Millie Heitner Steiner
reniets@aol.com
Mother
Excerpts From Dennis' Letters Home
http://members.aol.com/Reniets/index.html
3Feb70am: 2:40 a.m. Cam Ranh Bay waiting for fight to my unit. Got 5 "choices" for assignment. This morning reported to 25th Infantry Division operating around Cu Chi (Coo Chee) west of Saigon. Tour here expires 4Feb71, little less than a year! Don't laugh, every day counts. Hawaii delay a real treat for everyone enroute. Aboard Flight: Besides awareness of time, other thing that gets me is most of the troops are so young. 8Feb70pm: Now at Battalion level have my own little "hooch." Cold water, little outhouse, one lightbulb, rusty screens, chair, bed. Helicopters constantly overhead. Very flat terraine, hot, dry, monopoly money for cokes, swimming pools, movies but in field I'll live in a bunker stay some time before getting to use these facilities. No jump pay no airborne songs no airborne runs. Will go to school (indoctrination on division's fundamentals). 2/508 (Airborne) was the Red Devils (Fury From The Sky) 2/27, (Wolfhounds) 25th Infantry. 12/Feb/70: School almost over. Large number of soldiers have mustaches, virtually uinheard of in the airborne, for no particularly good reason. The United States is known as "the World " really threw me first time I heard it. 19Feb70: 1/24th of my tour of duty over and things OK. How's that for optimism?. Now in Phooc Luu to link up with Bravo Company, 1st Platoon. Live in village and catch what sleep we can in villagers' huts. On one ambush patrol already. Operated a check point, radar sight and command post security and another ambush tonight. About 20 men, women and children watching me write this letter, all talking away, tapping, touching, amazed I use my left hand to write. Can't understand a word they're saying. Local doctor just walked in with a needle about 3 inches long and the house owner (papa san) chased out all kids. In a way, I'll be glad to get out of the village to our ambush site. There all is again quiet, peoplewise, noise is artillery, etc. Little girl sick here and like all children doesn't want a shot. 22Feb70: .Get darker every day, peeling shoulders, water blisters, sun continues to roast me. They call Lieutenants "Tee Wee" (sp?). Follow me around, carrying gear, getting ice drink, etc. as "souvenir," a present to me. I'm "number one." . A baby san brought me a B40 (Chinese type) rocket from canal, imbedded in mud. Blew it up. 23Feb70: .Everyone has a Honda. Otherwise it's a sort of oriental Nazareth. Oxcarts, water buffalo, wells . all very basic. Last night as we guarded radar with machine guns and starlight scopes, talking on radio to various elements, |
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Millie Heitner Steiner
reniets@aol.com
Mother
walls - Written by Dennis when in High School - 1962
http://members.aol.com/Reniets/index.html
A wall serves many purposes. You can throw a ball against a wall. Take four of them and you have a shelter. You can write on walls, paint pictures, and plaster signs all over them. Get enough of them together, put on a roof, and to someone they mean home, security. A person can earn a living building walls, or even knocking them down. One can split cities in half with walls, or separate entire nations from the rest of the world. The Great Wall of China served for centuries as protection from the enemy. Constructed out of stone, the Great Wall is a monument left by an ancient civilization, the pride of another world. Men today marvel at the skill of the laborers who worked without the benefits of modern science. The iron curtain separates communism from the rest of the world. It is a moving wall which threatens to envelope the entire world and to brainwash into men's minds prejudice, hatred, fear, oppression and confusion. Can you imagine the world without any walls? You couldn't throw a ball against anything. Vines wouldn't grow up anything. What would one write on, paint on, and plaster signs all over? Architecture would be revolutionized. There would be buildings without walls, the ceiling sloping on a curve to the floor. There would be an increase in unemployment. But then cities wouldn't be split in half, and nations wouldn't be cut off from the free world. There wouldn't be any prejudice, tyranny or insecurity in the minds of men. There would be hope for millions of people who had given up hope. I wonder if it would work.
