Dearest Suzie
The Story of An American Inheritance
Displaying items 1-10 of 136 in total of Dearest Suzie with the tag "helicopter pilot".
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All Episodes, August 1965
August 31st, 2025 | 47 mins 7 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 the final stretch of Popi’s tour. August 1965 was a month of counting days, packing bags, and fighting nerves. Stationed in Da Nang, Popi spent most of the month in limbo, flying only a handful of missions while waiting on official word of his return home. His letters are full of restlessness, doubt, and fatigue, but also humor, tenderness, and hope. He checks on Suzie, gives instructions for back pay and savings bonds, and dreams aloud about being a husband and father again.
Popi's voice shifts this month. His tone softens. The war becomes more memory than menace, and his words begin to reach not just across the Pacific, but into the future. At one point, he tells Suzie he’ll probably never be able to explain what it was like in Vietnam. In a way, that’s what the letters have done for him, and for all of us. This episode marks the final entry in his year of writing from Vietnam. Additionally, I write my own letters, reflecting on my time working on this project and my visit to see Popi, at the Florida National Cemetery. I end the show with my own letter to Suzie, better known as Mema.
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Episode 122: Dearest Suzie Finale
August 26th, 2025 | 16 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, I write not just about Popi’s time in Vietnam, but about everything that’s come after. Sixty years after his letters home, I’m the same age he was in 1965 and I took the time to write him a letter of my own, describing my experiences working on this show. This isn’t a scripted history lesson or a dramatic retelling, it’s a conversation across time. I share what life’s been like since he passed, how much he’s missed, what I’ve learned from his words, and what it meant to help his voice live on through this podcast.
Alongside that, I reflect on the meaning of legacy, family, and memory. I visit Popi’s grave at Florida National Cemetery, explore some newly uncovered VHS tapes from the 1980s, and speak directly to Mema, whose voice and resilience shaped every part of this story. This episode marks the end of Dearest Suzie, but it’s not a goodbye. It’s a "Thank You." For listening, for remembering, and for keeping the love alive. Thank you for allowing me to inherit this story.
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Episode 121: Undated | Looking to the Sky
August 20th, 2025 | 6 mins 3 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 an undated letter from Vietnam. Charlie, his mischievous monkey, has finally been locked up after stealing candy from a care package. His cage now sits just outside Popi’s hootch, becoming a regular attraction on base. But even this lighthearted story carries weight, about control, comfort, and how we try to make chaos manageable. The letter shifts unexpectedly when Popi recounts a serious cyclo accident that left his friend, Burke Badgett, unconscious and badly injured. The crash wasn’t war-related, just a freak moment—and yet it rattled Popi deeply. He thought Burke might be dead.
This episode explores the unexpected dangers and quiet loneliness of war. Not every scare comes from battle. Some come from chance. Some from distance. And some from the aching quiet after looking at photos of the people you love. Popi ends this letter not with drama, but with honesty, missing home so much it hurts, learning just how deep his love for Suzie and the boys has grown over the last eight years.
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Episode 120: 1965-08-16 | Next Stop: Rucker
August 16th, 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, Popi writes on August 16, 1965. His orders still haven’t come through, but the destination is set: Fort Rucker, Alabama. He’s already packed, ready to ship his belongings, and growing restless as the end of his tour draws closer. Though he isn’t thrilled about the post, he admits there are worse places, and at least they won’t have to move far. He jokes with Suzie about her surviving one more month with three kids, and signs off with the hope that she’ll be happy with the news.
This episode dives into the legacy of Fort Rucker, the home of Army aviation. During the Vietnam War, tens of thousands of helicopter pilots trained there, including Popi. The post became the proving ground for a new kind of warfare; airmobile, fast-moving, and flexible. From training on the UH-1 Huey to perfecting nap-of-the-earth flight, Fort Rucker shaped the strategy that defined the American war effort in Southeast Asia.
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Episode 119: 1965-08-13 | A Too-Small Tablecloth
August 13th, 2025 | 6 mins 36 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 August 13, 1965, from a villa in Saigon. He’s groggy, hungry, and still waiting on the orders that will send him home. But in between complaints about raunchy coffee and missing breakfast, there’s something else stirring: thoughtfulness. With only weeks left in-country, he’s begun souvenir shopping, jewelry boxes for the grandmothers, cloth for his sisters, a uniform for Al. He even buys a tablecloth from a group of Irish Catholic nuns, fully aware it won’t fit any table they own. “I just call it my contribution to the war effort,” he jokes.
This episode explores the quiet acts of care that soldiers engage in at the end of a long deployment. From a conversation over raisin cake with nuns raising money for an orphanage, to his quip that Suzie will only receive about fifteen more letters, Popi is beginning to shift. He’s thinking not just about going home, but about what he’s bringing back with him—and what kind of man he wants to be when he gets there. That too-small tablecloth becomes a kind of symbol: proof that generosity can persist, even amid exhaustion, even when it doesn’t quite fit.
