Walt Disney until the 11 o'clock News. Korea is still in the news. Lynn Sutter came over to fix Donna's hair.

""[I use to make these elaborate pictures out of black construction paper and color tissue paper that when placed in a window was illuminated by the light. It was very detailed work matching the tissue paper to the cut outs and then gluing them on. Lynn Sutter was a chubby friend of Donna’s who was working towards becoming a hair stylist]

"" 

""29 Jan 1968 Monday

""11:30. Didn't go to school. Have a cold. Charline and Donna left this morning to pick up Gary when his ship came in. I got up around 11: 30 am and Jean Horan wanted me to help her put a mattress in her car. Fixed my radio surveys and had some tea ‘til Donna and Charline and Gary came home at 3:30. Gary's buddy Rick Adam had station duty and won't get off until tomorrow. Clear chilly day 57 degrees and 40 degrees at night. Had turkey and gravy over mashed potatoes for dinner. Charline and Gary went to the show. Lanie and Terry came over and Donna went with them out for a coke. I watched "Danny Thomas Hour" and Carrol Burnett Show". Donna wants the money Mom and Charline owe her for something. She wants it for something special, I think. Everybody is glad that Gary Clark's home. I read a few more pages in "The Source". Didn’t eat very much today. Mom went back to work and is feeling better. Dad is as usual.

""[The special reason was that Terry had talked Donna into running off with him and the bum didn’t have any money of his own. It’s funny that I really don’t remember Gary all that well. I don’t think Charline ever kept a picture of him if she had one. I recall that he wasn’t very tall and had sandy blond hair. Of course, he was young so had a slender build. I was still upset that she had broken it off with Mickey Wheeler who was handsome like Fabian and we all just loved. He was Catholic and Charline didn’t want to sign any kids she had off to the Catholic Church. Grandma Johnson said that Charline often seemed like a young widow because she had at least two serious relationships before Gary. Mickey Wheeler was a navy guy from Minnesota [1966-1967] and before him there was Ernie Judd [1964-1966]. Judd as we called him was her high school sweetheart. There was another boy named Herb that I think had a crush more on Charline then she did him, but he hung out at the house a lot when I was in Junior High and ate dinner with us.]

"" 

""30 Jan 1968 Tuesday

""Went to school and got out of German II but stayed in class to see a movie on German Sports. Playing badminton now in PE. In every one of my classes my seat has been switched and have more people in every class. Mrs. Herning's class is really over crowd. Came home at lunch and Donna told me to cook the pot roast for dinner because she was going with Terry to show him how to get to Anaheim St. Gary Clark and Rick Adam came over for dinner and they spent the night. After dinner they talked to dad about the "good old navy days"! ha! I can't see anything good about it. Sounds like PE only ten times harder. About 5:30 Jerry Smith asked me to go up to school with him to look for his blue note book. I went with him, but it was at my house all the time. Watched "Garrison's Guerilla's '. I had a headache. A bad one so I went to bed early. 60 degrees. 49 at night. Gary slept on the couch and Rick slept in my bed. Not used to sleeping with some on in the same bed. It’s cold in the morning with frost on the grass. The Ford Theater in Washington reopened for the first time since Lincoln was shot there in 1865. My pen isn't working right. Barb Welte had her tonsils taken out. I had mine taken out when I was in third grade. Also had my appendixes out then too. Had my tonsils taken out at Thanksgiving and appendixes at Christmas in 1959.

""[We had a couch that pulled on into a bed in the front room. It could easily slept two people so Gary must have told Rick Adams to go sleep in my bed. I had a full-size bed and while it was large enough for two it was also small enough for me to sleep next to Rick without much effort. Rick was a beautiful young man from Ft. Smith Arkansas He was a brunette  and had a smile that melted my heart. While we never had sex while in bed together, he slept in his navy underwear, he had no issues with me snuggling into to him. Sometimes he would wrap an arm around me, and I thought I was in heaven. He was my very first crush and the first time that I had definite sexual feelings for boys and not girls. Rick also liked being with me and gave me little gifts that he got from overseas. I was more upset with Charline for breaking it off with Gary because it meant I wouldn’t see Rick ever again. Vietcong launch Tet-offensive on U.S. embassy in Saigon]

"" 

""31 Jan 1968 Wednesday

""11 pm. Dad woke me up too early to go to school because I don’t have a first period anymore, so I don't have to get up until 8. Met Larry Jaeger and John Adams in the library for lunch. We didn't talk much just studied. Didn't feel well in school. Think it might be a lingering nose cold. Only homework I have is Algebra. Copied down the KHJ survey and "Love Is Blue" is No. 1. Put all my surveys in a folder so they won't get lost. I'm mad at Donna for having Terry over here with nobody home. It don’t look right. Went to Garden Grove City Hall to get Tag’s dog license but couldn’t get them because Mom didn’t have his rabies shots paper. Clear cool day. 62 degrees and 49 degrees at night. I had steak for dinner and a desert made out of a yellow cake mix and a can of peaches. It’s almost like a cobbler. You pour a can of peaches in a long cake pan, pour on the dry cake mix and dab it with butter and let it bake. It sure is good. Watched the "Jonathan Winter Show". He's very funny. Donna went to her night class at Orange Coast College. It’s her first night class. Charline is well.

""•           At half-past midnight on Wednesday morning the North Vietnamese launch the Tet Offensive at Nha Trang. Nearly 84,000 Viet Cong guerrillas aided by North Vietnamese Army troops took part in this broad action, taking the battle from the jungles to the cities. The offensive will carry on for weeks and is seen as a major turning point for the American attitude toward the war. The Viet Cong, under General Vo Nguyen Giap (b.1911), seized part of the US embassy in Saigon for 6 hours. They attacked more than 100 cities in South Vietnam with many US casualties. The surprise offensive is closely observed by American TV news crews in Vietnam which film the U.S. embassy in Saigon being attacked by 17 Viet Cong commandos, along with bloody scenes from battle areas showing American soldiers under fire, dead and wounded. The graphic color film footage is then quickly relayed back to the states for broadcast on nightly news programs. Americans at home thus have a front row seat in their living rooms to the Viet Cong/NVA assaults against their fathers, sons, and brothers, ten thousand miles away. "The whole thing stinks, really," says a Marine under fire at Hue after more than 100 Marines are killed. Although the Communists were beaten back, the offensive was seen as a major setback for the US and its allies.

""•           In the Battle for Saigon(January 31-March 7)  during Tet, 35 NVA and Viet Cong battalions are defeated by 50 battalions of American and Allied troops that had been positioned to protect the city on a hunch by Lt. Gen. Fred C. Weyand, a veteran of World War II in the Pacific. Nicknamed the "savior of Saigon," Weyand had sensed the coming attack, prepared his troops, and on February 1 launched a decisive counterattack against the Viet Cong at Tan Son Nhut airport thus protecting nearby MACV and South Vietnamese military headquarters from possible capture.

""•           In the Battle for Hue (January 31-March 2) during Tet, 12,000 NVA and Viet Cong troops storm the lightly defended historical city, then begin systematic executions of nearly 6000 "enemies of the people" including South Vietnamese government officials, captured South Vietnamese officers, and Catholic priests. South Vietnamese troops and three U.S. Marine battalions counterattack and engage in the heaviest fighting of the entire Tet Offensive. They retake the old imperial city, house by house, street by street, aided by American air and artillery strikes. On February 24, U.S. Marines occupy the Imperial Palace in the heart of the citadel and the battle soon ends with a North Vietnamese defeat. American losses are 142 Marines killed and 857 wounded, 74 U.S. Army killed and 507 wounded. South Vietnamese suffer 384 killed and 1830 wounded. NVA killed are put at over 5000.

""February

""1 Feb 1968 Thursday

""11:16 First month of the year is ended. Hurray! Once January is over the rest of the winter goes by so much faster. In PE Jaeger and I won our game of Badminton against Stimpson and Nobel. Copied Monica Munoz's paper in history so I can turn it in tomorrow. Mrs. Herning was in teres ting as usual in English. She discussed the Puritans in Literature. Miss Burns was painting a water color in art. She is so neat, it’s unbelievable! Vacuumed the front room when came home from school and read a little from "Southerners". Gary Clark and Rick Adams were over again for Supper. We had fried chicken, gravy, biscuits, and beans. Charline gave me a dollar to clean up the kitchen because it was her turn and she wanted to be with Gary. I watched "Bewitched” and “That Girl" on TV. Wrote Grandma Johnson. It was about time! Clear and pretty today. 65 degrees and 50 degrees at night. Not as cold as it has been. Charline and the guys went to the show and saw "Cool Hand Luke.”

""•           In Saigon during Tet, a Viet Cong officer is shot in the head by South Vietnam's police chief Gen. Nguyen Ngoc Loan, in full view of an NBC news cameraman and an Associated Press still photographer. The haunting AP photo taken by Eddie Adams appears on the front page of most American newspapers the next morning. Americans also observe the filmed execution on NBC TV. The Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph becomes yet another rallying point for anti-war protestors. Despite later claims that the prisoner had been accused of murdering a Saigon police officer and his family, the image seems to call into question everything claimed and assumed about the American allies, the South Vietnamese.

""•           Another controversy during Tet, and one of the most controversial statements of the entire war, is made by an American officer who states, 'We had to destroy it, in order to save it,' referring to a small city near Saigon leveled by American bombs. His statement is later used by many as a metaphor for the American experience in Vietnam.

""•           Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of Elvis and Priscilla Beaulieu Presley, was born.

""•           The Federal Hourly Minimum Wage was set at $1.60 an hour.

"" 

""2 Feb 1968 Friday

""9:30p.m. Well, I thought something was going on. Donna has run off and got married! To Terry Paris I guess his name is. Mom is crying so hard. Is upset so much. So am. It was so unexpected that I don't know what to think! I'm crying right now but should be happy. She took all her good clothes and jewelry. Never said a word. Just eloped. I still can't believe it. I went to school today and gave away some candy with cognac in the center that Rick Adams gave me. Came home cleaned up the house. But nobody was home. When Mom came home, she took me to get my glasses, but the place was closed. We watched Gary Clark's slides of Viet Nam but I'1om was betting upset about Donna then she found the note and started crying. Weather was pretty blue skies and 65 decrees and 50 degrees at night. Had hamburgers for dinner. I just can’t believe it.

