Dearest Suzie

Episode 071: 1965-04-09 | Ray from Lorain

April 9th, 2025  |  5 mins 46 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, Bill writes from a quieter moment in Vietnam, just days after attending memorial services for three fellow soldiers killed in action. One of them was Ray Rupcic, a pilot from Lorain, Ohio, and a member of Popi’s original unit. His death, and the absence of his recovered body, hangs over the letter with a quiet weight.

Amid this grief, Popi describes how the platoon coped — heading into town, drinking Vietnamese beer that “tastes like embalming fluid,” and doing their best to forget the pain for a night. The letter reflects the strange and complicated ways soldiers processed loss, especially in a war that didn’t allow much room for mourning.

Bill also shares the outcome of the operation that cost them those lives: a decisive tactical success with hundreds of Viet Cong killed or captured. But his tone stays subdued. “That doesn’t make up for the men we lost,” he writes. It’s a reminder that victory on paper can feel hollow when measured against the people you never get back.

Episode 070: 1965-04-08 | Stars and Stripes

April 8th, 2025  |  5 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, Bill writes from Saigon after a quiet day spent retrieving helicopters to replace ones lost in action. Though brief, his letter includes a small gesture that opens up a much broader reflection: he encloses a map from the Stars and Stripes military newspaper, hoping it helps Suzie follow what’s happening overseas.

Accompanied by a photo of a map later found hanging in his home office, today’s episode considers the role of Stars and Stripes during the Vietnam War — not just as a newspaper, but as a cultural and emotional lifeline. It balanced morale-boosting stories with frank coverage of the war’s realities, offering American troops a connection to home and an outlet for navigating the confusion and contradictions of combat.

All Episodes, March 1965

April 2nd, 2025  |  1 hr 28 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 March 1965 letters from Bill Lowie—a month that marked a profound shift in both his role in Vietnam and the risks he faced. After months of flying troop transports and medevac missions, March was the month Popi officially joined the Cobras, placing him directly in the fight against the Viet Cong for the first time. His letters recount the near-misses of combat operations—from bullets tearing through his helicopter to crash-landing behind enemy lines—all told with the same steady, understated voice he's used since the day he arrived.

Even as the war pressed closer, Bill’s mind stayed tethered to home—sending gifts, making plans for matching jackets with his sons, and imagining the life he would build when he returned. His long-awaited trip to Bangkok offered a rare reprieve from the daily grind of war, a brief window to indulge in beauty and escape, only to return to the uncertainty of what each mission might bring.

March is a month where two versions of Bill Lowie seem to exist at once—the soldier hunting the enemy from the air, and the husband and father carefully folding silk paintings to send home. It’s a testament to the quiet, unseen work of holding on to your humanity in the middle of a war.

Episode 069: 1965-04-01 | The Heat and the Hesitation

April 1st, 2025  |  8 mins 4 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 follow Popi through one of the most morally complex days of his deployment. Writing on April Fools’ Day, 1965, he begins with heat and headaches, but quickly moves into a harrowing story of hesitation — where instincts, orders, and ethics collide.

After flying over a minefield and narrowly avoiding disaster, Popi and his crew encounter a group of over a hundred unarmed men in an open field. A Vietnamese officer pleads with them to open fire, certain they are Viet Cong. Instead, Popi lands. The men beg for their lives, claiming to be farmers. They’re let go. Later, the Americans find out the truth: they were part of a group that had attacked a nearby outpost hours before.

Episode 068: 1965-03-31 | The Bombing of Saigon

March 31st, 2025  |  5 mins 38 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 in the wake of the bombing of the American Embassy in Saigon — one of the deadliest attacks against Americans in Vietnam to that point. His letter folds the threat of violence into the rhythms of everyday life, moving between worries about family finances and the sleepless wait for an attack that never came. What’s left unsaid feels just as important as what’s written — a balancing act between reassurance and fear.

