Dearest Suzie

Episode 113: 1965-07-19 | Faith in War

July 19th, 2025  |  6 mins 23 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 19, 1965. The Viet Cong have been active, and he’s running on little rest. He’s relieved to hear Suzie is feeling better and jokes about the boys going to Baptist Bible school, a light moment that reflects the mix of his Southern Baptist background and Suzie’s Northern, Catholic roots. With 60 days left, he’s still waiting on official orders, and rumors are swirling about the 11th Air Assault Division.

This episode explores the quiet presence of faith during the war. At Vinh Long, Irish Catholic nuns ran an orphanage and school despite constant danger. Religious communities like theirs supported both locals and soldiers. For many troops, faith was a personal anchor. Chaplains offered guidance, while church groups back home kept families connected through prayer and care packages. Mema is Catholic, Popi was Baptist, and their marriage bridged that cultural divide. His teasing comment about Bible school is playful but also reveals how faith, like love, endured across distance.

Episode 112: 1965-07-13 | The Long Way Home

July 13th, 2025  |  6 mins 53 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 Quang Ngai on July 13, 1965, reflecting on the grind of daily missions and the long shadow of homecoming. He’s finally received mail and it comes as a massive relief. He’s been worried about Suzie's health and the boys and he’s already thinking ahead to a real vacation together. He still has no official orders and there are rumors about the dissolution of the 11th as well as delayed paperwork which leaves him in limbo. Still, he marks a date: September 27. If nothing else changes, that’s the day he’ll walk back through the front door.

Today’s episode explores what “going home” really meant for soldiers in Vietnam. The process wasn’t simple. It revolved around a number, DEROS, or Date Eligible for Return from Overseas, which governed when a soldier could leave the war behind. Once a man got “short,” everything shifted. He wasn’t just a soldier anymore, he was a countdown. That sense of being nearly done came with both hope and danger. Unlike earlier wars, Vietnam operated on an individual rotation system, meaning Bill wouldn’t go home with his unit. He’d likely be replaced by someone just arriving, and if time allowed, he’d pass on what he could. After orders came, the journey out involved transit stops in places like Okinawa or Guam, health checks, and long flights to bases like Travis AFB in California or Fort Benning in Georgia. What waited there was paperwork, maybe discharge, and often, emotional whiplash. Because reentry wasn’t easy. Some returned to warm reunions. Others found themselves disoriented by silence, grocery stores, and a country ready to move on.

Episode 111: 1965-07-08 | Little Games

July 8th, 2025  |  7 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, Bill writes from Quang Ngai on July 8, 1965. He’s recently been relocated and is settling in for what he assumes will be a 30-day extension. Still no mail has arrived, and the heat is nearly unbearable, so intense he nearly collapsed from heat exhaustion. But despite all that, this letter carries a more playful tone. Bill daydreams about sitting on the front porch with Suzie, feeling the ocean breeze, and coming up with “little games” to keep themselves entertained at night. He jokes about his buddy’s flirtatious back-and-forth with his wife and imagines his own return home. With fewer than 50 days left, the countdown is on, and the distance between longing and laughter is razor-thin.

This episode opens the door to a larger conversation about sex, desire, and intimacy during wartime. For many soldiers, flirtation and humor were essential lifelines, ways to remember there was still something waiting for them beyond the war. But intimacy in Vietnam was complicated. It didn’t always wait back home. It was present in-country, too, often in ways that blurred the line between comfort and coercion. From brothels in Saigon to myths that would be passed down through generations, sex became part of the war’s fabric, visible, unspoken, transactional, and sometimes profoundly sad. Through that lens, Bill’s longing for Suzie feels all the more human. Not just romantic, but physical and real, a tether to something that feels like home.

Shooting an Elephant in Vietnam: Full Piece

July 7th, 2025  |  17 mins 29 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 extended episode of Dearest Suzie, we take a deep dive into one of the most unsettling intersections of memory, military routine, and moral reckoning. Sparked by a real Stars and Stripes article from August 1965 and shaped by Popi’s letters and postwar reflections, “Shooting an Elephant in Vietnam” uses fiction to get closer to a kind of truth that memory alone can’t always reach.

What begins as a simple report about a helicopter crew hunting an elephant under military orders becomes a layered meditation on power, performance, and complicity. In the spirit of George Orwell’s iconic essay, this fictionalized account places Popi at the center of an all-too-real absurdity: a gunner eager for action, a pilot torn between duty and doubt, and a dead elephant used as propaganda and protein. The piece unfolds across the airbase, the rice paddies, and the village square, interrogating the roles soldiers are expected to play, and how easily moral lines are redrawn in war.

Written in the first person, but drawn from archival materials, the story captures the hollowness of imperial rituals and the disturbing ease with which violence can be justified. In the final moments, a blue stuffed elephant brings it all home, quietly closing the loop between war and family, blood and memory.

Episode 110: 1965-07-06 | Thirty-Six Hours and Counting

July 6th, 2025  |  6 mins 42 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 on July 6, 1965, after completing a brutal 36-hour stretch of non-stop duty. He’s exhausted, running on fumes, and facing a major disappointment, what should have been a return to Vinh Long has turned into another 30-day extension. Instead of heading home, he’s being sent to Quang Ngai, an even more remote and dangerous assignment. His tone is weary but resigned. There's no mail, no answers, and no relief in sight, just a war that keeps getting longer.