""•           President Johnson labels the Tet Offensive "a complete failure." For the North Vietnamese, the Tet Offensive is both a military and political failure in Vietnam. The "general uprising" they had hoped to ignite among South Vietnamese peasants against the Saigon government never materialized. Viet Cong had also come out of hiding to do most of the actual fighting, suffered devastating losses, and never regained their former strength. As a result, most of the fighting will be taken over by North Vietnamese regulars fighting a conventional war. Tet's only success, and an unexpected one, was in eroding grassroots support among Americans and in Congress for continuing the war indefinitely.

""•           Richard Nixon, a republican from California, enters the New Hampshire primary and declares his presidential candidacy.

"" 

""3 Feb 1968 Saturday

""Got up at 5:30 a.m. to go to the cabin up in the mountains. We needed to get away. Mil ton and Marie and Stephanie and Gregory came with us. Rick Adams and Gary Clark also went with us. There was plenty of snow at Running Springs and went tobogganing a little with Rick Adams. Not as much snow up there as usual though, but enough to play in. Stephanie and Greg sure liked the snow. Later played cards with Rick and we had Chili for dinner. I really like Rick. Up in the mountains the weather was 45 degrees warm and 20 degrees at night. Watched Flower Drum Song" on TV. Marie keeps calling me Goldilocks because she thinks my hair is too long. I also played blockhead with Rick. At night I sat up all night feeding the fire 0 Still don't know anything about Donna. I'm feeling better now about it. So is Mom. The cabin is shaping up better. Jean Horan has put cabinets in the kitchen. Charline and Gary are fine. No news to record. The boy's name Donna married is Price.

"" 

""4 Feb 1968 Sunday

""11:30p.m. Came home from the mountains. This morning got up and had breakfast then went tobogganing; with Rick, Gary, and 1l1ilton. vie found a real good slope. Gregory got hurt a little when he fell off. Stephanie didn't get to play in the

""snow because of the cast on her foot. Everybody is fine. Beautiful clear '-farm day. About 50 degrees. Up there. made up the beds upstairs with Rick and on the way home we stopped and bought some do-nuts. When we got home cleaned up the front room.

""Had tacos, enchiladas, and burritos for lunch. Rick, Gary-, and I went to the store for 1l1om. She called everybody she thought would know Donna. I guess Donna is on

""her way to 1'lorida. Her husband IS name is Terry Pierce. Nom is so upset and is crying again. Lanie, Donna's friend who introduced her to Terry is in jail! 10 or stealing Auto parts. uh dear Lord what is happening'? It’s crazy.

""•           Terry John Pierce was the son of Harold Pierce born 20 December 1942 Dolgeville, New York. Graduated from Green High School Class of 1961.

""[Martin Luther King Jr. delivers a sermon at his Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta which will come to be seen as prophetic. His speech contains what amounts to his own eulogy. After his death, he says, "I'd like somebody to mention that day that Martin Luther King Jr. tried to give his life serving others. I'd like for somebody to say that day that Martin Luther King Jr. tried to love somebody... that I tried to love and serve humanity, Yes, if you want to, say that I was a drum major for peace... for righteousness." Neal Cassidy (b.1926), friend of Jack Kerouac and one of the Merry Pranksters, died on a Mexican highway]

"" 

""5 Feb1968 Monday

""Went to school all but 5th and 6th periods. Played volleyball in PE. Jaeger isn't feeling well. Charline cleaned up the house. 1 chanted my room to Donna's and put all her furniture in my old room. Had steak for dinner. Rick and Gary were over again for supper. Got a letter from Grandma Johnson for Donna. It had $.50 money order in it. Rick drove me over to get my glasses, but the place was closed again. He didn't want to go back to the house, so we drove around some and then went to Knott's Berry Farm. lie walked around and rode the i1ine Ride. It was fun. Rick is a cool guy. Came home and watched “Carol Burnett". The weather was 67 degrees and 50 at night. Gary and Rick spent the night. Gary slept in my old room in Donna's bed, and I slept with Rick. We stayed up and talked for a long time and got to know him better. He's a southerner from Arkansas. He can blow these cool smoke rings. Mom is still upset. There has been a series of raids on. Saigon by the Viet Cong in the news. Rick is goin6 home to Arkansas this Thursday.

"" 

""6 Feb 1968 Tuesday

""Didn't go to school. Slept till 30 after talking; to Rick all night. Cleaned up the front room and kitchen. Put my book stand in my room and finished fixing it up. The weather was warm clear 79 degrees and 55 degrees at night. Rick Adams and Gary Clark were over again for dinner. They are just stationed in Long Beach. We had fried chicken and potato salad for dinner. After cleaning off the table Rick drove me again to get my glasses. We got lost for a little bit but finally got there. My lenses look like they are an inch thick! Yuck! Charline Gary, and Rick went to White Front, and I played cards till 11:00 when I went to bed. Rick and Gary slept in the front room on the pullout bed. Mom and Dad are still sick at heart about Donna. Nothing in the news except still hard fighting~ in Viet Nam and 900 Viet Cong are in Saigon. Boy what liars are the military. They said the war was going so well.

""[Former president Dwight Eisenhower hit a golfing hole-in-one. Charles de Gaulle opened the 19th Winter Olympics in Grenoble, France.]

"" 

""7 Feb 1968 Wednesday

""12:00 Didn't go to school. Cleaned up the kitchen and the front room. A man came over about Donna and Terry using Dad's credit cards. Mom cries all the time. She came home early when I told her that that man came over. Linda, Charline’s friend had her baby. Gary got off ship early, but Rick had to stand duty. I like Rick a lot better than Gary. Wish Charline was engaged to him and not Gary. Had spaghetti for dinner. 71 degrees. \fa.rm clear day. Donna finally called home. Mom is sending her $50 to come home on. Donna and Terry almost got put in jail because of using Dad’s credit card. Charline has nothing good to say about Donna. Dad is still upset. Rick is going home tomorrow to Arkansas. Watched "Jonathan Winters" and copied down KHJ surveys. "Love Is Blue II # 1. In the news actor Nick Adams died. Nom bought some new luggage and Charline bought some new clothes for her trip up North. Dad will be going to Denver for a business trip.

""[International reporters arrive at the embattled city of Ben Tre in South Vietnam. Peter Arnett, then of the Associated Press, writes a dispatch quoting an unnamed US major as saying, "It became necessary to destroy the town to save it." The quote runs nationwide the next day in Arnett's report.]

"" 

""8 Feb. 1968 Thursday

""1 a.m. Didn't go to school today. Got up at 10:00 and did the dishes. Mowed the lawn and cleaned up the front yard. Had tuna and noodles for dinner. Gary and Rick came home and got ready to leave. I sure hated to see Rick go. I gave him my- Confederate 1 lag for a safe journey back to Arkansas and he gave me some souvenirs from Malta to remember him by. Charline and Gary are going to take Rick up to the airport for his flight then go on up to Northern California to stay with Gary's folks. Got a phone call from Donna. She and Terry are on their way home. Dad is getting ready to go to Denver, Colorado. Sure, gonna miss Rick. Watched "Man Who Shot Liberty Valence" until Rick left. Overcast skies. 67 degrees. Rained around midnight. Mom is feeling better now. Sure, is going to be lonely with everybody gone. Especially Rick because I won't have no one to talk to. eel so empty inside. A broken-up feeling. Donna's tone, Charline is gone, Gary and Rick are gone and I'm here by myself again. Reading "Smiling Rebel".

""[South Carolina Police Officers kill 3 black students demonstrating at a civil rights protest in South Carolina State (Orangeburg) known as the Orangeburg Massacre George Wallace of Alabama entered the presidential race Robert F. Kennedy said that the US cannot win the Vietnam War. In South Carolina Lee Roy Martin, called the editor of a local newspaper, and told him where to find the bodies of two women he'd dumped in the woods. He threatened to kill even more women until he was "shot down like the dog I am." Clues in the area led to Martin's arrest. Martin, dubbed the “Gaffney Strangler,” was convicted of four murders and sentenced to four life terms. In 1972, he was stabbed to death in his cell.]

"" 

""9 Feb. 1968 Friday

""11:15 Didn’t go to school. Stayed home to clean up the house now that Charline's gone. I sure felt lonely this morning. I'm exhausted mentally as well as physically by all this change. I was at the depth of misery with no hope for the future, but I asked God what I'm going to do and all of a sudden it came to me I'm going to be a teacher and then I can leave California move to Arkansas! I cleaned up the house all but the kitchen. I weighed myself and in less than 7 days I lost 9 pounds. No wonder I' m ~o' weary. Donna called and said she is in Kansas, and she will be home Sunday. Jean Horan came over and talked with Mom and Lad. Jerry Smith called to see what was wrong with me and why I haven't been to school. Had a Foster. Freeze hamburger and coke for dinner. rained all day. 50 degrees. In the news the worst traffic jam in history happened today~. 250,000 cars were involved. Dad and Mom are glad that Donna and Terry are coming home. Boy is it going to cost! Several hundred dollars!

"" 

""10 Feb 1968 Saturday

""11:00 Got up around 8:00 and Mom tried to get me to eat breakfast, but I didn't. Dad worked on the checking account to make sure we have enough money

""to cover what Terry and Donna have spent? Bonnie and Bill and Larry carne over and had lunch here. I played cards with Larry and talked to him about school. Let Bonnie borrow some books to read. Changed the license plated on the car because I put the car ~son wrong. Finished reading "smiling Rebel", It was really good.

""Had ham 'burgers for dinner. Went to the store with Nom and bought Valentine Cards for Grandma and Grandpa. Johnson and Williams. Donna and Terry are expected in tomorrow. I'm sleeping back in my old room so Terry and Donna can have the Full bed. Watched TV some and listened to radio. Mom told Barb about Donna being married. I sure miss Rick. Hope he's having a good time. Talked to Mom some today. Bought me a new razor. I feel still empty inside. Cold weather 65 degrees.

""[Peggy Fleming of the United States won the gold medal in women's figure skating at the Winter Olympic Games in Grenoble, France.]

