Épisodes

  • All Episodes, August 1965

    All Episodes, August 1965
    Aug 31 2025
    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. Follow Dearest Suzie on social media: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1GwqPyO061k0iaQRKwfjoQ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dearestsuziepodcast/ X: https://x.com/DearestSuziePod TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dearestsuziepodcast 📧 Have a story to share or want to reach out? Email me at dearestsuziepodcast@gmail.com — I’d love to hear from you! VietnamWar #LettersHome #DaNang1965 #InheritTheStories #HelicopterPilot #VietnamLetters #MilitaryHistory #FamilyHistory #DearestSuzie #MemoryAndMyth #FinalTour #ComingHome #August1965 #CountdownToHome
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    47 min
  • Episode 122: Dearest Suzie Finale

    Episode 122: Dearest Suzie Finale
    Aug 26 2025
    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. What’s Covered: - A letter to Popi, 60 years after his own - Visiting Florida National Cemetery - The meaning behind coins on military graves - Unearthed VHS tapes and old family footage - A letter to Mema, and her fight against cancer - Reflections on war, legacy, faith, and family 📷 Featured Photo: A photo of Mema and Popi decades ago, dressed for a military ball. 🔔 If you enjoyed this episode, please consider sharing the show with a friend or loved one. Follow Dearest Suzie on social media: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1GwqPyO061k0iaQRKwfjoQ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dearestsuziepodcast/ X: https://x.com/DearestSuziePod TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dearestsuziepodcast 📧 Have a story to share or want to reach out? Email me at dearestsuziepodcast@gmail.com — I’d love to hear from you! VietnamWar #LettersHome #FamilyHistory #OralHistory #InheritTheStories #FloridaNationalCemetery #MilitaryGraves #Legacy #Veterans #VietnamPodcast #Cardinals #MemoryAndMyth #DearestSuzie #Mema #Popi
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    17 min
  • Episode 121: Undated | Looking to the Sky

    Episode 121: Undated | Looking to the Sky
    Aug 20 2025
    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. What’s Covered: - Charlie’s candy theft and new cage placement - The unplanned violence of a cyclo accident in town - Burke Badgett’s injuries and Popi’s fear he had died - The emotional weight of distance and memory - How writing letters became a lifeline through loneliness 📷 Featured Photo: Charlie the monkey, perched confidently atop a helicopter, staring into the distance. Popi captured the moment, a symbol of mischief, companionship, and forward-looking hope, two copilots, both looking to the sky. 🔔 If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe! Follow Dearest Suzie on social media: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1GwqPyO061k0iaQRKwfjoQ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dearestsuziepodcast/ X: https://x.com/DearestSuziePod TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dearestsuziepodcast 📧 Have a story to share or want to reach out? Email me at dearestsuziepodcast@gmail.com — I’d love to hear from you! VietnamWar #HueyHelicopter #CharlieTheMonkey #MilitaryHistory #WarLetters #InheritTheStories #FamilyHistory #OralHistory #LookingToTheSky
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    6 min
  • Episode 120: 1965-08-16 | Next Stop: Rucker

    Episode 120: 1965-08-16 | Next Stop: Rucker
    Aug 16 2025
    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. What’s Covered: - Popi’s update from Vinh Long and news of his next post - The evolution of Fort Rucker into the Army Aviation Center - How helicopter warfare transformed military tactics during Vietnam - The role of training in adapting to a new kind of combat - Reflections on this being the final letter in the chronological collection 📷 Featured Photo: A dreamlike shot of an early morning flight line—helicopters and planes parked on the tarmac as the sun rises. Some men walk in the distance. Perhaps this was the kind of view Popi saw on one of his final mornings in-country. 🔔 If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe! I’ll be posting new episodes regularly, sharing letters and stories from exactly 60 years ago, as written by my grandfather. Follow Dearest Suzie on social media: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1GwqPyO061k0iaQRKwfjoQ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dearestsuziepodcast/ X: https://x.com/DearestSuziePod TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dearestsuziepodcast 📧 Have a story to share or want to reach out? Email me at dearestsuziepodcast@gmail.com — I’d love to hear from you! VietnamWar #FortRucker #ArmyAviation #HelicopterPilot #MilitaryHistory #WarLetters #InheritTheStories #FamilyHistory #OralHistory
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    7 min
  • Episode 119: 1965-08-13 | A Too-Small Tablecloth