Tuesday, September 28, 1999 |
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Millie Heitner Steiner
reniets@aol.com
Mother
A Shining Light In A Dark World
http://members.aol.com/Reniets/index.html
Dennis was born in West Branch, Michigan where his father, a minister, had his first parish, along with serving at Houghton Lake, Michigan. After moving to several other church locations, we moved to Staten Island, N.Y. where Dennis graduated from Curtis High School in 1963. He was an editor of their Mosaic magazine, doing artwork and articles. His senior year he was voted best actor his drama coach suggested trying for Summer Stock which he did not pursue. He was very good at writing, receiving A+'s and A+++'s for essays. He also played on a local Bay Esso baseball team. After high school he attended Syracuse University as an architectural major. He was elected president of Phi Gamma Delta fraternity for 1967 to 68. During that time he wrote home a touching and frivilous letter about realizing he had fallen in love. But he was never engaged or married. He was well liked by all who knew him and had a lot of charisma. Early in 1968 after the end of his fourth year at Syracuse he was drafted. His basic training was at Ft. Dix, N. J. He then completed the Infantry Officer Candidate Course, Airborne Course and Ranger Course at Ft. Benning, Georgia and was assigned to the 82nd Airborne. He liked parachute jumping and had said he was thinking of joining a parachute reserve unit when he was out of the service. In Vietnam he was assigned to Co B, 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry, 25th Infantry Division. Dennis was the oldest of five children, with one brother and three sisters. Since his death, his father and sister next to him in age have passed away. I picture them together in heaven, laughing and in many discussions as they had when at home. In April of 1970 Dennis was awarded the Silver Star for heroic actions without regard for his own safety as platoon leader of the first platoon inserted when unpinning Charlie Company in Cambodia. Shortly after, his company occupied Fire Base Kitchen, named after Lt. Kitchen who was killed by a sniper during that action and a member of his Company. This operation was part of a TV news report at that time and I saw a quick flash of Dennis walking as he brushed his hair across his forehead as he often did. In May he was promoted to 1st Lt. In June 1970 an Army officer came to inform us that Dennis was killed on June 13th (his oldest sister's birthday) by rocket fire, while in command of a group occuping a night ambush position approximately six miles northwest of Cu Chi, Vietnam. I was at work at the time and Dennis' father came to get me I have wished I would have been at home when the officer came. Dennis' 2nd sister, who was home, wrote a moving poem about that visit entitled, "it rang loud and clear." We expect to submit this for an introduction to the Wall Page or to the virtualwall site. In a later telegram Dennis' commanding officer stated, "Throughout his assignment to this battalion, I had observed Dennis to be an exemplary officer. His courage, honor and devotion to duty earned him the respect of all with whom he came in contact. His loss is keenly felt by the members of this unit." Dennis was awarded posthumously the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart and the Combat Infantryman Badge. Prior to death he had been awarded the National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal, Expert Badge with rifle and automatic rifle bars, Ranger Tab and the Parachutist Badge. In one of his letters when he received one of his medals he wrote it reminded him of Boys Scouts and merit badges (smile). Dennis is buried at Arlington Memorial Gardens cemetery in The 23rd Psalm section, in Cincinnati, Ohio where the family moved while he was at Syracuse. His last time home was for the Christmas holiday 1969. It was wonderful having him home with the family. A happy memory I have of that time is when he was watching "Charlie Brown's Christmas" on TV, smiling and laughing. I thought, there he is, ready to go off to a war, but still able to laugh at life's silliness. I will never forget seeing him when he boarded the plane to leave as he turned to look back with his little smile, and waved before stepping in. We have many wonderfull and upbeat letters he wrote telling about friendly contact with Vietnamese in the area, and humorous thoughts, as well as references to action he was in. I have assembled his letters along with pictures and newspaper clippings and testimonials from many of his friends in a booklet to perpetuate them for my family. I am putting excerpts from some of his letters on a page here. Dennis never complained about being in Vietnam but in one letter said he felt the negative coverage by magazines on Cambodia was very discouraging. Dennis will live forever in the memories of his family and friends, and for me, does daily.
Friday, September 24, 1999 |
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IN HONORED REMEMBERANCE
TO A FALLEN HERO
Honoring your memory on this date for the Ultimate Sacrifice you made on June 13th 1970. If I ever make it to Heaven please step forward and greet me, it will be an honor to meet you. Dennis, your dedication, courage and service to our nation will always be remembered.
Tuesday, June 14, 2005 |
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Millie Heitner Steiner
Reniets@aol.com
Mother
LAST CHRISTMAS HOME. Poem by Sister, Susan, who was at home with Dennis's father, when officer came.
Saturday, August 31, 2002 |
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