Dearest Suzie

Episode 086: 1965-05-05 | Finding Popi’s Camera

May 5th, 2025  |  10 mins 27 secs

1960s war correspondence, army, army history, arvn, asia, aviation, aviation history, bangkok, civil war, family history podcast, grandfather’s vietnam war letters, helicopter pilot, helicopter pilot war stories, huey, legacy of vietnam veterans, letters from vietnam, military, military history, military history podcast, personal vietnam war archive, pleiku, saigon, vc, veteran stories, viet cong, vietnam veteran memoirs, vietnam war, vietnam war diary, vietnam war letters, vietnam war oral history, vietnam war personal accounts, vietnam war photo archive, vinh long, war, war correspondence

In this episode of Dearest Suzie, we hear from Popi as the rainy season begins in Vinh Long. His letter is calm, full of updates from a quiet day — a trip to the range, a short note about mailing gifts, and a few thoughts on the Hong Kong R&R he’s decided not to take. The real excitement in today’s letter, though, comes when he casually mentions picking up something new for himself: a camera. It might not seem like much at first. But for this podcast, for this project, that camera is a big deal.

In today’s episode, I tell the story of how I tracked down Popi’s original camera model. What began with a grainy black-and-white photo and a dead end at the family’s digital point-and-shoot eventually turned into a multi-month search through online forums, PX catalog archives, and military issue equipment lists, all of it in pursuit of a single, tangible object: the same kind of camera Popi once held in his hands while serving in Vietnam.

Thanks to a bit of luck (and a surprisingly helpful conversation with ChatGPT), I finally identified it as a Petri 7s, a compact 35mm rangefinder camera from the early 1960s. In this episode, I break down what made the Petri 7s so popular and why it was the perfect tool for a soldier who wanted to capture moments in between missions.

Episode 085: 1965-05-04 | Fish, Pharmaceuticals, & Phil Pt. 1

May 4th, 2025  |  8 mins 47 secs

1960s war correspondence, army, army history, arvn, asia, aviation, aviation history, bangkok, civil war, family history podcast, grandfather’s vietnam war letters, helicopter pilot, helicopter pilot war stories, huey, legacy of vietnam veterans, letters from vietnam, military, military history, military history podcast, personal vietnam war archive, pleiku, saigon, vc, veteran stories, viet cong, vietnam veteran memoirs, vietnam war, vietnam war diary, vietnam war letters, vietnam war oral history, vietnam war personal accounts, vietnam war photo archive, vinh long, war, war correspondence

In this episode of Dearest Suzie, we hear from Popi on May 4, 1965, as he responds to three letters from Suzie and shares how much he loved the photos of the boys. There’s no mission report today, no combat update — just a quiet letter about family, missed birthdays, and the difficulty of shopping for gifts in a place where anything nice has to be specially made. He’s still hoping for new photos of Brett and Suzie, still counting down the months, and still trying to be a thoughtful husband and father from a world away.

But today’s episode is different.

With little to comment on in the letter, I begin the first installment of a personal essay I wrote, titled "Fish, Pharmaceuticals, & Phil." Across the quieter days this month, I’ll be sharing pieces of it — a true story about class, mental illness, intergenerational trauma, and the complicated ties that hold people together. It begins at an upscale restaurant in suburban Florida, during the birthday dinner of a woman named Mary — a second-generation American grandmother with deep family roots and a life shaped by both love and regret. Her request? That I write to Dr. Phil on behalf of her granddaughter. What follows is the beginning of that request, and the family history behind it.

