Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Becoming Politicized


(Continued from Saturday . . . )
My involvement in the Vietnam War protest began, as I explained on Saturday, while having lunch in Coffman Center at the University of Minnesota in 1970. However, it was four years earlier, in the spring of 1966, that I first learned about the entry of US military personnel into Vietnam.
            Still in the convent and teaching high school students in Baileyville, Kansas, I met Sam, a young Quaker. He taught social studies and history; I, literature and journalism. Together we directed the seniors in three plays. During lulls in play practices Sam shared news of the wider world with me. He looked askance at how the convent didn’t permit nuns to learn the news of the day.
            It was Sam who explained the whole history of our escalating involvement in Vietnam. He spoke of France and its colonization of French Indochina and of the siege of Dienbienphu in 1954—the year I graduated from high school.


            Throughout the spring of 1966, I learned more. Sam spoke of the Vietnamese peasants, Ho Chi Minh, the Viet Cong, guerrilla warfare. He detailed how the U.S. first got involved as “special advisors.” He explained “containment” and the “Domino Theory” of John Foster Dulles.
            One afternoon after classes ended for the day, Sam used a map to point out the 17th Parallel and the Gulf of Tonkin. He gave me a detailed history lesson: France leaving Vietnam in 1956; the use, by the US Air Force, of Agent Orange to defoliate the jungles so as to expose the Viet Cong; the arrival, in 1965, of the first US combat troops.
            By the time I left Baileyville in May 1966, I balked at our telling the Vietnamese people how they were to live or who was to govern them. By the following January, I was out of the convent and watching national news on television and reading editorials, newspapers, and news magazines.
            As the months passed, I observed, with great confusion, the unfolding story of Vietnam. What General Westmoreland, the politicians, and the president told the American people didn’t reflect what Sam had told me. An extremely intelligent man, he had a firm grasp of history.
            After leaving the convent, I’d checked his facts about French Indochina and its history in the 1940s, 1950s, and early 1960s. He’d been accurate in his portrayal of what had happened between France and the Vietnamese and how and why the United States got involved. 
            Slowly I realized that the president and Congress could and would lie to the American people. Or at least render the truth unclear and unintelligible to the citizens of our country. In today’s terminology, they’d “spin” the news.
            Soon I branched out to learn the differing views on the war. I did this by reading various magazines that were either right or left of our involvement. I quickly learned that what one read, what one watched on television, and what one listened to on radio was a strong influence on how one believed. To achieve a balanced view, I realized, a person had to examine both sides of any issue. That was a new thought for me. Up to then, I had simplistically believed that most issues or news stories had only one side.
            More and more I was becoming politicized. Still, I did little about my beliefs. Two friends I soon met did. I’ll introduce you to them in Saturday’s posting.
                                                (Continued on Saturday . . . )
Map from Wikipiki.           


61 comments:

  1. Wow! You went from knowing nothing to knowing much more than the average citizen of that day did. I look forward to hearing about your two new friends. Oh, and have a bit of chocolate today, to join those of us who use any excuse to indulge! :-)

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  2. Dear DJan,
    Sam was a natural born teacher! You and I both take delight in researching, so I was in my element finding out all I could about the history of French Indochina and the Vietnamese people.

    And yes, I am going to have chocolate today. I'm going out to lunch with my brother and sister-in-law and then perhaps to the movies. If we do that, I'm going to have something chocolate instead of my usual hot-buttered popcorn. On second thought, maybe I'll have both!!!

    Peace.

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  3. Gosh, what a journey you went on, Dee, from complete ignorance to a well-informed, intelligent grasp of the issues. How lucky you were to have met such a good and committed teacher to open your eyes to the situation and help you understand it.

    This series of posts is so interesting to someone who watched it all from afar back then.

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    1. Dear Perpetua,
      As I responded to DJan in the comment above, Sam was a fine teacher and he had a student hungry for news of the outside world.

      I'm pleased you are enjoying this series of posts. They represent me at a much younger age. In the past few years I've not gotten involved in anything at all!
      Sort of a couch potato.

      Peace.

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  4. It's a big day when the scales drop from our eyes and we see what men might do in their own interests, Dee. I look forward to Saturday's post!

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  5. Dear Kate,
    A big day indeed. For me it was such a gradual dawning of realization. And then, the truth is, I became jaded about politics and government. Now when I listen to everything said by politicians, it's "with a grain of salt." (I'm not sure what that expression really means or how it got started, but I'd love to read a posting on that from you. Your explorations always intrigue me.)