"" 

""11 Feb 1968 Sunday

""11:00 Got up this morning and read the funnies and watched Television some. Moved my bedroom around in my old bedroom and put my clothes in there. Had turkey and gravy and stuffing for dinner. Dad left to go to Denver around 11:30, Mom and I played cards some. We were the only ones home. It felt so lonely. Lanie and Dennis came over looking for Terry but left before they came in. I took a shower and when I got done Donna and Terry arrived home. I helped them unload. They took the car they rented on Dad's credit card. back and got settled. Donna took me down to Zody’s and I bought a record "Darling" by the Beach Boys. I watched T'V until 10: 00 and wrote Kay. I feel so lonely for Charline, Gary, and Rick. Mom called Grandma Williams and told them about Donna's marriage. Also told Bonnie. Drank three cokes today and ate too much. 62 degrees. Cool and overcast. I smoked .3 cigarettes trying to blow smoke rings like Rick. Don, it know how to act around Donna and Terry. Mom is acting like nothing happened.

""•           Nevada Marriage records show that Terry J Pierce and Donna Williams were married 11 February 1968 at Minden in Douglas County. Minden is about 50 miles south of Reno.

""•           Zody’s was located at 9852 Chapman Ave. GG and opened 15 June 1960. Zody's, also known as Hartfield-Zodys, was a chain of discount retail stores that operated in the United States until1986. It was located southside of Chapman across from the Orange County Plaza. Today a Von’s Pavilion is located on the site.

""•          

""12 Feb 1968 Monday

""11:20 p.m. Lincoln's Birthday no school. Got up around 10:00 and ate breakfast. Emptied the trash and I cleaned up my room. Donna and Terry went to the doctors to see about birth control. Played cards with Mom and later Lanie and Louie came over to see 1'erry. Jean Horan was over earlier. Terry made some spaghetti souse for dinner. Overcast and rainy out about 60 degrees. Terry taught us how to play pinnacle. It's fun but hard at first. Watched Rowan and Martin's Laugh-ln and Carol Burnett on TV. Have to go to school tomorrow. I have lots of makeup work to do. Mom called Grandma Johnson today and told her Donna was married. She sure was surprised! Milton and Marie were supposed to come over but didn't. Dad is expected home tomorrow. Donna and Terry changed my room all around. Not feeling so lonely anymore. Hope Charline and Gary get married. Will be glad when Rick comes back from Arkansas.

""[Soul on Ice" by Eldridge Cleaver (full name: Leroy Eldridge Cleaver), a militant activist and Black Panther, was first published. Cleaver spent much of his early life in and out of prison on charges ranging from drug possession to assault. It was in prison that he began the essays that would become Soul on Ice. Shortly after being paroled in 1966, Eldridge Cleaver met Huey Newton and Bobby Seale, the founders of the Black Panther party. Cleaver quickly became the party's minister of information. Faced with further prison time after a shootout with police in April 1968, Cleaver jumped bail and fled the country, first to Cuba, then to Algeria. He returned voluntarily in 1975 having broken with the Panthers and disillusioned with communism. His change in thinking is reflected in his 1978 book Soul on Fire. He died on May 1, 1998, in Pomona, California.]

"" 

""13 Feb. 1968 Tuesday

""10:50 Went back to school. Told Carol about Donna Getting married. In

""PE played bombardment. I got hit in the 1ace and sure did hurt. Jaeger was glad to see me back. Had a test on the Scarlett Letter in English. Doing water colors in art. Miss Burns is goin6 to get married. Her new name will be Mrs. Williams! Terry and Donna cleaned up the house really good and fixed dinner. When Mom came home from work, they and she went to pick up Dad at the airport. He doesn’t feel well. I made a cake which didn't turn out so good. Lanie and Danny came over to see Terry. Mom and Lad went over to 1'0m and Jean IS when they got home. I looked up some information on Arkansas. 19 days and Rick will be home from Arkansas. J. W. Johnson called about Donna getting married. Mom is planning to put out announcements. We had meatloaf for dinner. Cold 62 degrees. With showers and thunder.

""[U.S. sends 10,500 additional soldiers to Vietnam]

"" 

""14 Feb 1968 Wednesday

""11:45. Went to school again. felt tired this morning but had to go to school.

""Played badminton in Pea We lost. Saw a talker on narcotics in history. He was ridiculous. Went to the library for lunch. Talked with Joey a little in art.

""Came home and shaved off my sideburns because I was tired of them. Helped Donna make another cake and cleaned up the kitchen. Donna got a job today. Got a letter from Kay and Grandma Johnson. Copied down the KHJ survey again. "Love Is Blue"

""is #1. Watched "peanuts" on TV. Weather is cold and overcast. Suppose to rain tomorrow. Studied some more on Arkansas. Had sirloin tips for dinner. 60 degrees is the weather. Mom bought groceries. Rick will be home in 18 days.

"" 

""15 Feb 1968 Thursday

""12:00. Didn't go to school. Fixed up my surveys. Then slept till 12:00 afternoon. Cleaned up the kitchen. Donna went to work at a fiberglass place, Terry found a job too. Jaeger called to see how I was. I sure like Jaeger he's

""a good friend. Was to rain today. Didn't though. It was beautiful outside. 65 degrees, Had fried chicken for dinner. I cleaned up the kitchen. Dad said he would co-sign for Terry and Donna for a car. I wrote Charline and Kay a letter. I wrote Kay last Monday too. Watched TV some. Heavy fighting in Viet Nam. Hue is controlled by the Viet Cong, and they say Saigon is about secured now. The US is sending 1.500 more troops to Viet Nam. There are 500,000 Us men there now. will it ever end? Rioting by Niggers in South Carolina. Told Nom how out of place I feel. I wrote Charline for Rick's address so I can send him a birthday card. He will be 20.

"" 

""16 Feb 1968 Friday

""Didn't go to school. Cleaned ~ the house really good and listening to some records. Jaeger called again. Boy it’s hardly worth talking on the phone with

""his party-line. Terry didn't find a job yesterday like I thought. Dad hopes to get him on at the plant where Grandpa Williams works. Slightly cloudy and 67 degrees. No sign of rain that they have been predicting all week. Had pizza for dinner and I ate too much. Watched TV to 9:30 and went to bed. There I mapped out a route from here to Greenwood, Arkansas. Charline and Gary are expected in next Friday or Thursday~. Because that's when his leave is up. Rick Adams has 17 more days. In the news the city of Hue is recaptured by the Americans. The pictures of it are terrible. All the bridges are out. The gas, water, and electricity are turned off. The people are forced to live like animals.

""[Beatles George Harrison and John Lennon and wives fly to India for transcendental meditation study with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Country's 1st 911 phone system went into service in Haleyville, Ala. Elvis Presley receives gold record for "How Great Thou Art"  ]

"" 

""17 Feb 1968 Saturday

""1:40 a.m. Got up this morning around 8:30 and brought in the trash barrels.

""Dad worked today. Bonnie and Bill came over for about an hour to see Donna's husband. I finished mapping; the distance from Greenwood, Ark. Ate a little of left-over Pizza for lunch. Played a game of cards again. Got a. letter from Grandma. Johnson also a phone call from her. Terry fixed spaghetti again for dinner. Rained a little this morning. 63 degrees. is the weather. After dinner Mom and Dad went to Marie's. Marie's mother is in the hospital. Terry and Donna went to the show. I watched 'Psycho" on It was really good. In the news President Johnson is sending more troops to Viet Nam. Charline and Gary are still up at Harrisburg and Rick is still in Arkansas. Sure, will be glad when they get back. 1 eel kind of lonely for them.

"" 

""18 Feb 1968 Sunday

""11:30 Mowed the backyard and cleaned up the front yard. Had pot roast for dinner. Weather was clear skies. 6) degrees. Went over to Grandma Williams so they could meet Terry. Grandpa Williams has a cold. We ate supper over there. After we left there, we went over to Norman Danforth's to see if he could get Terry a job in carpentry. From now on I'm going, to call Terry John because that’s what he wants to be called. Came home from there and played pinochle. It is snowing in Texas. Jim came over this morning. I gained back the weight I lost. Jerry Smith called me to go bowling with him, but I didn't. Charline will be home next Thursday. Rick will be home in 14 days. Have to buy him a birthday) card this week. Donna wants to call their First child David or Elizabeth. Norman sure looks old. Betty is fine. Minnie is coming down with a cold.

""[The US State Department announces the highest US casualty toll of the Vietnam War. The previous week saw 543 Americans killed in action, and 2547 wounded.]

"" 

""19 Feb 1968 Monday

""11:30. Didn't go to school. Hid in the closet from Terry so he wouldn’t know I stayed home. After he left the house played a game with the cards. Terry went to see about getting a job. He waxed the truck. Jean Horan came over this afternoon. Had ham for dinner. Marie and Milton came over to see Donna and her new husband. Watched the "Rowan and Martin Laugh-ln" and "Carol Burnett” show. ~m ordered meat for the deep freeze. Gre60ry has new Glasses. Weather was overcast 60 degrees. In the news teachers strike in Florida and Hue and Saigon are secured supposedly from the Communist. Expect Charline home this week. The radio doesn’t play. Tube must have gone out. Loaned a dollar to Dad and Mom owes me a dollar. Donna and Terry will move out in April, I hope. Marie's mother is out of the hospital. Ate yucky donuts all day. Got to go to school tomorrow. Got to get Rick Adams a card.

""[1st U.S. Teachers strike in Florida. The children's program Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, created by Fred Rogers (1928-2003), premiered on NET (later PBS). ]

"" 

""20 Feb 1968 Tuesday

""1: 00 a. m. Didn’t go to school. Slept to 2:30. Terry made a cake, but the icing didn’t I t turn out. Mom paid back the money she owed me. Donna was tired from where she works. Had turkey and gravy for dinner. Mom went shopping today. "\-leather was overcast 65 decrees. Watched a special today on the Amazon and the Viet Con~ •• In the news a heart transplant in India died. . was mistaken before there was none in Yugoslavia. Saigon is in danger again. Viet Cong wants to destroy the city by the end of February. Just flatten it all together. Hue's citadel still isn't completely secured. Military won’t say now when it will be. North Korea says they are 60ing to punish the crewmen on the "Pueblo" and if the US retaliates, they will ~go to war. I’m glad that Gary and Rick are in the Atlantic fleet. In the local news the schools around here have been cracking down on pot.