Episode 084: 1965-05-02 | Navy Bombers

May 2nd, 2025  |  6 mins 40 secs

1960s war correspondence, army, army history, arvn, asia, aviation, aviation history, bangkok, civil war, family history podcast, grandfather’s vietnam war letters, helicopter pilot, helicopter pilot war stories, huey, legacy of vietnam veterans, letters from vietnam, military, military history, military history podcast, personal vietnam war archive, pleiku, saigon, vc, veteran stories, viet cong, vietnam veteran memoirs, vietnam war, vietnam war diary, vietnam war letters, vietnam war oral history, vietnam war personal accounts, vietnam war photo archive, vinh long, war, war correspondence

In this episode of Dearest Suzie, Popi writes from a quiet day in the air, flying support for a Navy bombing run. From his Huey, he watches jets drop 500-pound bombs across the landscape — a moment that sparks reflection on the uneasy collaboration between different branches of the U.S. military during the Vietnam War.

While Popi’s experience might seem routine, his letter reveals the layered complexity of joint operations, where Army gunships like his flew beneath Navy aircraft like the A-1 Skyraider or A-6 Intruder, all while navigating different chains of command. These overlapping strategies didn’t always align, and Popi’s story reminds us how ordinary soldiers had to adapt to a constantly shifting, often siloed war effort.

All Episodes, April 1965

May 1st, 2025  |  1 hr 20 mins

1960s war correspondence, army, army history, arvn, asia, aviation, aviation history, bangkok, civil war, family history podcast, grandfather’s vietnam war letters, helicopter pilot, helicopter pilot war stories, huey, legacy of vietnam veterans, letters from vietnam, military, military history, military history podcast, personal vietnam war archive, pleiku, saigon, vc, veteran stories, viet cong, vietnam veteran memoirs, vietnam war, vietnam war diary, vietnam war letters, vietnam war oral history, vietnam war personal accounts, vietnam war photo archive, vinh long, war, war correspondence

In this special episode of Dearest Suzie, we look back on the April 1965 letters from Bill Lowie—a month defined by loss, guilt, long stretches of boredom, and small moments of unexpected joy. Now firmly settled into his new role with the Cobras, Popi spent April flying missions that ranged from uneventful to harrowing, often with little warning as to which kind the day would bring.

Early in the month, Popi wrote about grieving the death of fellow pilots and struggling to make sense of a war that never quite felt like it was being won. By the end of the month, he was writing through tears, haunted by a mission gone wrong that left two close friends dead—one of them killed while following Popi’s request for help. In what is perhaps the most heartbreaking letter of the series so far, Popi admits to feeling responsible and writes to Suzie not as a husband reporting home, but as a man unburdening his conscience.

But April wasn’t only sorrow. It also brought new photos, monkeys learning to swim, plans for R&R in Hong Kong, and a custom Italian silk suit. He received the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry and mailed home a short-timer’s calendar counting down the days until his return. April is the month the war starts to feel heavy. Not just dangerous, but exhausting. It’s the month Popi’s steady voice begins to crack—not because he’s weak, but because he’s still human.

Episode 083: 1965-04-30 | Cry On Their Shoulder

April 30th, 2025  |  7 mins 1 sec

1960s war correspondence, army, army history, arvn, asia, aviation, aviation history, bangkok, civil war, family history podcast, grandfather’s vietnam war letters, helicopter pilot, helicopter pilot war stories, huey, legacy of vietnam veterans, letters from vietnam, military, military history, military history podcast, personal vietnam war archive, pleiku, saigon, vc, veteran stories, viet cong, vietnam veteran memoirs, vietnam war, vietnam war diary, vietnam war letters, vietnam war oral history, vietnam war personal accounts, vietnam war photo archive, vinh long, war, war correspondence

In this episode of Dearest Suzie, Popi writes home after what he calls a "better outcome" in the field. A large Viet Cong weapons cache has been captured, and while the victory lifts spirits briefly, there’s no triumph in his tone — just exhaustion. One day before, he witnessed the death of a friend during a failed recovery mission. Now, he’s trying to hold it together, sharing a short-timer’s calendar with Suzie and quietly admitting he’s still unraveling.

Alongside the war updates, he shares a story about Charlie the monkey, who injured himself trying to eat razor blades and panicked at the medic’s touch. It’s a strangely fitting metaphor for the moment — everyone a little more fragile than usual, just trying to survive.