    Peace.

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  6. Very interesting and insightful. My daughter-in-law just presented with Noam Chomsky at Harvard this past Sunday. I haven't watched the entire live feed yet, but I hope to soon. She is PhD candidate whose dissertation is on student movements. She did her research in Bangladesh, but she is very versed on what you write about here. She teaches a course on this very topic.

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    1. Dear Sally,
      Thank you for sharing the work being done by your daughter-in-law. My, to be doing something with Noam Chomsky! Her dissertation subject is of great interest to me. There have been, as we all know, student movements throughout the world and they have brought great change. (Or so it seems to me.) I'm wondering what her thesis/theory is about these movements. I'd so like to take a course from her.

      Peace.

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  7. I'm looking forward to Saturday's post! I've learned so much from you. I've never been one to enjoy history. It was one of my worst subjects...now I feel like re-learning what I learned in school...and I can't wait to do that with Peanut.

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    1. Dear Stephanie,
      I can just see you sharing these days with Peanut as she grows older and begins to ask questions: Why? What? When? Where? I'm sure you're answers will help clarify for her the confusion that all the news media presents to us.

      Peace.

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  8. Yes, indeed, politicians lied back then too. I have so many questions about responsibility for this. Are we the people responsible? We do elect them, after all. But how is one to know who to pick? The current group of republican presidential candidates are very transparent, but Kennedy? The hero president of our youth? War is such a tragedy. All the lives lost in Vietnam, all the veterans who came back so damaged. I knew many troubled souls back then and have met some who live around here, a bit younger than I, their minds still disturbed.

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    1. Dear Inger,
      I can hear your heart-cry in the words of your comment. A deep down sadness that I share. Many Veterans returned from Vietnam damaged in body and soul and spirit and mind. And now they return from Iraq and Afghanistan the same way. When will we learn? When will those who send them to those far places learn? I think we need a cabinet of peace. Someone who stands behind the president's chair always to whisper, "Let us work for peace."

      Peace.

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  9. Dee, you bring back so many memories of that time. I was with my first serious boyfriend. A young man from Rochester, Minnesota who was the first person I met who was seriously against the 'action' in Vietnam. At that time he was working for Senator Walter Mondale. Tom was very intelligent and like your teacher Sam, was well informed about the history of the people of Vietnam and the history of the U.S. involvement in the politics of that country. That was the same year, 1965, that David Halberstam published his book "The Making of a Quagmire", which had my father in an uproar. It was a long hard struggle to get people to realize how foolish, wrong, and tragic our involvement there was but there were many of us who worked very hard to change things. Unfortunately, in the madness that this war provoked, the soldiers that went off to do battle were killed on the field and treated abominably when they got home. No one came out of Viet Nam looking good...

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    1. Dear Broad,
      Thank you for sharing your memories of that difficult time. I never read Halberstam's book and I plan on looking for it in the library. Thank you for mentioning it.

      I lived in Minnesota for 38 years. Walter Mondale is a dear man. A man of great integrity.

      I encourage you to think about doing some posting of your life during this time. I'd be so interested in learning about Tom and how you "worked very hard to change things." We need to share these stories and support one's another's commitments.

      Peace.

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  10. Dee, I am just relishing tis particular part of your journey. I have a little post brewing to share at some point about the time Jane Fonda came on my college campus. It is a very light memory for a deeply troubling, turbulent and costly time in our history. I think those of us who grew up literally eating our dinner to news coverage of the horrible news footage of that time have been forever affected. I so appreciate your recollections on "spin" and I, too, listen to a wide array of voices when attempting to discern the truth. Our political barometers are not easily trusted! I will eagerly tune in for the next installment. Debra

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    1. Dear Debra,
      I look forward eagerly to your posting about Jane Fonda's visit. Your comment here is so vivid in its detail that it brought back to me--like a photograph--the sitting in front of the television and watching that "horrible news footage."

      Peace.

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  11. "Slowly I realized that the president and Congress could and would lie to the American people."

    Over and over and over.

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    1. Dear Michelle,
      Yes. Over and over and over.

      Peace.

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  12. I grew up in the time that FDR was ALWAYS the President. My parents never doubted his honesty or good faith. They taught us that he was a "saint". I have since learned some less than perfect things about him, such as his refusal to allow a boatful of refugees from Hitler's Germany to land on our shores. We need to know everything we can about our leaders!