"" 

""21 Feb 1968 Wednesday

""1:15 a.m. Went to school. I have a lot of make-up work. Saw John Adams and Larry Jaeger at Lunch. Cleaned up the front room when I came home from school and Jerry 8mit ~o~ me down to Huntington Park Plaza where we walked around. I bought a birthday card for Rick. After that Jerry Smith took me to mail at the Stanton Plaza. there found a better card and I bought that one too. Came home and had ham for dinner. put $3 and a nickel in Rick's card and addressed it. Copied down KHJ survey. "Sitting on the Dock of The Bay" is 111. Weather is 65 degrees warm but overcast and dreary. Painting a water color for art. Saw "t e l'1ummy". I t was ok. using Donna's radio to listen to. Charline should be home tomorrow and Rick in 11 more days. News is about the same as yesterday.

""•           21 U.S. Marines are killed by NVA at Khe Sanh.

"" 

""22 Feb 1968 Thursday

""11:45 Dad got me up at 8:30 and I cleaned up my room and washed the sheets.

""Also cleaned up Charline's room. Dad didn't have to work today so he and Terry cleaned up the garage and worked an old crank shaft. 8xpected Charline and Gary in today

""but they haven't come yet. Terry mailed my cards to Rick and Kay. Finished painting

"" my water color. Looks pretty good. Terry fixed spaghetti again for dinner. Real pretty outside compared to the weather we have been having 70 de5rees. Cleaned up the kitchen and did the dishes. Made 3 flags of Texas, Arkansas, and the Confederacy. In the news the military wants to send 100,000 more troops to Viet Nam. A plane was hijacked to Florida yesterday and there is a teacher strike in Florida and New

""l'1&ico.

"" 

""23 Feb 1968 Friday

""11:25 Went to school. Played badminton with Steve Hall, Larry Jaeger, and Silva. Talked to Barbara Elrod and Monica Muniz is today. Mrs. Herning read us a story in literature, and I matted my water colors in art. Talked to Miss Burns after school about last year Seniors. and things. She is going to be married in August. Terry cleaned up the house really good and the wedding announcements came. Mom bought Chinese food for dinner. The weather was nice and warm. 81 degrees. Charline and Gary still haven't returned yet. Nine more days and Rick will be home. Watched "Tarzan" and "Off to See the Wizard ". Jaeger called and I talked to him for 1 1/2 hours. Then I watched "Feeding the Billions". 1 was invited to go to

""a party today but I didn’t want to go. l had a head ache all day.

""Letter from Kay Johnson 23 Feb 1968

""Dear Jr. rim sorry I took so long about writing. How are You guys? We're fine. Grandma didn't even go in to a state of shock like figured she would about Donna. eh Jr. I went to see "Gone with The Wind". It was just great. It wasn't exactly like the book, but it was still good. I cried all the way thru it. I'm glad you've decided what you want to be. I think you'll make a great teacher. I wish I could decide what I wanted to be. Where are you going to college? "Love

""Is Blue” used to be number 1 out here. It’s pretty good. I love "Sitting on The Dock of the Bay" too. Number one song is "I Just Dropped in To See What Condition My Condition Is In" by the 1st Edition. Did Charline get married? We're coin!" down to Texarkana this weekend to see John and Ginger. Well, I’ll close. Write when there's time. Love always Kay

"" 

""24 Feb 1968 Saturday

""10:00 Got up at 9:00 a.m. and the man with the meat for the deep freeze

""came. Copied down the cities of the US in order of population. Dad worked today

""but nobody else did. Charline and Gary still haven't come in yet. Had tacos for dinner. The meat Mom bought cost $600. Mom and Dad went over to Frank and Barb's. I walked to the store and met some girls. One I knew from Rancho. Bought a magazine. Terry and Donna went over to Milton and Marie’s to play cards. I cleaned up the

""front room and kitchen. I'm getting used to sleeping on the couch. Very warm hazy day. 85 degrees. Going to watch "fail Safe" later. In the news same going on in Viet Nam. Haven! t read any of my books lately. Today is Rick Adams' birthday. Hope he has a good Life.

""[U.S. troops reconquer Hue Vietnam. ]

"" 

""25 Feb. 1968 Sunday

""11:00 Got up around 1:00. Shifted from the couch to Mom's bed to sleeping~ on my bed. Mom and Dad, Terry and Donna went over to Norman's to get Alan's electric guitar. I cleaned up the kitchen and made a pumpkin pie. Jerry Smith came over to read the Playboy magazine I bought last night and to talk. He met Terry too. Had barbequed steak and potato salad for dinner. Very warm today. Very nice. 90 degrees but it got cool in the evening Still expected Charline and Gary in, so Mom called up North. Charline says they won't be home till the 3rd like Rick. I'm glad I didn’t! t know that when they left, or I'd really have been in a bad shape. I wrote Charline and sent her $5 to spend. Hatched TV with Donna and Terry. He played with Eliza a little. I cleaned up the kitchen and I'm 60ing to sleep in my OWN bed. In the news General Westmoreland wants 125,000 more troops in Viet Nam. U.S. and Russia are going to investigate UFOs sponsored by the Air force.

"" 

""26 Feb 1968 Monday

""11.00 Went to school. Had an Algebra test and played Volleyball in PE. Will start soccer tomorrow. Doing g wood blocking in art. Came home and Terry was practicing on the electric guitar. Got two post cards from Rick and I sent him 5 post cards and a letter today. I slept till Mom came home. Donna and l'1om ordered Donna! s reception cake. Had meat loaf or dinner. I didn’t like it. Mom and Dad went shopping at the place where she bought all that meat. Charline called and wanted Mom to send her ten dollars but Mom only se t $5 because I sent $5 up yesterday. Charline was mad at Gary because he was out boozing ' Watched "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In" and Carol Burnett. Donna and Terry borrowed Jerry's tape recorder. They also bought a Roger Miller record. Very hazy day but warm 80 degrees. Cold at night.

"" 

""27 Feb 1968 Tuesday

""11:15 Went to school. Didn’t do nothing there. The ground was damp from the rain last night. Weather is cold overcast 70 degrees. Came home from school and cleaned up the kitchen and made another pumpkin pie. Terry hasn't been feeling well lately. Terry cleaned up the rest of the house. Had barbequed steak for dinner. Then cleaned up the kitchen again. Did my art, English, and algebra homework. Jean Horan came over today to talk. Tom isn't feeling well. It’s the flu. Listened to the radio most of the day. In the news the Viet Cong rocketed Saigon's airport again. Not anything else. Learned a good thought today "Try to make a friend out of an enemy.” Just five more days and Rick, Charline, and Gary will come home. My how fast the time is going' Soon I guess everything will be over.

""•           Influential CBS TV news anchorman Walter Cronkite, who just returned from Saigon, tells Americans during his CBS Evening News broadcast that he is certain "the bloody experience of Vietnam is to end in a stalemate." Walter Cronkite reports on his recent trip to Vietnam to view the aftermath of the Tet Offensive in his television special Who, What, When, Where Why? The report is highly critical of US officials and directly contradicts official statements on the progress of the war. After listing Tet and several other current military operations as "draw[s]" and chastising American leaders for their optimism, Cronkite advises negotiation "...not as victors, but as an honorable people who lived up to their pledge to defend democracy and did the best they could." Johnson called the commentary a "turning point," saying that if he had "lost Cronkite," he‘d "lost Mr. Average Citizen."

""•           Frankie Lymon (b.1942), American singer died. He was an African American rock and roll/rhythm and blues singer, best known as the boy soprano lead singer of a New York City-based early rock and roll group called the Teenagers. Their first single, "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" (1956), was also their biggest hit

"" 

""28 Feb 1968 Wednesday

""Didn't go to school. Have the flu and a fever. Slept till 1:00 then got up

""and laid on the couch and watched TV till Mom came home. Had chills and ran a

""high fever. Mom made me eat supper. We had spaghetti. Went back to my room and copied down KHJ survey. "Dock on the Bay" #1. Then watched TV and Jonathan Winters. Then went to bed. The weather is warm hazy day. 79 decrees. In the news Governor Romney decided to give up the Presidential race because he was losing in New Hampshire. Four more days and Rick, Charline, and Gary will be home. Donna worked longer today then usually. Terry typed out more announcement cards and made spaghetti, Mom is a little tired and Dad is well. My favorite songs are "Soul Coaxing" and "There is". More fighting in Viet Nam and North Korea blames us for making the USS Pueblo incident worst then it was.

""•           Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Wheeler, at the behest of Gen. Westmoreland, asks President Johnson for an additional 206,000 soldiers and mobilization of reserve units in the U.S.

"" 

""29  Feb 1968 Thursday

""12:00 Didn't go to school again. Had still a touch of the flu. Got up around 1 and washed the sheets on my bed. Got a letter from Grandma Johnson and postcards from Charline. Mom is coming down with the flu. Dad is fine. Wrote Kay a letter. Didn’t eat no supper. Mom and Dad had hamburger patties. Terry and Donna went to the show and saw "Fight at Waterhole Number Three". Charline, Gary, and Rick will be home in three more days. Sure, will be glad to see them. Weather was warm 86 degrees. In the news more men in the last month have been killed in Viet Nam then in the five years previous. McNamara gave up his office today  and people are starting to return to Hue. Nixon is ahead in GOP race now. Still a strike in Florida by teachers. The play "The Beard" caused a strict law on college campuses. They said it was obscene. "Up and Away" by the 5th Dimension won the Grammy Award for best song of 1967.

""•           Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" wins Grammy for album of the year.

""•           U.S. end regular flights with nuclear bombs.

""•           U.S. performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site President

""•           Johnson's National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders (also known as the Kerner Commission) warned that racism was causing America to move "toward two societies, one black, one white -- separate and unequal."

""•           Robert McNamara resigned as US Secretary of Defense as a result of the Tet disaster. He was succeeded by Clark Clifford for 9 months who worked to reverse US policy in Vietnam.

""•           The discovery of the first "pulsar," a star which emits regular radio waves, was announced by Dr. Jocelyn Bell Burnell at Cambridge, England.

"" 

"" 

"March

I saw this article dated June 2, 2000 A ceremony to rededicate a memorial plaque for Kenneth Allen Buys, a Rancho Alamitos High School graduate who died while serving in the Vietnam War, will take place tomorrow at 10 a.m. at the school, 11351 Dale St. Buys graduated in 1965 and was killed in action in March 1968 as a U.S. Army infantryman. The plaque had been misplaced at the school for a number of years. Information

""1 March 1968 Friday

""11:45 Didn't go to school. Slight hangover from the flu. Mom went to work but came back home. Her gall bladder is acting up again. I was bored today. Nothing to do. Watched TV mostly. Read more from the book "The Source". Terry cleaned up the house. Donna put a rinse on her hair to turn it lighter. Mom made some soup for dinner. I didn't eat any. Mom bought some magazines to read. Mostly comic books. Two more days until Rick Adams and Gary and Charline come home. I have two fever blisters on my lips. I hope they go away before they come. Sure, glad March is here. How fast the time is going! Cooler weather today 75 degrees. In the news Khe Sanh in Viet Man is still holding out against the Viet Congo Nelson Rockefeller hinted that he will run for President. Teachers strike in San Francisco.

