A Grateful Milestone

A little horn-tooting for my first anniversary

I don’t often toot my own horn, but this week marks one year since I began publishing these “Stories of Vietnam” and I have to say I’m feeling good about being in the top five percent of substack writers, longevity-wise.

I began writing these weekly stories to share—and explore more deeply—the family moments and the historical instances touched upon in For the Love of Vietnam: a war, a family, a CIA official, and the best evacuation story ever heard.

My dad and I on Vung Tau Beach, 1974

As one of the few American children in Vietnam in the year leading up to the Fall of Saigon, I’ve found myself in the unique place to write on the Vietnam Era though I was only a third grader at the time.

For years I ignored others’ urging that I “should write about Vietnam,” but in 2012 after one unexpectedly compelling conversation, I took up the challenge and got myself a black-covered spiral-bound notebook; I would start exploring this concept.

To write of Vietnam seems a hubris . . . yet I get waves of goosebumps as I write this.
~August 12, 2012

(For those who downplay “just journaling”—take note, I never would have found the courage to continue had I not had my private pages to wrestle on first.)

It has not always been an easy road to travel, this journey of excavating memories, conducting historical research, and writing as clearly as possible about one of our country’s most difficult periods.

Your support and kindness have urged me on my way. For instance, one reader commented on my introduction:

Love, love, love this work. Thank you for the gifts you offer to the world.

Last month, I received an email that was especially heartening as it allowed all of who I am—from the funny, quirkiness of Kat Mandu to the deadly seriousness of Vietnam stories.

It was from a new friend and fellow writer, Steve Trimm (Walking Wounded: Men’s Lives During and Since the Vietnam War):

Dear Kat,

I have read and now own copies of Kat Mandu's Holistic Advertising Agency and For The Love Of Vietnam.

Your writing is so much more than "good!" The word I'd pick to describe your skill as a storyteller is '“wonderous.”

Fiction or nonfiction, your work leaves me full of wonder at the depth of your talent.

As I read Kat Mandu, I was always smiling and, full disclosure, often chuckling.

Reading Vietnam, I felt as if I was being granted the privilege of learning the name of one of the men resting within the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers.

I am so glad that our paths have crossed . . .

Steve Trimm

And now we are just 43 weeks out from the 50th Anniversary of the Fall of Saigon.

For years, I have seen April 30, 2025, as a milestone for my Vietnam writing. What exactly that will look like and what it means for the future of this newsletter remains to be seen. For now, I’m grateful for everyone who has been touched by and supported this effort. Thank you.

Until next time,
Kat

Paperback is available through Bookshop.org (supports local bookstores) or Amazon (ebook also an option).

Writers thrive on connection with their readers—and on monetary support too. Consider becoming a paid subscriber if you like Stories of Vietnam. You’ll receive weekly emails of “Stories of Vietnam” through June 2025. These unique stories offer a historical and personal glimpse into the Vietnam Era as we approach the 50th Anniversary of the End of the Vietnam War.

Kat-Fitzpatrick.com.