Time Only for a Short Note | April 21, 1975
"Must go Love--no answers now"
On April 21, 1975, my father, James E. Welch, hurriedly penned this note home to my mother in Idaho before flying, south away from the incoming North Vietnamese Army.
He finished with “more later,” but to the best of my knowledge, sent no further letters home that month. There was no time for that in the danger and uncertainty of the situation.
About me, curator of “Stories of Vietnam:”
Kat Fitzpatrick is a speaker and a writer (see list of upcoming events below). She was one of the few American dependents living in Saigon at the end of the Vietnam War (1975), the daughter of a CIA operative who worked in ultra-secret propaganda. Her first experience with writing was corresponding regularly with her father while he was away on assignment.
The spell of the writing life never released her and she earned two degrees—a Journalism, B.A. and a Creative Writing, M.F.A., and is the author of the 2023 narrative nonfiction book, For the Love of Vietnam: a war, a family, a CIA official, and the best evacuation story never heard.
Enter to win a free Kindle Copy of the book
Remember, you can enter the Goodreads Giveaway here. Fifty Kindle books given away in honor of the 50th Anniversary.
Upcoming Public Events:
4/30 — “Vietnam Stories” ~ Community Sharing led by Karen Kaiser and Kat Fitzpatrick, Adams Station Clubhouse, Delmar, NY, 6:30pm
05/1 — “Vietnam Stories” ~ Community Sharing led by Karen Kaiser and Kat Fitzpatrick, Round Lake Library, Malta Branch, NY, 6:30pm
05/15- Letters Home exhibit, NY State Museum (A family letter from the evacuation will be on display.)
6/4 - Slideshow Presentation with Karen Kaiser, Crandall Library, Glens Falls, NY, 1-2:30pm
6/28 – Arlington Commons Book Fair, Vermont, 10am-4pm | Presentation at 1:30pm