""•           Clark Clifford, renowned Washington lawyer and an old friend of the President, becomes the new U.S. Secretary of Defense. For the next few days, Clifford conducts an intensive study of the entire situation in Vietnam, discovers there is no concept or overall plan anywhere in Washington for achieving victory in Vietnam, then reports to President Johnson that the United States should not escalate the war. "The time has come to decide where we go from here," he tells Johnson.

""•           The first 15-minute version of the musical "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" by Andrew Lloyd Weber was performed at Central Hall, Westminster, London.

""•           Singers Johnny Cash (36) and June Carter (38) wed.

"" 

"" 

""2 March 1968 Saturday

""9:30 p.m. cleaned up the backyard this morning and painted the back door and back gate. Dad transplanted this Bird of Paradise plant to the front yard. I worked in the yard most of the day. Mom went shopping for groceries and went to the doctors. She has very high blood pressure. I'm very worried. Had barbequed steaks and hamburgers for dinner. My cat Eliza is limping for some reason. My have been shot by a b. b. gun. She's a good gopher cat. Terry and Donna went to the show. I cleaned up the kitchen and my bedroom. My fever blisters are worse today. Also, I have a pain in the lower part of my back. Flu must have settled there. 1 more day and Charline, Rick, and Gary are home! I read more from the "Source". Watched TV a little. weather was nice breezy warm day. 80 degrees. It feels like Springs here at last. The plum tree is blossoming. Sure, is pretty. Everything is so green. Glad to get this winter over with. Hope I feel better tomorrow, and the weather is pretty for Charline, Rick, and Gary.

""•           48 U.S. Army soldiers are killed during an ambush at Tan Son Nhut airport in Saigon.

""•           In Vietnam, the siege of Khe Sanh ended and the US Marines stationed there were still in control of the mountain top. Gen. John J. Tolson presented a briefing and laid out the concept of what became known as Operation Pegasus. The siege of Khe Sanh was the longest and bloodiest battle of the Vietnam War. During the siege, Manny Babbitt was wounded. Babbitt in 1980 killed a 78-year-old woman in Sacramento, Ca., and was convicted and sentenced to death. He was awarded his Purple Heart while on death row in 1998.

""•           The Poor Peoples' March on Washington, envisioned by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as a means of dramatizing the plight of the poor of all races, got under way.

""•           The USSR launched space probe Zond 4. It failed to leave Earth orbit.

"" 

""3 March 1968 Sunday

""10:00 p.m. Did a little yard work this morning. Did the dishes and cleaned up the kitchen. Laid out in the sun listening to the radio for the rest of the afternoon. Read "Whispering Babies" Wasn't very good. Kept expecting Charline, Rick, and Gary in. Charline called around 9: 30 p. m. and said they won't be in till tomorrow. So will Rick, I guess. Donna and Terry went to Disneyland and borrowed Frank and Barb Welte's camera to take pictures. Dad, Terry, and I went to the dumps. Mom’s feeling better. Will have to go to the doctor's tomorrow. Phil Casas had his baby. It was an 8 1/2 lb. boy called Phil Jr. Still have my fever blister. Clearing up some. Had barbequed hamburgers for dinner. Beautiful warm spring-like day. 83 degrees. Have to go to school tomorrow or else! Hate to face everybody. I've missed so much already. 18 days!

""[The Tet offensive at Hue, South Vietnam, ended with the crushing of the last Viet Cong resistance. North Vietnamese troops had captured the imperial palace in Hue, South Vietnam. US troops reconquered Hue, Vietnam.]

"" 

""4 March 1968 Monday

""Went to school. Told Carol the attendance lady about Phil Casas' baby. Played soccer in PE. Did a makeup test in English and I'm starting my wood block prints today. Went home at lunch. Books from Shell came. It was a very warm day almost hot. 87 degrees. Very clear blue skies. No clouds at all. Terry and Dad worked on the truck. Something is wrong with it. Had meatloaf for dinner. I cleaned up the kitchen and watched Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In and Carol Burnett. Mom is feeling better, I guess. She went to the doctors. Donnas’ hair is almost blond now! Charline and Gary came in around 11:00 p.m. I helped unload the truck for them. Gary went to sleep on the couch as soon as he lay down. Charline was her usual cynical self. I guess Rick is already on ship. I worked on my paper for the "Scarlet Letter". Got ink on my white pants. Charline's homecoming sure was a letdown.

""[Martin Luther King Jr. announced plans for Poor People's Campaign. In late March and early April 1968, Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. devoted his organizing talents to a drive to bring the nation's poor people to Washington, D.C. for a series of massive nonviolent demonstrations. King's "Poor People's Campaign" would attempt to unify African Americans, Latinos, and lower-income whites in pressing the Johnson Administration and Congress in an election year to enact a $30 billion-a-year domestic "Marshall Plan" to alleviate poverty. NASA launched its Orbiting Geophysical Observatory 5.]

"" 

""5 March 1968 Tuesday

""10:10. Went to school. Had a substitute in Algebra. Doing Physical fitness in PE In art still doing my wood blocking. Cut my finger deep too. Went home for lunch. Somebody spayed painted all over the school Allred E. Newman face outlines from Mad magazine. Came home and cleaned up the kitchen. Went to the store and bought some strawberries for shortcake for desert. Had pot roast for dinner. Charline and Nancy were over today. Still haven't seen Rick Adams yet. I was looking forward to seeing him again and I’m very disappointed and saddened by it. Gave Charline all the money I’ve saved because I don't need it anymore since Rick ain't here to go anywhere with. Did the dishes with Mom's help. Watched a TV special on Clark Gable. I feel tired now. Weary. Burnt up some of my writings. They were stupid. I don’t need it anymore. Cooler day today then yesterday but still clear. 80 degrees. In news North Viet Nam is driving its 3rd offensive to South Viet Nam. May God show us the way out of this mess.

"" 

""6 March 1968 Wednesday

""11:15. Went to school. Played soccer in PE Went home for lunch. Goofed off in Mrs. Herning’s' class. Had a substitute in that class. Kathy Shaw was mad at the world. Talked to Joey in art. Still carving my wood block. Came home and cleaned up the front room. Bought a phone book at school. Donna didn't go to work. She has the flu. I drove Mom to the store. She is the same. Has to go to the hospital for a checkup Sunday. Had steak for dinner. I didn't eat. Terry bought a paint by number set. I copied down KHJ survey "Valley of the Dolls" #1. Watched special on TV "Rise and Fall of the Third Reich". Cleaned up the kitchen afterwards. Dad and Charline had a fight over her behavior and staying out all night with Gary. I haven't seen Rick Adams since he's been back and only Gary Clark briefly. I don't care anymore. All of them are acting horrid I believe. Much cooler today with rain. Cloudy 79 degrees.

"" 

""7 March 1968 Thursday

""10:00. Went to school. Did 52 set ups and 4 pull ups and joked with Jaeger in PE Have an oral quiz in history. Went in to the main office and got a lunch pass to go home. Went home for lunch. Talked to Larry Jaeger in the library afterwards. Mrs. Herning had the measles the other day. Finished my woodblock in art. talked to Joey about things in general. Came home and straightened up the house. Mom and Terry worked in the back yard most of the day till it began to rain. Had spaghetti for dinner. Charline just brought home Gary for dinner from the navy base. Talked to Jaeger, Randy Collar, and Barry Wendell on the phone. Made arrangements with John Adams and Randy Kollar to go to a school project tomorrow. Barry Wendell says he got his license now. I'm the only Junior I know who doesn't have his license. feeling lonely and left out again. Very cool day. 67 degrees with continually rain from 4:00 p.m. on to tonight.

""[The First Battle of Saigon, begun on Jan 30 as part of the Tet Offensive, ended.]

"" 

""8 March 1968 Friday

""Went to school. Didn't suit up in PE Talked to Randy Kollar and folded towels. Still having an oral quiz in history. Talked with John Adams in library. Reviewing in Mrs. Herning’s class and in art still wood blocking although I'm finished. Talked to Joey Calimitas most of the period. Came home and cleaned up the front room. Got ready to go to the KAMPUS KAPERS. Mom took John Adams, Randy Kollar, and me to Garden Grove High School. The show was good and came home around 9: 30 and watched "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich” At 11: 00 watched "Dracula" then went to bed. Wet damp day. Didn't rain any though. 61 degrees and cloudy. Charline and Gary went over to Nancy's today. Terry and Donna are fine. In the news 21 miners were trapped in a mine. They are believed dead. Also, a bus was hit by a car and 20 people died. Had steak for dinner. I didn’t eat it though. Sunday is Donna's reception.

"" 

""9 March 1968 Saturday

""1: 30. Cleaned up the back yard and mowed it. Borrowed the Casa's tables and chairs for the reception tomorrow. Mom, Charline, and Donna cleaned up the house. Dad and Terry were messing up the garage. I mowed the front yard and straightened it up a little. Watched TV for the rest of the day. Had sloppy Joes for lunch. Gary and Charline took off to someplace this afternoon and haven't returned yet. Donna and Terry went over to Milton and Marie's for dinner. Dad acted tired and so was Mom. on TV watched the conclusion of "the Rise and l-all of the 'third Reich". Watched also "Cape Fear". pretty good. Electricity went off for about 1/2 hour around 4 o'clock. Weather was very cool. Kind of chilly with the wind blowing 60 degrees. Slightly cloudy. Got a failure notice in history. But I'll make it up. Mr. Hillman is Vice-principal of Rancho now. Mr. Griffith used

""to be. I didn't do anything today.

""[General William Westmoreland asked for 206,000 more troops in Vietnam.]