Accompanied by a photo which is presumed to depict a square in Saigon, today's episode explores how soldiers carried on in the shadow of uncertainty, holding onto routine even as the ground beneath them threatened to shift.

Episode 067: 1965-03-29 | Bangkok Souvenirs

March 29th, 2025  |  8 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 of Dearest Suzie, Popi returns from a short but meaningful trip to Bangkok, his letter brimming with souvenirs and stories. With just two nights away from Vietnam, he fills his time gathering gifts — delicate silks, bronze dinnerware, and a princess ring — all chosen with Suzie and the boys in mind. But beneath the excitement of shopping and sightseeing, his letter carries the weight of distance, longing, and the quiet strain of trying to hold a family together from half a world away.

Accompanied by a photo of a temple or shrine, today's episode explores the fragile balance between joy and loneliness in the small reprieves of war.

Episode 066: 1965-03-23 | Halfway Home

March 23rd, 2025  |  7 mins 8 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 marks a quiet but significant milestone — the halfway point of his tour. Six months down, six to go. His letter from March 23, 1965, touches on the routines of life at Vinh Long — training flights, troop lifts, and the growing menagerie of animals that fill the compound. But even in the stillness, the war lingers beneath the surface — in the language he uses, the weariness in his voice, and the small ways survival reshapes the people who endure it.

Alongside stories of Charlie the monkey and the dogs and birds that offer comfort in an uncomfortable place, today's episode grapples with the complicated legacy of wartime language — and the gravity of reaching the top of the hill.

Accompanied by a photo of a monkey playing with a dog, with soldiers looking on, this episode explores the tension between tenderness and dehumanization — the habits that help soldiers get through the day, and the ways those habits can harden over time.

Episode 065: 1965-03-22 | Stories That Survive

March 22nd, 2025  |  5 mins 24 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, the letter itself is short — just a few lines about quiet days, card games, and Popi's plans to bring Charlie the monkey home. But it’s the stories that surround this letter — the ones passed down through generations — that offer a glimpse into the weight of what went unsaid.

Two stories have survived about Popi’s time with the Cobras: one darkly funny, the other quietly heroic. Together, they raise larger questions about how we remember war — and how family stories shape the people we’ve lost. When the written record leaves gaps, what becomes more important — the truth of what happened, or the legacy those stories help to build?

Accompanied by a photo of Huey helicopters flying in formation, today's episode explores the distance between the stories Popi told, the ones he kept to himself, and the ones that survived him.

Episode 064: 1965-03-20 | Behind Enemy Lines

March 20th, 2025  |  6 mins 38 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, the war finally closes in as Popi recounts two harrowing days behind enemy lines. Under steady fire from the Viet Cong, his helicopter is hit three separate times — the final round forcing him to crash-land on an island controlled by the very enemy he'd been fighting. Yet even in the face of danger, Popi’s letter carries the same measured, almost lighthearted tone we’ve come to know — balancing stories of survival alongside the daily routines of feeding Charlie pineapple chunks and planning for a rare three-day pass.

Accompanied by a photo of the interior of a gunship, today’s episode captures the tension between the life Popi was trying to protect at home and the one he was living every day in Vietnam — a world where even the most terrifying moments are tucked between careful reassurances and everyday observations.

Episode 063: 1965-03-19 | Two Worlds at Once

March 19th, 2025  |  6 mins 15 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 place caught between two worlds — the one he’s living in and the one he’s dreaming of returning to. As he recovers from reinjuring his ankle, he fills his letter with plans for the future: silk paintings to send to family, matching jackets for him and his boys, and small gestures that bridge the distance between Vietnam and home. Beneath these hopeful plans, though, subtle hints of vulnerability emerge — from the lingering injury grounding him to the financial strain of life as a soldier.

Accompanied by a photo of Vietnamese civilians, possibly refugees or VIPs, today's episode invites us to consider the quieter moments of war — the small, human details that Popi noticed even amidst danger and exhaustion.