Echoes of the Vietnam War

Where There Is No Humanity

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Fri, 10 Apr 2026 15:01:40 +0000

From the rivers of the Mekong Delta to Jewish Theological Seminary to the rubble of the Beirut barracks bombing, Arnold Resnicoff has carried with him one teaching more than any other: "where there is no humanity, you be humanity."

The Machinery of Memory [5th Anniversary Special]

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Sun, 29 Mar 2026 14:19:10 +0000

Veterans of the Vietnam War came home carrying something they had no words for, and in many cases they never found any. And yet — decade after decade, one act of preservation at a time — people have refused to let their experiences disappear. And that refusal is its own kind of service.

A .45 and a Camera

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Wed, 18 Mar 2026 19:30:57 +0000

Within the Army, there was a small unit called DASPO — the Department of the Army Special Photographic Office — whose sole mission was to go into combat and document the war from the inside. Its men were trained as soldiers and they were trained as photographers. But preparing to do both at the same time? That was OJT (On-the-Job Training).

We sit down with Robert "Bob" Lafoon who was a DASPO photographer during the Vietnam War. You can see some of Bob's photos and other DASPO photographers on our website at https://www.vvmf.org/echoes/EP112/

Cover photo of SFC Howard Breedlove

Reconnaissance Man

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Fri, 20 Feb 2026 21:08:13 +0000

A retired Marine who served three tours in Vietnam. An investigative journalist racing against time. Seventy-six recording sessions and counting. In this episode, we bring you the story behind one granddaughter’s loving determination to capture an aging warrior's memories.

All Together Now

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Thu, 5 Feb 2026 21:14:19 +0000

In November 2025, Dave Mann flew to Vietnam, a country he'd felt hostile toward his entire life. He met sons and daughters of the enemy’s fallen, and he stood on the same ground where his father died in 1969. When he came home, Dave’s hostility had transformed into something different.

Carry That Weight

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 19:16:33 +0000

In May 1969, a 20-year-old farm boy from Illinois was killed at Dak To, just six weeks into his tour. He left behind a pregnant wife who would give birth to their son three months later. That son grew up angry, and he carried that weight a long time — 47 years — until he finally found a community to share it with.

Feeding the "Big Red One"

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Thu, 4 Dec 2025 21:31:22 +0000

In Vietnam, keeping our military force fed was a massive logistical undertaking. For infantry units operating in the field for weeks at a time, mess cooks had to set up kitchens in jungle clearings and find creative ways to refuel men exhausted by intense heat and constant danger. Dan Gooch was one of those cooks.

Mended Wings

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Mon, 17 Nov 2025 19:45:03 +0000

Helicopter pilots made up about 1.5% of the total service members in the Vietnam War, yet they represent about 4% of the total killed in action. In this episode, an Army aviator pays tribute to the generation of helicopter pilots who trained and inspired him.

The One-Way Ticket

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Wed, 29 Oct 2025 19:19:59 +0000

Ross Meador was just a 19-year-old kid with $500 and a one-way ticket to Vietnam, thinking he'd play with some kids for a few weeks before continuing his trip around the world. Instead, he found himself at the center of one of the most dramatic humanitarian evacuations in American history.

Understanding Robert McNamara

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Thu, 9 Oct 2025 20:33:50 +0000

Robert McNamara is one of the most polarizing figures in the history of the Vietnam War. A revealing new biography draws upon previously unseen personal papers, letters, and diaries to shed new light on one of the most consequential and tormented figures of his era.

The Fullest Possible Accounting (Part 2)

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Fri, 26 Sep 2025 20:45:57 +0000

In Part 1 of this two-part series we explored how families navigate the system designed to find America's missing warriors. This episode examines the hopes and the frustrations flowing from that continuing effort, questions about closure, what Vietnam MIA families should expect, and what they can do in the meantime.

The Fullest Possible Accounting (Part One)

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Fri, 12 Sep 2025 16:05:56 +0000

September 19 is National POW/MIA Recognition Day in the United States. In this two-part series, we'll explore what it means to be part of that ongoing story — the families who wait, the system created to find answers, and the private researchers who work to complement the government's efforts.