"" 

""10 March 1968 Sunday

""Cleaned up the front and back yard and mowed them both. Cleaned up the kitchen and did the dishes. Borrowed the Casas' tables and chairs. Dad and Terry went and got the cake for the reception. Milton and Marie, Bonnie and Bill, Mr. and Mrs. Fagen, Norman and Betty Danforth, Grandma and Grandpa Williams, Minnie, Larry Fagen, Alan Danforth, Barbara Danforth, Beverley Danforth, Wallace and Mattie Lee, Frances and Eddy, Marilyn Williams, Gary Williams, and Terry Williams were all there of the family. Then there was Donna's friend Lynn Sutter, Tom and Jean Horan, their daughter Patty and Jim Morris her husband came too. Played cards with Barbara, Beverley, Alan, and Lynn Sutter. Marilyn acted like a bitch. Everybody started to leave around 5:00. Charline and Gary never showed up. At 6:00 Mom went to the hospital. Beautiful clear blue skies and very Windy 75 degrees. Had a buffet for the reception. Donna got a lot of good gifts. Mom went in the hospital.

""•           Robert Kennedy visited Delano, Ca., in his bid for the presidency. He joined Cesar Chavez in a chapel where Chavez broke his fast on behalf of organizing farm workers.

""•           The New York Times breaks the news of Westmoreland's 206,000 troop request. The Times story is denied by the White House. Secretary of State Dean Rusk is then called before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and grilled for two days on live TV about the troop request and the overall effectiveness of Johnson's war strategy.

""•           The ultra-secret facility Lima Site 85 in Phou Phathi, Laos, was manned by USAF personnel and 11 were KIA or MIA as it was overran. The event has been characterized as the largest single day ground loss for the USAF. ]

"" 

""11 March 1968 Monday

""Didn't go to school. Stayed home to clean up the mess left by the reception. Watched "Margie" one of my favorite movies about a girl growing up in the 1920's. Then cleaned up the kitchen and front room. Terry went to work today. 1st day. Donna was tired. She cooked steak for dinner. Then Terry, Donna and I went to Penny's then to the hospital to see Mom. Only stayed a minute because Dad was there, and the nurse said only 2 can visit at a time. Mom was in poor spirits. The doctor doesn’t know yet what is wrong with her. I'm worried about her. Came home and watched "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In and a special on the Senate questioning of Secretary of State Dean Rusk on the Viet Nam War. Fell asleep on the couch till Charline came home with Gary and woke me up. Gary slept on the couch, and I went to bed. Cool day 75 degrees.

""•           Operation Quyet Thang begins a 28-day offensive by 33 U.S. and South Vietnamese battalions in the Saigon region.

""•           The Russian K-129, a Golf-II class, diesel-electric submarine armed with nuclear missiles and 98 seamen aboard, sank in 16,000 feet of water northwest of the Hawaiian island of Oahu. Russian officials suspected that the K-129 was struck by an American submarine, the USS Swordfish. The US Navy said the vessel suffered a catastrophic internal explosion. A US sub, the Halibut, found the Soviet vessel 6 months later and recovered 3 missiles with nuclear warheads, Soviet code books and an encryption machine. In 1974 the CIA attempted to recover the sub. A 100-foot section was pulled in by the Glomar Explorer with 2 nuclear tipped torpedoes and the bodies of 6 Russian sailors. Claude  Barnes Capehart worked on the Howard Hughes’ deep-sea research vessel, Glomar Explorer, that under CIA sponsorship raised a Soviet submarine from the floor of the Pacific Ocean. Later in Chowchilla, Ca., he told his girlfriend that he was in Texas when Kennedy was assassinated, and that "Oswald wasn’t the only one involved." Just before a scheduled interview in 1989, Capehart dropped dead of a heart attack.

"" 

""12 March 1968 Tuesday

""9:30 p.m. Went to school. Have an Algebra test Thursday. Ran the 660 yard in PE 2:03 minutes was my time. Played hand ball with Jaeger. Jerry lost or did something with my history book. Went home for lunch and got my Literature book. Gave Mrs. Herning some joke books to read. Took a test on American authors in that class and turned in my composition on "The Scarlett Letter". Goofed around in Art. Came home and cleaned up the kitchen and front room and my bedroom. Had steak again for dinner. After that went to visit Mom. Stayed about 15 minutes. Gave her a book to read. She will have surgery tomorrow on her gall bladder. Came home and wrote Grandma Johnson. Very cool and overcast. 65 degrees. In the news President Johnson won over McCarthy just barely in the New Hampshire primaries. Nixon got a clear victory over Nelson Rockefeller. McCarthy is my choice in the New Hampshire primary. He's a peace candidate. McCarthy for President!

""•           By a very slim margin of less than 250 votes, President Johnson defeats anti-war Democrat Eugene McCarthy in the New Hampshire Democratic primary election. This indicates that political support for Johnson is seriously eroding. Public opinion polls taken after the Tet Offensive revealed Johnson's overall approval rating has slipped to 36 percent, while approval of his Vietnam war policy slipped to 26 percent.

""•           The Eugene McCarthy campaign, benefitting from the work of 2,000 full-time student volunteers and up to 5,000 on the weekends immediately preceding the vote comes within 230 votes of defeating the sitting president, Lyndon Johnson. These students, participants in what McCarthy refers to as his "children's crusade" have cut their hair, modified their wardrobes, and become "clean for Gene" to contact the conservative voters in the state.

""•           Republican Richard Nixon won the New Hampshire primary over Nelson Rockefeller 77.6 to 10.8%.

""•           A Miami-bound flight was commandeered to Cuba.

"" 

""13 March 1968 Wednesday

""11:00 Went to school. Had an assembly that shortened all the classes to 35 minutes, except for 1 and 2nd. The assembly was presented by Chrysler, and it was music by "Thurlow Spur and the Spurlows". Finished oral quiz in history. Went home for lunch. Started to rain at noon. Talked about the Civil War in English. Started final project in art. Came home and vacuumed front room. Went over to Jean Horan's a couple of times to visit. Watched a good movie. “Tap Roots" Had spaghetti for dinner. Donna and Terry went down to see Mom. I did my English reading and studied for Algebra test. Copied part of my term paper over. 'The weather was cool and overcast. 61 degrees. It rained from noon till 4:00. Gary Clark hasn't been over because his ship USS Topeka is out at sea. Mom had minor surgery today. Dad's not feeling feel. I watched Jonathan Winters on TV. "The Mighty Quinn" is #1 on KHJ. Can't stand it.

""[Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO) and Humble Oil and Refining Company (now Exxon Company, U.S.A.) announced the discovery of oil on Alaska’s North Slope (Prudhoe Bay). The oil companies soon began efforts to construct a pipeline, but work was suspended due to environmental concerns. ]

"" 

""14 March 1968 Thursday

""11:00 p.m. Went to school. Had an algebra test in 2nd period. Ran 50 yards in PE Mrs. Burns was absent and saw a movie in that class. Mom called from the hospital. I cleaned up the front room and kitchen. Brought out the barrels for the trash men tomorrow and helped fix dinner. Had steak for dinner. Charline brought Rick Adams and Gary Clark home for dinner. Donna and Terry and I went and visited Mom at the hospital. Charline, Rick, and Gary went later. When we left around 8:00 we went over to Frank and Barb's to pick up Donna's gifts. How those Welte kids are growing. It makes me feel old. I'm sure bitter today against everything and everybody. Weather was clear skies 65 degrees. In the news a gold rush in the world is causing a financial panic. England is having a hard time. I hope we don't go into a depression. Our damn government thinks it can spend, spend, and spend on this stupid war. Don't they think the money is ever going to end? That damn war is going to ruin as yet.

""•           Senator Robert F. Kennedy offers President Johnson a confidential political proposition. Kennedy will agree to stay out of the presidential race if Johnson will renounce his earlier Vietnam strategy and appoint a committee, including Kennedy, to chart a new course in Vietnam. Johnson spurns the offer.

"" 

""15 March 1968 Friday

""11:45 p.m. Rick Adams and Gary Clark left this morning to be stationed on the East Coast. Charline cried all the time. I went to school. Played volleyball in PE and had a history test. Went home for lunch because there was another assembly. Came back and goofed off in English with Kathy Shaw. Also talked to Joey Calamitas and Gene Johnson in art. Stayed after for about 15 mutes talking to miss Burns. Came home and vacuumed the front room and cleaned up the kitchen. Didn't have nothing to eat. Just stew for dinner. Mom is still in the hospital not feeling too good. Dad went shopping a little I watched "McClintock" with John Wayne. Terry finished his number painting. Weather was cool and clear 69 degrees. In the news the gold panic is still raging. France is the only country where the stock market has kept opened. Gold jumped from $35 an ounce to $44 an ounce! Robert Kennedy announced his candidacy. Oh no!

""•           Robert F. Kennedy announces his candidacy for the presidency. Polls indicate Kennedy is now more popular than the President. During his campaign, Kennedy addresses the issue of his participation in forming President John F. Kennedy's Vietnam policy by stating, "past error is no excuse for its own perpetuation."

""•           The U.S. mint halted the practice of buying and selling gold.

"" 

""16 March 1968 Saturday

""12:00. I got up around 10:00. Cleaned up the front room, kitchen, my bedroom, and mom's. Had burritos for lunch. Dad worked today. I sewed up a shirt I got for Christmas. I didn't do much today. Cindy Stevens came over to see Donna. I talked mostly with Charline today. I called Kathy Shaw too. Dad and I went and visited Mom. She should be getting out of the hospital soon. She got some candy from work which she gave us. Terry and Donna went over to Frank and Barb Welte. I watched 'Ladies who Do" and it was funny. The weather was cool clear skies Until around 7:00 p.m. then it began to rain 67 degrees. In the news 7 countries got together             to solve the gold rush. Kennedy has affirmed his running for the presidency. I wouldn't have him for President for anything. The grunion are running at Huntington Beach. I would like to catch some. Mom also got a yellow nightgown from where she works.

""•           LBJ decided to send 35-50,000 more troops to Vietnam.

""•           Nearly 400 Vietnamese civilians from infants to the elderly are slaughtered in My Lai hamlet by members of Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 20th Infantry U.S. Army, while participating in an airborne assault against suspected Viet Cong encampments in Quang Ngai Province. Upon entering My Lai and finding no Viet Cong, the Americans begin killing every civilian in sight for three hours. The massacre is interrupted when three American fliers intervene after realizing what is happening. Helicopter pilot Hugh Thompson positioned their helicopter between the troops and the fleeing Vietnamese and eventually carrying a handful of wounded to safety. Hugh Thompson (d. 2006) landed between some remaining villagers and his fellow soldiers and ordered his gunner to fire on American troops if necessary. With 2 other gunships he airlifted to safety a dozen villagers. He and his gunner were awarded the Soldier's Medal in 1998.