As Popi’s personal timeline gets stretched, so too does the timeline of the war. With mortar attacks on Da Nang, devastating losses in ARVN operations, growing U.S. involvement, and even Soviet escalation, the idea that this was a limited or advisory war was quickly vanishing. In this episode, we zoom out to explore that crucial week: from George Ball’s internal dissent in Washington to the MiG shootdowns in North Vietnam, from Australia’s draft mobilization to the tragedy of young soldiers like Olympian Ronald Zinn. The war was speeding up, and Bill, like many others, was caught in its momentum.

All Episodes, June 1965

July 3rd, 2025  |  1 hr 21 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 turn the page to June 1965—a month that captures the emotional, physical, and moral exhaustion of war. From routine missions to the haunting fallout of Agent Orange and battlefield guilt, June gives us one of the most layered portraits of Popi yet. It’s the month he leaves Vinh Long for Da Nang, starts counting down the final weeks of his tour, and quietly begins to unravel.

Across these letters, we hear about the daily grind of helicopter maintenance, broken sleep schedules, and heat exhaustion—but we also begin to glimpse something deeper. Through his words and the reflections they prompt, we explore topics like intergenerational trauma, the limits of oral history, and the morally murky line between duty and destruction. A magazine article from Life, an elephant hunt story inspired by Orwell, and a heartfelt eulogy written by Popi’s son all find their way into this episode, showing how history is remembered, revised, and inherited.

Episode 109: 1965-07-02 | War At Home In Middle Georgia

July 2nd, 2025  |  12 mins 22 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 on July 2, 1965, sharing a short note from Da Nang. He’s still flying missions from dawn until dark, suffering through the relentless heat, and counting the days until he returns to Vinh Long. He mentions a surprise Viet Cong bombing on the airfield and notes that their unit still hasn’t received new orders.

This letter frames a different kind of story: not one of war in Vietnam, but of how that war followed Popi home. In a narrative portrait of a Fourth of July gathering decades later in rural Georgia, we witness the quiet legacy of trauma and service. Surrounded by family, Popi faces a different battlefield, the memories that refuse to stay buried. While his grandchildren prepare fireworks to celebrate his patriotism, he struggles to endure the onslaught of explosions that sound too much like war. What follows is a powerful meditation on memory, aging, duty, and the quiet endurance of a veteran’s love.

Episode 108: 1965-06-30 | His Shoes

June 30th, 2025  |  15 mins 32 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 to Suzie on June 30, 1965, from Da Nang, exhausted from a grueling work schedule that has him flying from dawn until after dark. Though short and weary, his letter offers updates on family finances and hints at a possible return to Vinh Long by early July. What stands out most, however, is the contrast between the simplicity of this note and the deeper legacy Popi left behind—a legacy we explore through a eulogy written by his son, Bruce.

In a heartfelt reading of that eulogy, we travel through the winding roads of Popi’s extraordinary life: from South Georgia farms to the skies over Vietnam, to tuna boats, emergency landings, and prison in New Guinea. But this story doesn’t shy away from the harder truths—his long struggle with alcoholism, the emotional distance it created, and the deep impact his war experiences had on his role as a father. It’s a rare, raw, and generous moment of reflection that captures not only the complexity of Popi’s life but also the generational ripple effects of combat trauma and silence.

Episode 107: 1965-06-27 | The USO: A Home Away From Home

June 27th, 2025  |  9 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, Bill writes from Da Nang on June 27, 1965, using stationery supplied by the USO, which prompts a reflection on the organization’s unique role in the Vietnam War and beyond. While waiting on maintenance and new orders, he shares his appreciation for the Da Nang USO center, describing it as a welcome break from the intensity of life on base—complete with a library, café, movies, and pinochle games.

This episode explores the history of the United Service Organizations (USO), from its founding in 1941 to its pivotal role in Vietnam, where its entertainers and volunteers helped bring joy, connection, and comfort to troops stationed thousands of miles from home. We also unpack Popi’s speculation about being reassigned to the new air assault division forming at Fort Benning—what would soon become the legendary 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile), led by figures like Hal Moore.

Episode 106: 1965-06-24 | Oral History Hiccups

June 24th, 2025  |  8 mins 5 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 Da Nang on June 24, 1965, after a long, grueling week of missions, including the evacuation of a town and a terrifying mortar attack while refueling. Exhausted but still counting down the days, he mentions finally catching some rest and responds to Suzie’s letter, all while quietly processing the loss of another fellow pilot in Vinh Long. He closes with humor and warmth, teasing her about the absence of photos and joking about missing his brother John’s wedding invitation.

Today’s episode reflects on the nature of oral history itself—how we tell stories, how we remember, and how the truth can shift depending on who’s speaking. The letter prompts a comparison between Popi’s own written account of a botched rocket mission and a decades-later retelling in a veterans’ oral history compilation, Knights Over the Delta. The discrepancy—different year, different name, different blame—reveals just how fragile memory can be. But it also reminds us that even with contradictions, oral history remains a vital and deeply human method of preserving the past.