    Episode 119: 1965-08-13 | A Too-Small Tablecloth
    Aug 13 2025
    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. What’s Covered: - Bill’s R&R in Saigon and frustration with delayed orders - His visits with Irish Catholic nuns raising money for an orphanage - Souvenir shopping as a ritual of return - Quiet reflections on nearing the end of a year-long deployment 📷 Featured Photo: A woman stands in the foreground of a storefront display filled with candle holders, porcelain vases, and mother-of-pearl jewelry boxes—just like the ones Mema kept for decades. 🔔 If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe! I’ll be posting new episodes regularly, sharing letters and stories from exactly 60 years ago, as written by my grandfather. Follow Dearest Suzie on social media: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1GwqPyO061k0iaQRKwfjoQ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dearestsuziepodcast/ X: https://x.com/DearestSuziePod TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dearestsuziepodcast 📧 Have a story to share or want to reach out? Email me at dearestsuziepodcast@gmail.com — I’d love to hear from you! VietnamWar #SouvenirsOfWar #IrishNuns #SaigonStories #MilitaryHistory #WarLetters #InheritTheStories #DearestSuzie #FamilyHistory #OralHistory
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    7 min
  • Episode 118: 1965-08-09 | Packing Out

    Episode 118: 1965-08-09 | Packing Out
    Aug 9 2025
    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. What’s Covered: - Bill’s reflections on returning to Vinh Long and beginning the process of packing up - The history and meaning of “packing out” across different wars - How souvenirs become emotional touchstones of a soldier’s service - The small, personal ways Popi tried to prepare for homecoming 📷 Featured Photo: A bustling Vietnamese street. In the center, Popi—cigarette in mouth—helps load a large blue trunk onto the back of a jeep. A moment of quiet logistics, perhaps the very trunk he hopes to open at home with Suzie by his side. 🔔 If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe! I’ll be posting new episodes regularly, sharing letters and stories from exactly 60 years ago, as written by my grandfather. Follow Dearest Suzie on social media: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1GwqPyO061k0iaQRKwfjoQ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dearestsuziepodcast/ X: https://x.com/DearestSuziePod TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dearestsuziepodcast 📧 Have a story to share or want to reach out? Email me at dearestsuziepodcast@gmail.com — I’d love to hear from you! VietnamWar #LettersHome #PackingOut #VietnamHistory #MilitaryHistory #WarLetters #InheritTheStories #DearestSuzie #FamilyHistory #OralHistory
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    7 min
  • Episode 117: 1965-08-06 | Not Meant to Live in Ink

    Episode 117: 1965-08-06 | Not Meant to Live in Ink
    Aug 6 2025
    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. What’s Covered: - Bill’s letter from August 6, written in four different ink colors - Reflections on the everyday details that mark the end of a long deployment - The emotional weight of unsent stories and memories left unspoken - A grandson’s reflection on what gets remembered and what doesn’t 📷 Featured Photo: A street scene in a Vietnamese town. Bicycles, puddles, shop signs, and a barefoot child fill the frame. Perhaps this was the corner where Popi found his pen. 🔔 If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe! I’ll be posting new episodes regularly, sharing letters and stories from exactly 60 years ago, as written by my grandfather. Follow Dearest Suzie on social media: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1GwqPyO061k0iaQRKwfjoQ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dearestsuziepodcast/ X: https://x.com/DearestSuziePod TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dearestsuziepodcast 📧 Have a story to share or want to reach out? Email me at dearestsuziepodcast@gmail.com — I’d love to hear from you! VietnamWar #LettersHome #FourColorPen #VietnamHistory #MilitaryHistory #WarLetters #InheritTheStories #DearestSuzie #FamilyHistory #OralHistory
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    6 min
  • Episode 116: 1965-08-02 | Waiting to Write

    Episode 116: 1965-08-02 | Waiting to Write
    Aug 2 2025
    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. What’s Covered: - Bill’s frustration over delayed orders and trouble writing from the field - The broadcast that shocked America: CBS films the destruction of Cam Ne - Operation Starlite and the growing complexity of combat - Shifting draft policies and the expanding reach of the war 📷 Featured Photo: ARVN troops relax at a training range, red bandanas tied around their necks, helmets resting nearby, with sandbags stacked behind them. A quiet moment of calm before war resumed its pace. 🔔 If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe! I’ll be posting new episodes regularly, sharing letters and stories from exactly 60 years ago, as written by my grandfather. Follow Dearest Suzie on social media: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1GwqPyO061k0iaQRKwfjoQ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dearestsuziepodcast/ X: https://x.com/DearestSuziePod TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dearestsuziepodcast 📧 Have a story to share or want to reach out? Email me at dearestsuziepodcast@gmail.com — I’d love to hear from you! VietnamWar #CamNe #OperationStarlite #MilitaryHistory #WarLetters #InheritTheStories #DearestSuzie #FamilyHistory #OralHistory
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    6 min