Dearest Suzie

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.

Episode 077: 1965-04-19 | Some Old Friends

April 19th, 2025  |  6 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, Popi returns from two nights of R and R in Saigon and slips into an easy rhythm of gossip and small comforts. There are no firefights in this letter. Instead we get pizza in the city, an afternoon at the Saigon Zoo, and late‑night stories with old friends like Al Guthrie and Fox. He even chuckles at the news that a new helicopter company packed with familiar personalities will arrive at the end of the month.

Beneath the banter sits a quieter truth. Time is dragging. Mail has been sporadic. Popi is counting the days. Listing names and memories is a way to keep the hours moving and to feel tethered to a life beyond the base.

Episode 076: 1965-04-17 | People of the Landscape

April 17th, 2025  |  6 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, Popi’s letter from April 17, 1965 takes us to a medal ceremony in Bạc Liêu, where he receives the South Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry. The moment should feel triumphant, yet his tone is subdued. He stands in the heat, listens while his citation is read in Vietnamese, and has a wreath placed around his neck by young women in traditional clothing. For Popi, it is another box checked before two nights of R and R in Saigon.

Using this brief letter as a springboard, the episode looks at how war creates ceremonies that can seem disconnected from daily reality. What do medals mean when the recipient is exhausted and counting days until home? Why do local civilians appear only as backdrops in official rituals? And how do these choreographed moments sit beside funerals for friends lost just days earlier?

Episode 075: 1965-04-15 | The Cross of Gallantry

April 15th, 2025  |  5 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, Popi writes on April 15, 1965, reflecting on another quiet day in Vietnam, a general escort mission, and his mounting boredom with downtime. He assumed that transferring to the Cobras would mean more time in the air, but instead, he's stuck in the long stretch of waiting — between missions, between letters, between homecomings.

But in the middle of this letter, almost as an aside, Popi mentions something unexpected. He’s been told to report to Bac Lieu to receive the South Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry. “Don’t ask me why I’m getting it,” he writes. “I have no idea.” What he leaves unspoken is that this award, officially called the Anh Dũng Bội Tinh, was one of South Vietnam’s highest honors — the equivalent of the Bronze Star — given to individuals who displayed exceptional bravery in combat.

Whether Popi knew the specific reason or not, the letter gives us a glimpse into how casually many servicemen received these commendations. Sometimes medals were handed out in batches, sometimes quietly suggested by a superior officer. But even if the record-keeping was informal, the courage was real.

Episode 074: 1965-04-13 | The Cost of Waiting

April 13th, 2025  |  5 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 after a long day that started with a trip to the rocket range and ended with the rescue and repair of a downed helicopter. His friend, Louis Litt, made a safe emergency landing, and by nightfall, the ship was patched up and flown out — a rare win in a war where victories are hard to come by.

But the letter quickly shifts. Lt. Tucker, missing for days, has been officially declared dead. There’s a service planned in Saigon, but Popi doesn’t plan to attend. One was enough. These aren’t isolated events anymore — they’re piling up. And the weight of them is starting to show.

Though not mentioned directly, this letter falls the day before Operation Fact Sheet officially launched in Vietnam. Designed by the U.S. Information Service, this psychological operation targeted civilians in rural areas with anti-communist messaging. But like so many efforts to win hearts and minds, it often missed the mark — or worse, made civilians into targets themselves. Popi may not have named the operation, but he flew similar missions. Loudspeaker broadcasts, leaflet drops. Words meant to change minds. Words often drowned out by bullets and fear.

Episode 073: 1965-04-12 | A Holiday Without Candy

April 12th, 2025  |  5 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 writes home on April 12, 1965, with updates about quiet missions, missed holidays, and an underwhelming U.S.O. show. His tone is light and warm, full of care for Suzie and the boys. He’s glad they bought good shoes, hopes for pictures soon, and gently jokes that the cost of Easter candy might not be worth it. It’s a holiday without candy, but not without love.

There’s no drama in this letter, no combat report or injury to explain. And maybe that’s what makes it special. It’s a window into the quieter moments of war — the ordinary rhythms of an extraordinary time. Just range practice, long days with the “hog,” and reflections on the little things he’s missing back home, like Billy’s school play.

This episode is also about memory, and what it means to honor someone long after they’re gone. I reflect on a Christmas gift I made for my dad — a shadowbox with Popi’s medals, photos, and the only piece of his uniform he kept. It wasn’t about decoration. It was about legacy. And how we choose to remember someone when they’re not around to tell the story themselves.

Accompanied by an aerial photo of Vietnam’s rice fields and winding rivers, today’s episode sits with the quieter parts of wartime — the days without glory, the absence of celebration, and the ways families carry those silences forward.

Episode 072: 1965-04-11 | Town Is Off Limits

April 11th, 2025  |  6 mins 25 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, a night out turns dangerous after a fight between American troops and a South Vietnamese Marine escalates into violence. Popi wasn’t there, but the fallout is immediate. Bars are shot up, one man is stabbed, another beaten, and town is placed off limits indefinitely. “It is a shame,” he writes, “that we have to go out and get shot at by the V.C., then when we get a chance to go to town we have to worry about being shot by the very people we are over here to support.”

The emotional weight of this letter doesn’t come from combat but from the exhaustion of constant tension. Popi writes about sunbathing on a cot, trying to shake off the weight of it all. He shares a newspaper clipping listing the names of three men they lost. A fourth, Lt. Tucker, is still officially missing. “They will still be hoping, when there is no hope.” That line carries a quiet kind of devastation. The war wasn’t just killing soldiers. It was stretching grief across time.

Accompanied by a photo of the Vinh Long welcome sign in three languages, today’s episode sits with the complicated realities of trust, occupation, and the quiet violence that can erupt when alliances fray.