""•           Lt. William L Calley age 24 led 105 men of Company C into My Lai where at least 347 of 700 Vietnamese civilians were killed. Other killings by B company occurred nearby. Col. Oran K. Henderson (d.1998 at 77) was on his first day as commanding officer of the new 11th Infantry Brigade and watched from a command helicopter.

"" 

""17 March 1968 Sunday

""St. Patrick Day. 12:00 Got up at 10:00 a.m. Emptied trash and straightened up the kitchen. Went down to Zody's and bought a record. "Soul Coaxing" and a coke. Had burritos for lunch. Didn't do nothing till watched "Walt Disney" and "The Mothers-In-Law" and a movie "What Ever happened to Baby Jane?" That was good. Listen to the radio most of the day. Donna and Terry went over to Marie's until 11:00 and brought home some Chinese Food. I ate some of it. Jerry Smith came over and got his history book. I have been smoking a lot of cigarettes lately. Mom should be out of the hospital tomorrow. The weather is cool windy 62 degrees with fairly clear skies. Nothing of any importance in the news. Just Kennedy this and Kennedy that. I got a phone call from Grandma Johnson asking about Mom. My sideburns are growing back pretty good. Dad and Terry worked on Charline's car most of the morning.

""[A peaceful anti-Vietnam War protest in London was followed by a riot outside the US Embassy; more than 80 people were reported injured. Some 20,000 people at the Vietnam Solidarity Campaign in London were mowed down by police on horses as they marched.]

"" 

""18 March 1968 Monday

""11:00. Got up at 7:00. Vacuumed the front room then went to school. Got my Algebra test back got a 76 on it. In PE, the guys kicked around each other’s shoes for a while. Played soccer and got very winded. Have maps to do in history. Went home for lunch and when I returned got a school newspaper to read. Goofed around in Mrs. Herning’s class and got mad at Kathy Shaw. In art I got into a fight with Gene Johnson. Ruined my whole clay. Went to the library after school and took a book home. Got home at 3:00. Nobody was home until Terry got home from work. Charline was very bitchy. The rest had tuna and noodles for dinner. I had Chinese food. Went down and saw Mom at the hospital. Came home with Donna and Terry. Watched Bill Cosby" and "Carol Burnett". Talked to Larry Jaeger on the phone for 1 1/2 hours. Weather 75 degrees. I smoked heavily. Very rotten day. Miserable day. Worst day of the year. Nobody had a good day. God how terrible it was today.

""[Pres. Johnson signed Public Law 90-269 removing gold backing from US paper money.]

"" 

""19 March 1968 Tuesday

""11:00 went to school and in Algebra Mr. Hugget had a fit about some missing papers. I think he's paranoid. Mr. Sickich was cool though. Played soccer in PE and got kicked in the leg. It’s still sore. Jaeger and Kollar both got hurt legs too. Listened to a stupid debate and worked on my map in history. At lunch I went home then came back and got my notebook back from Jaeger. In English Mrs. Herning talked about the Civil War and Brett Harte and Mark Twain. I finished up my woodblock in art. When I came home, I cleaned up the front room and kitchen. Charline was in a bitchy mood and got into a fight with Donna and I. Dad got mad at Charline and Donna and was yelling at them. Mom is still in the hospital and won’t be home till Thursday. I read most of the day "Proud Tower" also I watched TV a little. Weather was clear skies. 75 degrees. We had steak for dinner. Swallows returned to Capistrano today and Rhodesia has been having guerilla raids.

"" 

""Letter from Kay Johnson 19 March 1968

""Dear Jr. I'm sorry I took so long in writing. Everything is so rushed now; It’s not long till school’s out just about 2 more months. I can I t wait. This summer sounds like you'll have lots of fun. I hope you get to come back early this summer. I know it’s awfully boring out here especially in the country, but I really enjoyed last summer when you were out here. Well, I hope your family is ok. I heard your mother was in the hospital. I hope she’s ok now. How are Donna and Terry? And how are you'? Everybody out here likes "Honey" by Bobby Goldsboro. I guess it’s ok but it’s not my favorite. Number one is “Mighty Quinn" I like "Will You Love Me Tomorrow? “Thanks for writing down all those songs for me. I would do it for you, but they don’t put out surveys. They just announced them over the air. How is school going? Ours is just awful but at least it won't be much longer. Congratulate me. I made the A honor roll this six weeks. I couldn’t’ believe it! Maybe I'll pass after all ha! How many subjects are you gonna be taking next year? I'm not sure. about mine yet. Did you see "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane" on TV last night? It was good. Betty Davis is pure ugly, but she sure can act good. I went to see "Bonnie and Clyde". It’s pretty good but at the last he had about 300 bullets in him. It was terrible. Well, I'll close now. Write back soon. Love Kay PS Next time I won’t take so long writing.

""[Howard University students in Washington DC staged rallies, protests and a 5-day sit-in, laying siege to the administration building, shutting down the university in protest over its ROTC program, and demanding a more Afrocentric curriculum.]

"" 

"" 

""20 March 1968 Wednesday- Spring Begins

""Mom and dad's 22nd Anniversary. 11:00 Oh What Wonder Doth Spring Bring? Joy, Warmth, and many good things. Oh, how I love Spring. I'm glad is here. Glorious Spring. It was a warm Spring Day today. 80 degrees. Clear skies. I didn’t go to school today. Dad woke me up too early and I fell back to sleep. When I did get up, I cleaned the kitchen and talked to Donna about Charline. We are suspicious of her. Donna thinks Charline might be pregnant. Charline was in a good mood today. A change I might add. We had meatballs and gravy for dinner. Afterwards I copied down the KHJ surveys. "Young Girl" by Gary Puckett and the Union Gap is #1 song now. Dad and I went down to the hospital to visit Mom. I got to drive home. At night even! Mom sure wants to come home. We expected her home tomorrow. Dad sure misses Mom. Too bad Mom's in the hospital on their anniversary. When we came home watched BOB HOPE Special and then cleaned up the kitchen. This afternoon I bought a hat. In the news the gold problem is still affecting us. Charlie Chaplin Jr. died. Rockefeller will announce his candidacy tomorrow or Friday. Viet Nam is still in the news.

"" 

""21 March1968 Thursday

""10:00. Went back to school. Fine warm Spring Day. 85 degrees. Beautiful. Played soccer in PE Saw a movie on the Twenties in history. Went home for lunch and got a letter from Kay. Went back to school and talked to Kathy Shaw most of English. In art doing my relief painting now. Joey was high on whites today. Wish she wouldn't take drugs. Came home and Mom was home from the hospital. I cleaned up my bedroom and hers. Had barbecued chicken and potato salad for dinner. Donna stayed home from work to be with Mom. I wrote Kay an eleven-page Letter. Didn't watch TV any. Listen to Radio mostly. Jean Horan came over to day to see Mom. In the news Rockefeller announced that he ain't going to run at all. It’s wide open for Nixon on the Republican ticket. Everybody in God's creation is running on the Democratic ticket. Donna is tired and been to the doctors. Terry is ok. Charline is nicer. Dad is bitchy to me but good to mom. Jerry Smith hasn't been to school for two days. He came over today to visit.

"" 

""Letter from Grandma Johnson 21 March 1968

""Dear Grandson Jr. How are you? Do take care of Mommie out there. Seem like you're missing a lot of school. Do stay in there and don't fail. Well name the weather and we will have it or will Rain and snow but melt fast as it fell here but here, they have a 10-inch snow on the plains. Anyway, they won’t half to irrigate if they ever get in the field. We sit here and watch TV and listen to the old candidates till I could scream. Oh, what it will be before it’s over. Don't suppose June will go back to work. Know she shouldn't for she has stayed with it too long all ready. Yes, bring your duds and spend the summer with us. We have caught quite a lot of fish. Just a pretty day now and then we can fish. Never have put the boat in the water. I don’t expect nicer weather till after Easter. How are Mr. and Mrs. Williams and Minnie? Guess they were down for Donna's reception. I know her cake was pretty. How I wish I could have been there. If they took pictures send me one. I don't know one thing to write you but always glad to get your long newsy letters. Write soon. Love you Grandparents

"" 

""[Israeli forces attacked a Palestinian base belonging to Fatah in the  village  of Al-Karameh in Jordan. Israeli forces engage in a battle with Palestinian fighters for the first time. ]

"" 

""22 March 1968 Friday

""Went to school. Played soccer in PE goofed around. In history finished seeing movie on Roaring 'Twenties. At lunch went to Library. Checked out two books and went home. Was on Pep assembly schedule. Goofed around in English and worked on my relief painting in art. Came home and did some house work. Mom stayed in bed most of the day. Dad gave me two dollars and I went to the store and bought some junk. Didn't watch much TV. The weather was pretty most of the day save around noon when it got cloudy. 81 degrees. Didn’t really have a dinner. Mom and Dad ate hamburgers in BBQ sauce. In the news Gen. Westmoreland is recalled from Viet Nam to Washington. Gen. Wheeler takes his place. Houston plays UCLA. Probably will lose. Froggy week starts next week.

""[Gen'l. William Westmoreland (1914-2005) was relieved of his duties in the wake of the Tet disaster. Troop strength under Westmoreland had reached over 500,000 and he wanted more. He was succeeded by Gen'l. Creighton Abrams. Abrams reversed Westmoreland's strategy. He ended major "search and destroy" missions and focused on protecting population centers. William Colby took charge of the pacification campaign. President Lyndon B. Johnson named Gen. William C. Westmoreland to be the Army's new Chief of Staff. ]

"" 

""23 March 1968 Saturday

""10:00. Got up this morning and started working on the truck. Dad took the whole engine out and put a new one in. What a mess. Grease, grease, grease. I looked like a pig. I was filthy. Grandma and Grandpa Williams and Minnie came over this afternoon. We were still working on the car. Mom did some housework but wasn't supposed to. Terry and Donna worked today but when they got home, they went to the show. Dad is mad at Terry because he didn't offer to help Dad. I'm very tired. Had tacos for lunch. Mom is moody again. Charline is straightening up the house some. I didn't watch TV much. Didn't have time. Weather was cooler. 75 degrees. Not as smoggy as yesterday. Got some books in the mail I ordered.