The Stories We Tell

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Thu, 28 Aug 2025 16:07:56 +0000

What happens when the stories we tell about war take on a life of their own? In this episode, a Vietnam veteran-turned-historian explores how memory, myth, and personal testimony have shaped America’s understanding of the Vietnam War and why resilience and truth matter as much as remembrance.

Standing in Their Blood

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Wed, 13 Aug 2025 19:28:36 +0000

Nurses like Sarah Blum spent their tours in Vietnam doing the unimaginable, accumulating and internalizing trauma that would surface over the decades that followed. In this episode, Sarah shares what it takes to do this work... and what it takes to heal.

Born From War

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Mon, 28 Jul 2025 13:57:33 +0000

We all have heard the proverb, "Like Father, Like Son." Patrick Naughton is a military historian and a combat veteran of the Global War on Terror. His father is a combat veteran of the Vietnam War. Patrick recently published his first book, in which he compares his father’s experience in Vietnam to his own experience in Iraq.

The Dead Stare

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Thu, 26 Jun 2025 11:00:00 +0000

Sometimes the most important thing isn't fixing someone's pain — it's simply being willing to sit with them while they endure it. As we draw near the end of National PTSD Awareness Month, we’ll find out how a tragic death became a bridge between father and son, and how the work of healing trauma never really ends.

A Living Legacy

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Wed, 11 Jun 2025 14:00:14 +0000

In this final episode of our series about the Vietnamese-American experience over the past 50 years, we’ll explore how that community has evolved from refugees to contributors, from survivors to leaders, and how their success stands as perhaps the most enduring testament to what American service members fought to preserve.

From Refugees to Residents

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Fri, 23 May 2025 19:49:01 +0000

Fifty years ago, thousands of Vietnamese refugees arrived in America with little more than the clothes on their backs and memories of a homeland left behind. In the second of this three-episode series, we explore how they transformed themselves from displaced people into one of America's most vibrant communities.

The Fall and The Flight

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Wed, 14 May 2025 11:00:00 +0000

In the first installment of a three-part series, we explore the chaotic final days of April 1975, when thousands of South Vietnamese citizens desperately sought escape as North Vietnamese forces closed in on Saigon. You'll hear firsthand accounts from both sides of this massive evacuation, and from those who were part of the waves of exodus that followed.

Conscientious Objector

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Fri, 25 Apr 2025 14:01:34 +0000

What do you do when you’re willing to serve, but unwilling to kill? How do you reconcile two fundamental beliefs that stand in opposition to each other? Like many conscientious objectors who served in Vietnam, Gary Kulik tried to save lives.

Practicing Gratitude

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Fri, 11 Apr 2025 14:16:33 +0000

In this episode, we’ll introduce you to someone whose gratitude toward Vietnam veterans is a matter of regular, intentional practice. She has turned “thank you for your service” into a lifestyle. Because if it hadn’t been for Vietnam veterans, she says, she might never have known freedom.

Baby #899

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Fri, 28 Mar 2025 14:01:08 +0000

Kimberly Mitchell grew up in northern Wisconsin and became a highly accomplished military officer, but that hardly scratches the surface who she is — not to mention why. For those of you who reflect on the Vietnam War and ask yourselves what it was all for, Kim’s story just might provide a pinpoint of light to shine on the answer.

A Place of Honor

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Wed, 19 Mar 2025 15:19:46 +0000

In this stirring epilogue to Episode 77, a former Navy SEAL finds a surprising and powerful way to pay tribute to his fallen friend. It’s a heartwarming story full of tenacity and tenderness, reverence and providence… and most of all, teamwork.

A Kindred Spirit

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Thu, 6 Mar 2025 14:31:44 +0000

Doyle Glass is not a Vietnam veteran. In fact, he never served in the military. But he has dedicated a significant chunk of his professional life to collecting and preserving the first-hand accounts of people who did. “You get inspired to do good things,” he says, “and to toughen up.”

