A Very Short Note About Kindness
From a note about my father, James E. Welch
Thirty-two years ago today, my father, James E. Welch—the CIA operative who orchestrated the evacuation of nearly 1000 South Vietnamese at the end of the Vietnam War—passed away from cancer of the throat.
The month after his death, a friend of his wrote to my Aunt Jean:
In honor of this anniversary of his passing, I am keeping this post very short so as to highlight the phrase that seems worth repeating.
The one that describes his long-enduring patience and positive equanimity:
“. . . he believed everyone better than they were and to be forgiven all.”
Original note:
Until next time—please do take care,
Kat
^_^
For anyone new to my 2023 publication, For the Love of Vietnam: a war, a family, a CIA official, and the best evacuation story never heard. click here for a synopsis and a note about how I tell the distinctly different stories of :
how my father ended up in Vietnam running a propaganda radio station beginning in 1972,
our family life blended with historical context from July 1974-April 1975, and
the incredible evacuation of 1000 South Vietnamese that my father orchestrated in late April 1975.
If you already have a copy, consider buying one for a local library or high school teacher! The more people who are thinking about the 50-year anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War, the better.
So beautiful to read, Kat. And now I know where you get YOUR kindness from... Appreciating both, very much. xxx
Kat, thank you. Very well received, and very much appreciated. Time has mellowed much of the emotion around such remembrances, but your short note rekindled a spark within me, and left me with a lump in my throat and a smile on my face. Aloha!