    PS--Have BOTH the chocolate & the popcorn!

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    1. Dear Fishducky,
      Wasn't that refusal by FDR the basis for Katherine Porter's book "A Ship of Fools"?
      Like you, I was taught that FDR was a saint. Only later did "some less than perfect things" come out about him. Somehow I find myself accepting the humanity of others if they will only not lie about their flaws or not try to act as it they are special because they have these flaws. The lying, the deceit, the arrogance, the self-righteousness simply drive me up a wall!

      Peace.

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  13. Dee, I've been thinking a lot about this post and remembering how I as an English girl (at university without TV) learned about the Vietnam war and the protests. I recall that one way was was listening to the protest singers, among them probably my favourite - Tom Paxton. This Youtube clip has one of his Vietnam songs as part of a French film against the war made in 1967.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQqapCkf4Uc

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    1. Dear Perpetua,
      Thank you for sending that Tom Paxton song. I had forgotten it. Like you, I learned a lot from the protest singers. I didn't hear any songs protesting the US involvement in Iraq or Afghanistan. But then I don't listen to radio much any more. So perhaps there were protest songs and I missed them.

      Peace.

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    2. I haven't heard any either, Dee. There was a big protest march in the UK right at the beginning of the Iraq involvement, but I've heard of nothing much since. I wonder whether the lack of protest in the US is because there has been no draft, unlike Vietnam? In these two conflicts only the regular military forces have been involved and also both of them are post 9/11 and the world changed for the US on that day.

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  14. Dee, does this account of yours ever bring back those memories and feelings of that era! It was a energized time for a lot of us young people. Coming from a university town we had a pretty good idea of what really was happening in Vietnam. I protested along with a lot of other people. Looking back I can see that that time in history was directly effected by and changed mostly by the youth of the day who did not want to 'put up with' the 'old ways' that were disintegrating around them.

    That time changed me for the better I feel and I see that it did you as well.

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    1. Dear Ed,
      I'm glad these posting are bringing back memories that you can be proud of. Proud that you were part of those who recognized that the war was a tragedy.

      LIke you, I do think that those times changed me also. Staying true to that young woman I was is important. That's what I need to remember.

      Peace.

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  15. The government has become more than adept at spinning anything and everything. They don't seem to know how to do much else anymore. I agree with you on getting more than one viewpoint. But back then I didn't know that. You were ahead of most of us. :)

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    1. Dear Rita,
      I suspect you knew that then. I bet you are underselling your memory. You were so involved and you care so deeply. I may have been ahead on some things, but on others I was so behind.

      Peace.

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  16. 'To achieve a balanced view, I realized, a person had to examine both sides of any issue.

    How right you were. I try and continue to do that, particularly in areas where my opinions/beliefs have settled. I have found that firm beliefs can be dangerous, except for those that empower others.

    Thank you. As always a wonderful post.

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    1. Dear EC,
      What a good point you bring up.That firm beliefs can be dangerous except when they empower others to realize their potential. Thank heavens that my friends help me stop and listen to myself so that I know that I need to examine my opinions.

      Peace.

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  17. The more I read about you, the more you amaze me Dee.
    Our thoughts and believes can change when we learn both sides of any story or theory. Only then can we decide for ourselves what we truly believe.
    Hugs,
    Pam :)

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    1. Dear Pam,
      It's so true that we need to examine both sides of issues. Then we can make an informed decision. That's what I'm trying to do as I make my decision, at age 75, as to whether staying here in Missouri would be best for me or moving back to Minnesota. The decision is difficult and even though I'm collecting information about both possibilities, I haven't found the golden key to unlock my conundrum. Send some good Florida vibes my way!

      Peace.

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  18. The Vietnam War, the "never"-ending war. I remember holding my first child in my arms watching the world news and all the reports of casualties on both sides and thinking, no, my son will"never" go to war, "never, never". Now we are engaged in another "never-ending war", and the beat goes on.

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    1. Dear Arleen,
      That does seem to be the song--"And the beat goes on." More and more I've foiund myself humming the songs of the late '60s and early '77s. Joan Baez and Pete Seeger especially.

      Peace.

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  19. same story is playing out today. the roles haven't changed much, just the faces. it is a worthwhile walk you are taking us on. thank you. looking forward to the next part, as good as it gets for storytelling.

