My Favorite Vietnam Veterans
March 29 is National Vietnam Veterans Day
Today is National Vietnam Veterans Day. Commemorated for over a decade now, it coincides with the day in 1973 when the final combat troops and POWs left Vietnam.
Though the Paris Peace Accords—signed in January 1973—were essentially a smoke-and-mirrors ploy by the U.S., the agreement did allow American families to breathe a sigh of relief at the return of their loved ones, including POWs.
Last year, I wrote an overview of the holiday. This year, I want to highlight a few of the veterans who have meant the most to me over my decade of research and writing.
My Favorite Veterans
Major James L. Rabdau
One of my earliest “Stories of Vietnam” posts was about my Uncle Jim’s experience at Loc Ninh. In his 24 years in the Army, he served in the Rangers, Airborne, and Special Forces in many capacities and theaters, including three tours in Vietnam.
That story, though heart-rending, was a joy to write because I had his first-hand account to work from and I felt as if I could almost hear his voice telling the story.
I was also inspired by his retirement job at Ore-Ida Foods where he took on a new battle: fighting in the male-dominated sports world to created world-renown Women's Challenge Cycling Race.
Additionally, he visited elementary schools to share his military experiences and life philosophy with kids. He had a clear message for them, which his sister, my Aunt Yvonne, painted for a Vietnam Veterans commemoration in Arizona last year:
My Veterans Day Wish for You
That you make your quest for knowledge a lifetime adventure.
That you serve your community and country in a positive and meaningful way.
That you treat your fellow life travelers with consideration and respect.
That you always do your best, and always, always do the right thing.
James L. Rabdau
USA Special Forces Retired
Read the full post of Skirmish at Loc Ninh (July 11, 2023 Substack post).
Jim Brown
Though most of my Vietnam writing took place during a headlong rush through a MFA program at the Solstice MFA Program in Boston, my journey began a year earlier in the little town of Glens Falls, N.Y.
It was my good fortune that the library there held a Veterans Day book discussion of Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried. At that meeting, I noticed that there were only two of us who had integrated our Vietnam experiences.
Afterward, I approached Marine Corp veteran Jim Brown and asked if we could meet for coffee. Thus began a friendship in which he shared his insight and experiences about Vietnam, from both during and after the war.
I can honestly say that my writing would not have been the same with out him. In November 2013, I wrote a Kat Adventures blog about the impact his words had on me.
John Granfors
One of my initial barriers to writing about Vietnam was the recognition that so many, many men had endured so much hardship and I did not want to appear to be usurping the subject of the war for my own gain.
Thus it was that I traveled to the Vietnam Memorial Wall in August 2014 to pay my respects and, in some way, gain a sense of permission.
I walked down the path next to the black wall, and came upon a veteran scanning the rows of names. The image was poignant and I snapped a picture. Afterward, I ran to catch up with him to ask if it was okay for me to use the photo.
“People can’t forget,” he said. “They have to remember. There’re a lot of names on that wall.”
After I shared what I was doing, he thanked me and we shook hands. I felt greatly relieved—I had received the blessing I had been so earnestly seeking.
Listen to “In Honor of Those Who Served,” in this video. (6:00)
Do you know any Vietnam veterans? I hope you’ll take a moment today or soon to reach and say, “Happy Vietnam Veterans Day.”
Until next time,
Kat
About “Stories of Vietnam”
Stories of Vietnam is a weekly newsletter that features a wide variety of Vietnam stories.
My interest in such stories springs from the fact that I spent most of my third-grade year “in-country” in 1974-75 and was evacuated out just a few weeks before the Fall of Saigon. I wrote a book about it.
