About "Stories of Vietnam"
Nearly 50 years ago, we lost a war. But "Vietnam" isn't a war, it's a wealth of stories.
Welcome to Stories of Vietnam.
Hello, my name is Kat Fitzpatrick and I am here to share with you a unique panorama of stories about Vietnam. Stories from the country, stories from the time of war, and stories that might expand our horizons.
This journey began for me long ago when my family first moved to what was, at that time, a “benighted country.” I was just a child . . .
The Welch siblings, (l-r) Chris, Jimmy, Kim, Mikey, Me, Michelle, John.
Saigon, 1974
This year marks the 50th anniversary of that move. We left the safe haven of Taiwan to join my father in Saigon. He had typed a letter to me in anticipation of the fun we would have together.
We’d been separated for two years and we were eager to be reunited. The Vietnam War was supposed to be over and so, as they say, it seemed like a good idea at the time.
We know now that it wasn’t really. A good idea. But the happenstance of my family living in the hotspot of Saigon for 10 months before the calamitous fall of the country in April 1975 has given rise to my taking a long, hard look at that time in our history.
What has resulted—after a decade’s research and cogitation—is a creative nonfiction book, For the Love of Vietnam: a war, a family, a CIA officer, and the best evacuation story never heard. The soft launch of this book will take place this summer.
I say soft launch because I envision this first version to be a stepping-stone to a second more robust edition that will include others’ stories of Vietnam as well.
I came up with this plan because I have noticed that, almost invariably, the subject of Vietnam ignites a spark in conversations. The space created in those moments of sharing has often felt very healing and I am moved to expand that possibility into the realm of the written word.
I hope to hear from people from all walks of life—from veterans to families of veterans, from “peace-niks” and protestors, from Vietnamese and Vietnamese-Americans, from young people who have questions, and, even perhaps, from travelers with rich, new tales of the country.
Vietnam is a subject that remains alive in us in a way that is almost inexplicable. As one of my father’s colleagues wrote after a 1988 phone conversation:
“[after hearing your voice] . . . all Vietnam came flooding back. I thought all that had been buried under the overburden of the intervening years, but all those events remain closer to the surface than I suspected. I wonder why memories of that benighted country and that fumbled war remain so intense?
Yes, the subject of Vietnam has been a difficult one for our country. We have stumbled. A lot. Perhaps with more storytelling, we might find that all we have been loathe to face can become the place from which we can start again.
Where you stumble, there lies your treasure. The very cave you are afraid to enter turns out to be the source of what you are looking for. The damned thing in the cave that was so dreaded has become the center.” ~Joseph Campbell
On April 30, 2025, we will hit the milestone of the 50th Anniversary of the Fall of Saigon. Between now and then, here on Substack and through online and in-person workshops, I look forward to exploring these Stories of Vietnam with you.
Wow, Kat! Love, love, love this work. Thank you for the gifts you offer to the world.
So proud of you dear Cousin....your work is already amazing....I hope this new venue will be welcomed by many....let the sharing and healing begin.