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    1. Dear Ed,
      Thank you for your kind words about my storytelling. I'm Irish and so my family and I have always told stories. I'm noted though for being "long winded"! That's something I try to watch when posting, but often the words keep coming and I end up with longer posts then I planned. And yes, the roles haven't changed much, just the faces.

      Peace.

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  20. It was not until many many years after the Vietnam Ward had ended did I understand the evolution. How much do I even understand about today's world?

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    1. Dear Susan,
      That's what I wonder also. "How much do I even understand about today's world?"
      So much media that seems to say so little. And so few really reporting by investigating the facts behind the story.

      Peace.

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  21. Sam sounds like an amazing man.

    The Vietnam War is so interesting to me. When I went to meet a bunch of vets last September, it was unreal. They'd all served with my uncle who died in the war. The things they went through . . . and survived. I can't even comprehend.

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    1. Dear Elisa,
      I lived through the protest days, but I never went to war and so I, too, can't even comprehend what it was like.

      When I left the convent, a friend gave me a card with these words on it: "To understand is to stand under, which is to look up to, which is a good way to understand." I think that applies here.

      Peace.

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  22. It's great that you had someone to explain the history of that area to you. Where is Baileyville? I've never heard of it. I was born in Hutchinson and grew up in Topeka.

    Love,
    Janie

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    1. Dear Janie,
      Baileyville is in north central Kansas, up toward the Nebraska border. It's close to Seneca, Kansas.

      Peace.

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  23. Dear Dee,

    I have finally caught up on your posts and have been engrossed in your story of emerging activism. Your writing is brilliant, poignant, truthful and, as always makes me think and want to dig deeper.

    You say it so well when you write "To achieve a balanced view, I realized, a person had to examine both sides of any issue". This is something I try to do with the political discourse, as we now see it, but it is so hard at times to see what the real issues are, isn't it?

    What surprised me, still does, is the lack of protesting as we went into Iraq. I kept saying, where are they? where are the questioners? Why are the masses believing this? Ah, I go on and don't mean to, Dee. I'm a much quieter activist than you. You amaze me.

    Good luck with your writing. We do what we need to when the time comes. I'll enjoy your posts, whenever they come.

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    1. Dear Penny,
      Thank you for your kind words about my writing. As you know, I find your writing so gentle and lyrical. When I get behind in reading, I always want to read all your posts because of that!

      And yes, it is hard at times to see the real issues. I'm sure I fail to do that much of the time.

      In my response to Perpetua's comment, I, too, mentioned that I was surprised that there was no protesting when we went into Iraq. I wonder what is happening with the Occupy Protest. The news media doesn't say much about it now.

      Peace.

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  24. So many people either cling to their side(which of course they know to be the RIGHT side)of the argument, or waver back & forth according to whom they last spoke to or what program they last watched. It seems you actually became well-informed. No matter whether someone agrees with my point of view or not, I always value a discussion with someone who actually knows the history behind what they are talking about.

    So many people will talk at you or for you or past you, but not to you.~Mary

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    1. Dear Mary,
      That's how I feel also. I respect opinions that are well reasoned and thought out and informed. That's how I hope my opinions are. But sometimes, I just spout of with no knowledge, only emotion!

      Peace.

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  25. I'm a firm believer that there are two sides to every story. Educating yourself is the best way to find the truth and usually somewhere in the middle is where that truth lies.

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    1. Dear Melyda,
      Yes, that middle place is one most of us have a hard time finding. I often am far left of many views and have to learn to be moderate so as to achieve some understanding with others.

      You must be having a "good eye" day, Melynda. I'm so glad.

      Peace.

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  26. Quite evidently, you have always possessed an enquiring mind, Dee and have felt a natural inclination to delve deeply in the name of truth. Admirable qualities that have stood the test of time for you. The more you reveal of the inner musings of your mind and how you view not only your own position in this world, but that of everyone else, the more I admire who you are and what you stand for. I am so glad you are going to pursue this driving desire of yours to write, write, write! You have much to share in the way of personal, direct experience and in your exacting observations and study of human nature and, indeed, life. You really are SOMETHING (or should I say SOMEONE!), Dee!!!

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  27. Dear Des,
    What a dear you are. Your admiration for my writing and my life amazes me. All my life, I've been stumbling through the years, making mistakes, getting lost in the maze, ignoring my inner voice, and refusing to listen to my body.

    Slowly. Ever so slowly, I am beginning to recognize and acknowledge the intuitions within. I'll probably bumble along until my death--as do we all--but I'm feeling much more content with who I am today.