Episode 082: 1965-04-29 | The Worst Letter

April 29th, 2025  |  7 mins 17 secs

1960s war correspondence, army, army history, arvn, asia, aviation, aviation history, bangkok, civil war, family history podcast, grandfather’s vietnam war letters, helicopter pilot, helicopter pilot war stories, huey, legacy of vietnam veterans, letters from vietnam, military, military history, military history podcast, personal vietnam war archive, pleiku, saigon, vc, veteran stories, viet cong, vietnam veteran memoirs, vietnam war, vietnam war diary, vietnam war letters, vietnam war oral history, vietnam war personal accounts, vietnam war photo archive, vinh long, war, war correspondence

In this episode of Dearest Suzie, we reach a letter that many in my family consider the most difficult to read. Dated April 29, 1965, this letter doesn’t relay an ordinary mission or a humorous aside. It’s a moment of personal reckoning. Popi writes in the aftermath of a mission that left two of his friends dead — and he blames himself.

The day had started as a rare break. He planned to rest, write home, maybe sit in the sun. But a call from Operations changed that. An American captain had been injured, and Popi was sent out to help retrieve him. What followed was a chaotic and dangerous situation, one where friendlies and enemies were too close together to fire safely. When he couldn’t complete the mission alone, he asked another friend — an American advisor named Kelly — to try with ARVN and APCs. Kelly agreed. He didn’t make it back.

This letter isn’t about combat in the traditional sense. It’s about guilt. About what it means to give an order and wonder if you made the wrong call. Popi had flown hundreds of missions by this point. But this one stayed with him. It’s clear that, even as he wrote to Suzie, he was trying to make sense of what had happened. Or at least find a way to live with it.

Episode 081: 1965-04-26 | Military Industrial Complexities

April 26th, 2025  |  7 mins 41 secs

1960s war correspondence, army, army history, arvn, asia, aviation, aviation history, bangkok, civil war, family history podcast, grandfather’s vietnam war letters, helicopter pilot, helicopter pilot war stories, huey, legacy of vietnam veterans, letters from vietnam, military, military history, military history podcast, personal vietnam war archive, pleiku, saigon, vc, veteran stories, viet cong, vietnam veteran memoirs, vietnam war, vietnam war diary, vietnam war letters, vietnam war oral history, vietnam war personal accounts, vietnam war photo archive, vinh long, war, war correspondence

In this episode, Popi writes after a long day chasing Viet Cong forces through the heat. His tone is dry, understated, tired. He asks about the boys, about birthday parties and photographs, about sizes and gifts and letters never received. In his own words, the work is “not boring, really, but not something that you can write home about.” And yet — there’s so much to say.

This episode steps outside the frame of the letter to explore what President Eisenhower once called the military-industrial complex — a system in which war becomes not just a national effort, but a business. In the years between Eisenhower’s warning and Popi’s deployment, the United States began to lean heavily on private industry to maintain its war footing. Helicopter manufacturers like Bell, chemical producers like Dow and Monsanto, and aerospace giants like Lockheed and McDonnell Douglas turned Vietnam into a proving ground — and a payday.

Popi never names those companies. He doesn’t have to. He lived the consequences. He flew the equipment. He sweated in the flak jackets. He launched the rockets and burned the fuel. Every piece of his daily life was connected to a profit margin somewhere — to a factory, a contract, a congressional vote. And in his silence, in his frustration, we hear the other side of that machine. Not the boardrooms. The mud. The boredom. The waiting.

Episode 080: 1965-04-24 | Swimming Monkeys

April 24th, 2025  |  6 mins 12 secs

1960s war correspondence, army, army history, arvn, asia, aviation, aviation history, bangkok, civil war, family history podcast, grandfather’s vietnam war letters, helicopter pilot, helicopter pilot war stories, huey, legacy of vietnam veterans, letters from vietnam, military, military history, military history podcast, personal vietnam war archive, pleiku, saigon, vc, veteran stories, viet cong, vietnam veteran memoirs, vietnam war, vietnam war diary, vietnam war letters, vietnam war oral history, vietnam war personal accounts, vietnam war photo archive, vinh long, war, war correspondence

In this episode, Popi writes on a sweltering day in Vinh Long, where the only mission was beating the heat. With no combat updates or news from the front, today’s letter slows down, offering a glimpse of life in between the action, where even the monkeys are desperate for relief.