The Secret War, Part 3

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Wed, 12 Feb 2025 18:17:07 +0000

In the final installment of this series, we take a closer look at the legacy of MACV-SOG, including the immediate aftermath of the U.S. withdrawal from Southeast Asia, coming home, controversy, vindication, and SOG's lasting impact.

The Secret War, Part 2

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Fri, 31 Jan 2025 19:08:22 +0000

In this installment of our three-part series on MACV-SOG, team members share personal stories of combat, injury, and loss as they conducted the eight-year "secret war" in Laos and Cambodia.

The Secret War, Part 1

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Wed, 15 Jan 2025 19:34:42 +0000

In this three-part series, we bring you stories of MACV-SOG, a highly classified special-operations unit that conducted covert, unconventional warfare missions in places where U.S. troops weren’t supposed to go.

From Purple Heart to Red Suit

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Thu, 12 Dec 2024 13:32:21 +0000

At department stores, tree lightings, parades, and office parties all over the world, Santa makes personal appearances around this time every year. You might be surprised to learn how many Vietnam veterans are... well, uh... let's say "involved" in those efforts. Among them is Fred Honerkamp, who was wounded in combat while serving in Vietnam from 1968 to 1969.

Sky Trooper

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Thu, 21 Nov 2024 16:46:21 +0000

When he was drafted in 1965, twenty-year-old Will Bowe went from his family's Wisconsin farm to the 1st Cavalry Division (AIRMOBILE) in Vietnam. Dropping onto the battlefield from helicopters, he and his fellow "Sky Troopers" quickly learned the profound meaning of “search and destroy,” and the brutal reality of the first helicopter war.

Air America, Pt. 2

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Tue, 5 Nov 2024 20:01:48 +0000

Early in his aviation career, Neil Hansen flew for the Teamsters during Jimmy Hoffa’s final days. During the Vietnam War he flew for Air America, a civilian airline owned and operated by the CIA. For ten years in Southeast Asia, Neil flew in and out of places that nature never intended for aircraft — often under hostile fire.

Air America, Pt. 1

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Wed, 23 Oct 2024 14:08:54 +0000

Air America, a civilian airline owned and operated by the CIA, transported supplies and refugees, flew reconnaissance missions, inserted and extracted US personnel, and rescued downed American pilots throughout southeast Asia. Neil Graham Hansen flew those missions for more than ten years, including the last flight out of Cambodia in April 1975.

Just Listen

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Thu, 10 Oct 2024 20:36:28 +0000

More than 50 years after he came home from Vietnam, Al Coke started unearthing his long-buried memories and sharing them with his young Canadian friend, Allan Danroth. They recorded more than ten hours of audio together, some of which we featured in EP74: The Hero In Your Midst. In this episode, we bring you more of their conversation.

Dustoff, Part 3

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Wed, 25 Sep 2024 17:58:19 +0000

In our third and final episode of this series, we take a broader look at the legacy of Vietnam Dustoff, including their lasting impact on modern aeromedical crews and operations.

Dustoff, Part 2

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Wed, 11 Sep 2024 17:40:04 +0000

Dustoff crews in the Vietnam War had a very clear sense of mission: to get the wounded to higher-level medical care within an hour. In this episode we’ll learn more about the crew members, their training and teamwork, and the dangers they faced as they raced around the battlefields of Vietnam, risking their lives to save others.

Dustoff, Part 1

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Wed, 14 Aug 2024 18:31:07 +0000

The Army’s aeromedical crews flew nearly 500,000 missions in Vietnam, saving the lives of nearly a million people on both sides of the conflict. In this three-part series, we’ll take a close look at Dustoff in Vietnam — the missions, the crew members, the dangers, and the enduring legacy.

Grandpa Roger's Legacy

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Fri, 26 Jul 2024 16:24:08 +0000

Roger L. Tolbert, Sr. received a Silver Star and two Bronze Stars for his service in Vietnam. He died in 2021 from causes connected to Agent Orange exposure. His granddaughter, Dakota, inherited his sense of duty and his drive to serve. She may have inherited more than that.