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Episode 118: 1965-08-09 | Packing Out
August 9th, 2025 | 6 mins 39 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 August 9, 1965, just after returning to Vinh Long. It’s his final stop before heading home, and the tone of the letter reflects that shift, lighter, focused, and filled with anticipation. He’s back at his own desk, finally able to write with ease. His first priority? Packing. He describes buying a large trunk in Quang Ngai and quickly realizing it’s not big enough to hold all he’s accumulated during his year in Vietnam. From gear to gifts, every item tells a story, and he plans to lock the trunk with two padlocks, saving its contents for Suzie’s eyes alone.
This episode explores the quiet ritual of “packing out,” a tradition that stretches back through generations of American soldiers. Trunks carried more than objects, they carried closure. As Popi prepares to send his belongings home ahead of him, he’s also trying to shape how that return will feel. He’s not just coming back with things, he’s coming back with stories, tokens of love, and a hope that these small gestures will bridge the long absence. Even Charlie, his mischievous monkey, gets a mention, having caused trouble while Popi was gone. It’s a letter about transition, memory, and the delicate process of returning to a life you never really left behind.
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Episode 117: 1965-08-06 | Not Meant to Live in Ink
August 6th, 2025 | 6 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 episode of Dearest Suzie, Popi writes on August 6, 1965, just two days before he’s set to return to Vinh Long. His mission up north, “a mess” as he calls it, is finally over, and with less than two months left in Vietnam, his thoughts are turning homeward. He shares a small victory: tired of waiting for supplies, he buys a Vietnamese four-color pen in town. He wonders where Suzie is, whether she’s safely back in Florida, and whether Brian still asks about his “old man.” There’s a tenderness in his questions, a softness that’s only grown stronger the closer he gets to home.
This episode reflects on the quiet space between action and return. Popi writes shorter letters now, saving stories for when he can tell them in person, stories he never ends up sharing. The pen becomes a symbol of that tension: his need to write, his reluctance to relive, and the knowledge that some memories can’t, or shouldn’t, be captured in ink. In the background, war still looms, but for Popi, the countdown has begun, and the ache of distance now carries the shape of home.
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Episode 116: 1965-08-02 | Waiting to Write
August 2nd, 2025 | 6 mins 13 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 August 2, 1965. He’s still stuck in limbo without orders, unsure where to send his letters, New Jersey or Florida, and frustrated by the instability of his temporary base. Writing with a pencil instead of his usual pen, he reflects on how hard it’s been to write while on the move. With less than two months left, he’s counting down the days and thinking constantly of home.
This episode captures the growing restlessness among soldiers like Popi as the war expands around them. In August 1965, the United States launched its first all-American offensive, Operation Starlite, while CBS broadcast footage of Marines bulldozing a village—offering Americans a new, unfiltered view of the war. Chinese leaders issued threats, SAM missiles took out U.S. aircraft, and the Selective Service removed exemptions for married men. The war was changing fast, and the pressure was mounting from all sides. Amid it all, Popi just wanted to get back to Vinh Long, write from his own desk again, and begin the journey home.
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All Episodes, July 1965
July 31st, 2025 | 43 mins 55 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 compilation episode of Dearest Suzie, we revisit the letters of July 1965—a month of unbearable heat, long missions, and mounting exhaustion as Popi enters the final stretch of his tour. Stationed between Da Nang and Quang Ngai, he writes of 36-hour shifts, bad food, absent mail, and growing uncertainty about where he’ll be sent next. Amid the routine, he dreams of home, R&R, and board games with Suzie, even as a Viet Cong sapper attack and the arrival of the 1st Air Cavalry remind him that nothing is guaranteed.
But July isn’t just about what happened in-country. This episode moves between 1965 and decades later, when a Fourth of July evening in Georgia stirs memories Popi thought he’d left behind. From monkey troubles and heatstroke to reflections on faith and trauma, these letters reveal the quiet toll of war on both sides of the world—and the ways Popi kept loving, writing, and holding on.
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Episode 115: 1965-07-24 | Not in the Movie
July 24th, 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 on July 24, 1965, during a rare day off. He’s not sure where Suzie is, in Florida or still in New Jersey, so he’s sending his letters home and hoping they find her. There’s still no word on his orders, but he’s hoping to leave Quang Ngai by August 8. The delay matters not just for him, but for Charlie, the monkey he hopes to send home before the weather turns cold. Popi also mentions a big change: the 11th Air Assault Division is coming to Vietnam, newly renamed the 1st Air Cavalry Division.
This episode explores the arrival of the 1st Air Cav and how it transformed the war. Built from the 11th Air Assault Division, the 1st Cavalry was the first full-scale airmobile force. Its rapid deployment in July 1965 marked a turning point. With helicopters at its core, the unit brought unprecedented speed and reach to combat, but also new risks. Their first major test came at Ia Drang, a brutal battle that revealed both the strengths and limits of air mobility. For soldiers like Popi, their arrival signaled a shift: the war was changing, growing, and coming closer to what aviation crews had already been living through.