From Easter reflections to tales of Charlie and Doll’s makeshift swimming pool, Popi captures a rare moment of levity. Doll, it turns out, loves the water. Charlie wants nothing to do with it. And Popi? He’s already spent his payday on a silk suit and is dreaming about a week away — not because he has plans, but because “it’s not Vietnam.”

Episode 079: 1965-04-23 | The Nuclear Option

April 23rd, 2025  |  6 mins 12 secs

1960s war correspondence, army, army history, arvn, asia, aviation, aviation history, bangkok, civil war, family history podcast, grandfather’s vietnam war letters, helicopter pilot, helicopter pilot war stories, huey, legacy of vietnam veterans, letters from vietnam, military, military history, military history podcast, personal vietnam war archive, pleiku, saigon, vc, veteran stories, viet cong, vietnam veteran memoirs, vietnam war, vietnam war diary, vietnam war letters, vietnam war oral history, vietnam war personal accounts, vietnam war photo archive, vinh long, war, war correspondence

In this episode of Dearest Suzie, Popi writes on April 23, 1965 after finally receiving a long-awaited letter from home. He reflects on family updates, a recent alert mission that came too late, and yet another upcoming awards ceremony — this one to add four oak leaf clusters to his Air Medal. In the same week, American military leaders in Honolulu approved a shift in Vietnam strategy — what came to be known as the "enclave strategy" — aiming to limit U.S. ground operations to a 50-mile radius around key coastal cities. But on the ground, the Viet Cong didn’t follow boundaries, and the plan quickly fell apart.

Two days later, Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara ignited controversy when he suggested, in an off-the-record press briefing, that nuclear weapons weren’t off the table in Vietnam. Though paraphrased by reporters, the message was clear: the U.S. was willing to escalate if needed. The backlash came quickly. At the United Nations, Soviet Ambassador Nikolai Fedorenko condemned the remarks, warning that the U.S. risked repeating the “indelible shame” of Hiroshima.

Episode 078: 1965-04-21 | The Viet Cong Rest Area

April 21st, 2025  |  9 mins 40 secs

1960s war correspondence, army, army history, arvn, asia, aviation, aviation history, bangkok, civil war, family history podcast, grandfather’s vietnam war letters, helicopter pilot, helicopter pilot war stories, huey, legacy of vietnam veterans, letters from vietnam, military, military history, military history podcast, personal vietnam war archive, pleiku, saigon, vc, veteran stories, viet cong, vietnam veteran memoirs, vietnam war, vietnam war diary, vietnam war letters, vietnam war oral history, vietnam war personal accounts, vietnam war photo archive, vinh long, war, war correspondence

In this episode of Dearest Suzie, Popi writes on April 21, 1965, during a lull in operations. The letter itself is quiet — just a few notes about office renovations, a short range trip, and his ongoing frustration with the mail system. Still, even in a slow week, he finds ways to stay connected to home. He ends the letter with a simple dream: when he returns, he wants to pack up the family, grab a few fishing poles, and spend a day down by a creek doing nothing but relaxing together.

Today’s episode includes a special archival reading from the Chicago Tribune, which published a piece mentioning Popi a month after this letter was written. It offers a rare glimpse into the public-facing version of the war — the kind of article that hometown papers might run, describing missions in sweeping terms and sometimes including photos of the men involved. Popi makes a passing mention of this in his postscript, asking Suzie to keep an eye on the Orlando newspapers. “Our Information Officer sends a lot of pictures of us to our hometown papers,” he says, as if he knows just how far from home he feels.