The Only Easy Day Was Yesterday, Part 2

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Wed, 10 Jul 2024 17:20:20 +0000

We conclude an Honor Flight for Navy SEALs who served in Vietnam by exploring more of the connections between these special warfare operators and the people whose lives they’ve impacted, including each other’s.

The Only Easy Day Was Yesterday (Part 1)

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Fri, 21 Jun 2024 15:46:31 +0000

On an Honor Flight full of Navy SEALs who served during the Vietnam War, we learn about the origins and training of the earliest SEAL teams and hear first-hand accounts of some of their triumphs and tragedies in Southeast Asia.

The Long Shadow of War

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Thu, 6 Jun 2024 14:50:10 +0000

June is National PTSD Awareness Month and June 16th is Father’s Day. In this episode we bring you an interview with a father and son who have traveled together on the long road from trauma to healing.

Front Man

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Thu, 23 May 2024 15:50:34 +0000

Bruce Springsteen’s song “The Wall” was inspired, in large part, by a musician he idolized in his youth. Walter Cichon was the front man for a band called the Motifs, who were taking the New Jersey shore by storm in mid-to-late 1960’s. Walter’s voice was forever silenced in Vietnam when he was just 21 years old, but his indomitable spirit lives on through those who knew him — including, to a surprising degree, The Boss himself.

For more information: https://www.vvmf.org/echoes/EP75/

The Hero in Your Midst

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Thu, 9 May 2024 14:44:53 +0000

Alfred Coke served 730 days in Vietnam and he estimates that he received enemy fire on 400 of them. He was wounded multiple times, and he has both the scars and the decorations to prove it. He never gave much thought to his own trauma until he formed an unlikely friendship with Allan Danroth, a Canadian engineer nearly three decades his junior. In this episode, we bring you an inspiring story of friendship... and the healing power of being interested.

Cherries Writer

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Wed, 24 Apr 2024 15:07:00 +0000

In 1970-71, John Podlaski spent twelve months in Vietnam — seven with the Wolfhounds of the 25th Infantry Division, and five with the Screaming Eagles of the 101st Airborne Division. John never dreamed that he’d become a writer, but his first novel, Cherries, led to five more books and a hugely popular website (cherrieswriter.com) that is a community chest of first-person stories, information, and imagery from the Vietnam War.

Fortunes

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Thu, 11 Apr 2024 21:02:59 +0000

Forty-nine years ago this month, thousands of South Vietnamese children were airlifted to the U.S. and other Western countries in a mass evacuation known as Operation Babylift. In this episode, you’ll hear the incredible story of one of those children, including her reunion — 44 years later — with her birth mother in Vietnam.

Making an Impact at Home [Remastered]

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Fri, 29 Mar 2024 13:00:00 +0000

Next spring will mark 50 years since Saigon fell, an anniversary that will likely spin up more coverage and conversation about the Vietnam War than we’ve seen in decades. Much of that attention will probably focus on how the war ended. We've decided, instead, to emphasize the countless ways that Vietnam veterans have made America better since they came home. To set the tone for the next 15 months or so, we take you back to where we started... three years ago today.

Di Di Mau

echoes@vvmf.org (Darren Walton) — Thu, 14 Mar 2024 12:36:55 +0000

Darren Walton arrived in Vietnam in 1970 and served a full tour on Marine Corps Reconnaissance teams. In this episode, he breaks a 50-year silence to talk about being a Recon Marine, to explain why he hid his Vietnam experience for decades, and to thank the men who routinely risked their lives to save his.

We build. We fight.

Wed, 28 Feb 2024 15:23:47 +0000

Trained for combat as well as construction, the Seabees of the U.S. Navy have been distinguishing themselves with their heroism since 1942. There are 85 Seabees memorialized on The Wall, including one Medal of Honor recipient. In this episode, we’ll hear from two Seabees who served in Vietnam.

Heart

echoes@vvmf.org (Michael Croan, Lee Ellis) — Wed, 14 Feb 2024 13:12:51 +0000

A few years ago, Lee Ellis noticed that he and the other POWs who made it home from Vietnam were outperforming the general population in the area of romantic longevity. He looked into the reasons why that might be true, and then he published his findings in a book called Captured By Love: Inspiring True Romance Stories from Vietnam POWs. Happy Valentine's Day.