""•           During a secret meeting in the Philippines, Gen Wheeler informs Gen. Westmoreland that President Johnson will approve only 13,500 additional soldiers out of the original 206,000 requested. Gen. Wheeler also instructs Westmoreland to urge the South Vietnamese to expand their own war effort.

""•           Reverend Walter Fauntroy became the 1st non-voting congressional delegate from Washington DC, since Reconstruction.]

"" 

""24 March 1968 Sunday

""Got up and had waffles for breakfast then worked on the truck until noon. Drove down to the auto part store and later after lunch Dad and I had a big fight. He called me stupid, and all sorts of insults and I got mad and told him off and refused to work on that truck again. I got everybody upset but I was upset myself. He thinks everybody is a mind reader or something and should know what the hell he wants without making himself clear then calls me stupid. I stayed in my room mostly afterwards and he stayed mad the rest of the day. I got sick of the sight of his mean snarly self. He's so damn selfish and thinks everybody should jump at his order. When everybody went to bed, I watched TV some. The weather wasn't bad around 80 degrees. Listened to Fireside Theatre on the Radio. It was a parody of Moby Dick called "Two Years Before the Whale" It was really funny. I told Donna the nasty things Dad said about 'Terry. I shouldn't have but I was mad at the time at Dad.

"" 

""25 March 1968 Monday

""Got a letter from Grandma Johnson. I went to school and played soccer in PE and goofed around with the guys. In history Mr. Mesa had a boring lecture. I went home for lunch and on coming back I talked with the crosswalk lady Vivian. In English I got a pass to the library so I could do my book report for history. Also checked out two books. This is Froggy Week. In art didn't get much accomplished so came home and watched TV then went to my room. Helped Mom make up her bed. Had tuna noodles for dinner. Donna took me to Zodys and Owl's. I bought a record "Young Girl" and some school supplies. Came home and I arranged my notebooks and watched Rowan and Martin, Danny Thomas, and Carol Burnett. Donna friends Lanie and Louie came by around 8: 30. Lanie is moving to San Bernardino. 79 degrees and clear.

""•           Owl-Rexall was located in the retail strip of the Stanton Plaza and was just north of Alpha Beta. The chain gained national exposure through its sponsorship of two famous classic American radio programs of the 1940s and 1950s: Amos and Andy and The Phil Harris-Alice Faye Show. Both shows were often opened by an advertisement from an actor (Griff Barnett) portraying "your Rexall family druggist” and included the catch phrase "Good health to all from Rexall." They also sponsored the Jimmy Durante Show and there are references by character Mr. Peavey in some of the Great Gildersleeve radio shows. In 1946, United-Rexall Drug Inc. launched the Owl Superstores chain. In 1958, the Rexall Drug Company was the largest U.S. drug store franchise, with 11,158 stores (for comparison, there are fewer than 12,000 McDonald's restaurants in the U.S. today). Time Magazine noted that 2/3 of its stores were in areas where 1/3 of the population lived. However, this comprised more than 20% of all drug stores in the United States.

""•           Clark Clifford convenes the "Wise Men," a dozen distinguished elder statesmen and soldiers, including former Secretary of State Dean Acheson and World War II General Omar Bradley at the State Department for dinner. They are given a blunt assessment of the situation in Vietnam, including the widespread corruption of the Saigon government and the unlikely prospect for military victory "under the present circumstances."

"" 

""26 March 1968 Tuesday

""Went to school. I had a test in Algebra. In soccer I didn't play much. Mr. Starr bawled out everyone for ripping our PE shirts. Had an essay test in history. Gave away a bunch of' gum to Monica Munoz and some other kids. Stayed in the Library for lunch and Jaeger took my Playboy magazine home. In English had a dumb substitute. We wrote on "Outcasts of Poker Flats". In art I'm still working on my relief painting. When I came home, I read some and had spaghetti for dinner. Watched a special on "How Life Begins" about how babies are born. Then went to my room and read until 12 midnight. I wrote Grandma Johnson but haven't mailed it yet. Pretty weather around 80 degrees. Nothing in the news to record just Viet Nam, the presidential race and local news as usual. I' m reading Katherine by Seaton.

""•           The "Wise Men" gather at the White House for lunch with the President. They now advocate U.S. withdrawal from Vietnam, with only four of those present dissenting from that opinion.

""27 March 1968 Wednesday

""11:00. Went to school. finished up test in Algebra. In PE played soccer and goofed around. Read in history. for lunch I talked to Jerry Smith and Fred Townsend. In English voted on if the school should keep El Dorado magazine. In art talked to Joey. I sure like her. She is very cool. Came home and read from Captain from Castile. Drove down to the library and almost got hit. Mom checked out a lot of books. Came home and made pot roast for dinner. Went to my room and I cleaned it up. "Cry Like a Baby" is #1 on KHJ. Read most of the rest of the day. Shampooed my hair. Weather was smoggy-foggy. 74 degrees. I don't care about Kathy anymore. Haven't been listening to the news lately. [Suharto succeeded Sukarno as president of Indonesia. Gen'l. Suharto thwarted a Communist coup and gradually assumed power. Thousands of alleged communists were executed amid widespread violence. Yuri Gagarin (34), Soviet cosmonaut (Vostok I) and the first man to orbit the Earth, died in a plane crash.]

"" 

""28 March 1968 Thursday

""12:00 a.m. Went to school and in PE l helped the coach do some paper work. Went home for lunch. In art was embarrassed by pouring water into the trash car instead of the sink ha! I got a six-page letter from Kay and Charline got a letter and some money from Grandma Johnson. I had barbeque chicken for dinner. I spent the rest of the night until 9 writing Kay and Grandma Johnson. At home Mom and I watched “Night to Remember". An excellent story about the sinking of the Titanic disaster. After it was over Mom, and I did the dishes. Charline and I this afternoon went and got a coke. Weather is smoggy-foggy. 80 degrees. In the news the first man to ever orbit the Earth, a Russian guy died. A super jet fighter was lost over Viet Nam. It’s strange how the days go on, one after another with no stop. Where am I going? Who am I?

""•           The initial report by participants at My Lai states that 69 Viet Cong soldiers were killed and makes no mention of civilian causalities. The My Lai massacre is successfully concealed for a year, until a series of letters from Vietnam veteran Ronald Ridenhour spark an official Army investigation that results in Charlie Company Commander, Capt. Ernest L. Medina, First Platoon Leader, Lt. William Calley, and 14 others being brought to trial by the Army. A news photos of the carnage, showing a mass of dead children, women, and old men, remains one of the most enduring images of America's involvement in Vietnam. Ron Ridenhour (d.1998 at 52) was a door gunner on an observation helicopter, who flew over the village a few days after the event. He waited several months until he was out of the service before reporting the event to state and congressional officials. The Army later charged 25 officers and enlisted men in the massacre but only Lt. Calley was convicted. Gen. Samuel W. Koster (d.2006) was charged with covering up the killings, but criminal charges were eventually dismissed. Koster was censured, stripped of a medal, and demoted one rank to brigadier general. John Sack (d.2004), war correspondent, later authored "Lieutenant Calley: His Own Story." In 1999 Trent Angers authored "The Forgotten Hero of My Lai: The Hugh Thompson Story."

""•           The U.S. lost its first aircraft in Vietnam. An F-111 vanished in a combat mission over North Vietnam. Republic Aircraft's F-105 Thunderchief, better known as the 'Thud,' was the Air Force's warhorse in Vietnam.

""•           In Memphis, a riot erupted during a protest march in support of striking sanitation workers led by Martin Luther King. One African American marcher was killed, and King urged calm as National Guard troops are called to Memphis to restore order. King subsequently departed Memphis but vowed to return on April 4 to attend another march. After King himself had been led from the scene one 16-year-old black boy is killed, 60 people are injured, and over 150 arrested.]

"" 

""29 March 1968 Friday

""Went to school and went home for lunch. The Froggy week thing didn't come off Mrs. Herning is discussing the realists in English Literature now. In art still working on my relief painting. Brought home some art materials so I can do my relief and collage paintings at home. Talked to Joey in Art. She's having a fit over some boy. Came home and did some housework. Finished my relief painting and started on my collage when Bonnie, Bill, and Larry came over. Donna and Terry went over to Frank and Barb's to play some Poker. Bonnie and Bill stayed until nine and they asked me to spend the weekend over at their house. Grandma Williams is having everybody over for dinner Sunday. I had a fish burger from McDonalds for dinner. Very Windy and cool today. 67 degrees. I got my radio back today.

"" 

""30 March 1968 Saturday

""Spent the night with Bonnie and Bill and had pancakes for breakfast. Larry and I walked 2 miles over to Granma Williams and talked with her and Minnie. Grandma was making some drapes for her den. R.L. and Jerry came down for the weekend for Grandma's birthday. They go t a V. W. now. With Larry, I went to White Front to

""help him pick out some pants for school. Stayed over at Grandma's for a while

""then walked back over to Bonnie and Bill's. We went out to dinner and had Mexican food. Milton and Marie were over at Mom's. We went back home to Bonnie and Bill's and watched a movie on TV "Old Man and The Sea." I had to read that book in my Sophomore English class. Grandpa Williams had been shopping around for a car. I

""went to bed early Very cold today. 57 degrees and cloudy.

"" 

""31 March 1968 Sunday

""Went over to Grandma's early for her birthday. Everybody was there. R.L. and his family, Mom and Dad and the rest, Wallace and his family, Bonnie and Bill and Larry. Also R.L.’s step daughter Jackie Clark and her daughters were over, and Betty Danforth came over alone. Donna cut her hair real short and got it real blond; We had a big dinner with chicken, ham, and turkey. In the evening everybody went with Grandma and Grandpa to buy a car. They bought a dodge Polaris. Mil ton and his family was over there too. I didn't feel good all day. The weather was cool 65 degrees. The weather sure has changed from how pretty it used to be. In the news a great shocker! President Johnson absolutely refuses to run for the Presidency this year and he halted the bombing of North Viet Nam to help end the war. Everybody is dazed!

""•           President Johnson stuns the world by announcing his surprise decision not to seek re-election. He also announces a partial bombing halt and urges Hanoi to begin peace talks. "We are prepared to move immediately toward peace through negotiations." As a result, peace talks soon begin. The bombing halt only affects targets north of the 20th parallel, including Hanoi. Citing national divisions over the war in Vietnam, Johnson declares that "I shall not seek, and I will not accept, the nomination of my party for another term as your president."