    After I complete this series on social justice, I'm going back to my childhood so as to explain why I've had so little self-confidence all my life.

    Peace.

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    1. Yes, Dee. I think you have it quite right. The majority of us do "stumble" and "bumble along" until we have some sort of revelation in life, either directly or indirectly. We all make mistakes, get "lost in the maze", ignore our intuition and pretend that we will live forever. When we realize that life is, indeed, fleeting and temporary, I think only then are we fully ready to make the connection.

      I am a firm believer in intuition. It is a powerful guiding force, yet we often selectively choose to ignore it. Why? I guess because we're just human!

      I don't know why you are still amazed at the reception with which your writing is met, Dee. Look at all your "new" followers and the healthy discussions generated by their comments to you. If that is not affirmation of your worth and value, and the significance of your life in the bigger picture, then I don't know what is!

      Big hug xoxo

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  28. It is the ability to learn to read in other languages and see media from non American journalists that will open up a person's understanding to many sides of events. Sadly wealth plays a huge role in the control of what one can access and our freedom in that area is already being monitored . Wiki Leaks is and example of a group of intelligent people realizing that secrecy is very harmful to the masses. And the control??

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    1. Dear Kleinste Motte,
      Unfortunately, I don't have that ability. I took French in college but didn't keep up with it afterward. So I'm sure that all the news I read is slanted. I'm sure that if I even read British papers I'd get a different slant on things. You've got me thinking now what I can do about this for myself.

      Peace.

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    2. Try the BBC news. Subscribe to feeds from other English nations. Get translated versions of magazines like PARIS MATCH or others. Does the library have foreign paper and magazines where you reside?

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    3. Dear Kleinste Motte,
      Thank you for suggesting things I might do to have a world view of the United States and what's happening here. I'll visit the library next week to see if they have translated versions. And I think that the BBC news is on PBS. I just have to find it.

      Peace.

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  29. In psychology, they say when we see arguments that counter our views, we try to turn a blind eye to it. I like how you researched both sides of the argument and to just truly educate yourself. Can't wait for Saturday's post.

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    1. Dear Sujana,
      I do try to do that, but sometimes I just can't see the other person's or other side's point of view and so I have to force myself to really listen and think hard about what might lie behind the words. The true meaning. And also, I get so tired of "sound bites." They mean nothing.

      Peace.

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  30. it is so sad to think that not much has changed. I'm certain that we are still being lied to about the various wars and 'police actions' we undertake in the world. I am also sad to know how much his three tours in Vietnam changed my father and his view of the world and, ultimately, killed him. He died three years ago of lung cancer (a life-long nonsmoker, nondrinker, Marine who was incredibly healthy), presumably caused by the Agent Orange he inhaled as his helicopter dumped it over the jungles in that gorgeous country.

    I am fascinated by this story and agree that you ought to seek publication. Your exhaustive research means that your stories are backed up with inescapable facts and your storytelling is captivating.

    Love to you.

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    1. Dear Kari,
      Thank you for sharing the story of your father. I had a neighbor who ultimately died probably because of Agent Orange just as with your father.

      You know I'm not sure what new material I'm going to write for publication. I keep wondering about some kind of memoir. Maybe something that wouldn't go through my life chronologically but in topics--such as teaching, being in the convent, working for social justice, growing up. I don't know. Any ideas?????

      Peace.

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  31. What an interesting series of posts! My parents had friends who had fought, and some died, in the Indochina war. I was pretty young then but I remember one of the veterans telling my dad that if it had not been for the US paying France starting in early 1950 and forcing them to fight the war would have been over much sooner. He had said that France had been obliged to stay there and that by late 1950 there were many American troops there as well working incognito. Later I heard that the US had been in Indochina in the early 1950s, years before the Vietnam war started but that no one in the US knew about it, so I guess my father’s friend was right. I like to learn all this history but at the same time it makes me so sad. Right now I am studying the history of Hawaii – how the US took it over by force really – also a very sad story.

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    1. Dear Vagabonde,
      It makes me sad too. What you heard you dad's friend say is interesting. The "Domino Theory" of John Foster Dulles probably explains our early presence in Indochina. It was the whole idea of containment of Communism. The fear, of course, was that if was country fell, another would and finally Communism would reach our shores.

      Peace.

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  32. What a blessing Sam was in your life, helping educate you, and in turn, fostering your desire to always know more about all subjects you are interested in.

    I am anxious to get to the next installment!

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