"Operation" Moth Radio Hour

Can I get your vote?

Sunrise, 2014—Early in my Vietnam writing years.

I’m seeking your input. This morning I’ve recorded four short (about 1:00) audio clips that feature stories from my childhood.

I’m often surprised by how deeply people connect with these stories.

Being so close to one’s own tales, it’s often difficult to see which have the most merit.

Which story do you think would make the best “full-length” tale on The Moth Radio Hour?

If you are willing to lend me a hand at deciding, simply comment with the story number.

Story #1 Tunnel to Safety

. . . in which I find my father drilling a hole in the wall . . .

Story #2 Dancing in my Father’s Footsteps

. . . in which I get to dance with my dad, perched on his leather shoes.

Story #3 A Surviving Guilt

. . . in which I realize the pain I’ve carried for decades.

Story #4 On Being Welcomed “Home”

In which meeting a Vietnamese neighbor changes a house to a home.

These recordings were inspired by a post that I wrote ten years ago yesterday. When I read over it, I realized that I had told some stories fully, but they seemed to be calling for re-telling, and perhaps in new ways.

Stories of Vietnam Blog for September 6, 2014 | Edited slightly for readability 9-7-24

Just the first part of the proposed flight.

I bought tickets to Ho Chi Minh City yesterday and it rocked my world. 

For someone who has lived in Korea, Taiwan, and Vietnam; spent time in England, Europe, China, and Mexico; been to or through every state in the union except for South Carolina and Alaska; and driven across the U.S. four times (once solo), this would not seem all that monumental. 

However, it is. 

On this trip will be overlaying the realm of pure memory with the sensations of bodily memory. On my trip to Washington, D.C. last month, I felt a sense of recognition that could only be chalked up to a visceral, subconscious connection: I had been born and raised until age four in that area and something in my body knew it.

• What will happen in Saigon? 

• Will the whispers of half-remembered truths find their way to my ears? 

• Will my knees tremble as they must have when I witnessed artillery fire on the skies' edge at the age of eight? 

• Will I see the shadows of my family in the crowds? 

Time will tell.

And here, in “Stories of Vietnam,” so will I.

Thanks so much for reading and listening. I began on this mission to explore and write about these stories in 2012 and as the 50th Anniversary of the Fall of Saigon approaches, I feel as if I’m on the homestretch.

Your participation in this sharing means the world to me. I look forward to hearing what you think.

Until next time,
Kat

About me: I began “Stories of Vietnam” to share a unique panorama of stories about Vietnam, many of them from my own childhood and family. In addition to this weekly newsletter, I have written a narrative nonfiction book, to foster and interest in the Vietnam era. The paperback is available through Bookshop.org (which supports local bookstores) or on Amazon, where an ebook purchase is also an option).

Kat-Fitzpatrick.com.