Red Eagle

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Wed, 31 Jan 2024 20:44:07 +0000

Red Eagle Rael’s tour started in February of 1968 in the Mekong Delta. The guys in his unit called him “Chief,” a common nickname for Native Americans serving in Vietnam. Highly decorated, Rael is a kind of living legend in New Mexico. In this episode we visit Picuris Pueblo, where Red Eagle grants a rare interview to share his story... or, at least, the parts that he is willing to talk about.

Aloha

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Wed, 17 Jan 2024 18:55:04 +0000

Hawaii holds a special place in the hearts and minds of many Vietnam veterans. We'll explore the state’s popularity as a destination for GIs on R&R, and a Vietnam combat veteran -- now living in Hawaii -- remembers the bloody battle that left him with a debt of gratitude that he works every to repay.

River Rats (Part 2)

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Thu, 14 Dec 2023 19:59:33 +0000

In episode 64, we introduced you to the Mobile Riverine Force, a joint Army-Navy task force that patrolled the brown waters of the Mekong Delta in an effort to disrupt the movement of enemy troops, weapons, and supplies. In this episode, we’ll go a little deeper with stories of enemy engagement, environmental hazard, the lingering effects of the River Rat experience, and of course brotherhood and healing.

River Rats (Part 1)

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Fri, 1 Dec 2023 17:26:57 +0000

Commander Task Force 117 was a joint Army-Navy effort to disrupt the movement of communist troops, weapons, and supplies through the Mekong Delta. It was the first time since the Civil War that American soldiers and sailors operated under a joint command. In this episode, veterans of the Mobile Riverine Force — known as “river rats” — share their stories.

Healing Wounds (Part 2)

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Fri, 17 Nov 2023 16:27:20 +0000

Diane Carlson Evans picks a ten-year fight, facing enormous resistance from corners both surprising and unsurprising, resulting in the first memorial on the National Mall to honor the service of women in wartime.

Healing Wounds (Part 1)

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Thu, 2 Nov 2023 16:23:04 +0000

After her tour as a combat nurse in Vietnam, Diane Carlson Evans came home in 1969 to a country she hardly recognized. In 1982, a visit to Washington, DC started an avalanche that surged inside her for more than a decade, culminating in the dedication of the Vietnam Women’s Memorial thirty years ago this month. Diane talks about Vietnam, coming home, and why she picked a ten-year fight for women who served.

Advising the Ruff Puffs

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Thu, 19 Oct 2023 22:41:53 +0000

From 1968 to 1972, Mobile Advisory Training (MAT) teams worked alongside the South Vietnamese Regional Forces and Popular Forces — known as Ruff Puffs — who were the units responsible for protecting their local villages and hamlets against communist attacks. Bob Blair, who led MAT Team 44 in 1971, shares his experiences in this episode.

An Unbreakable Bond

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Thu, 5 Oct 2023 12:36:49 +0000

Peggy and Maryann were just little girls when a 1969 helicopter crash in Binh Dinh province changed their lives forever. The stories they heard from the adults around them were less than clear... and a long way from comforting. But kids grow up. And when they do, they write their own stories.

POSTSCRIPT: Nina and Bubba... and Bubba

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Wed, 27 Sep 2023 14:55:00 +0000

Ever since Mike Stubbs left the Army in 1968, he has been trying to find the family of Luther Smith, who was among 64 infantrymen killed at the Battle of Ong Thanh. In this postscript, you’ll hear excerpts from the first-ever live conversation between Luther’s daughter and his best friend. Visit Luther's Wall of Faces page at https://www.vvmf.org/Wall-of-Faces/48432/LUTHER-A-SMITH/

Gus Kappler Is Still Angry

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Fri, 15 Sep 2023 15:04:49 +0000

Gus Kappler laughs a lot. If you met him in line at the grocery store, you’d never guess that he spent a year in Vietnam as a real-life Hawkeye Pierce performing unimaginable surgeries on young men with unspeakable injuries. It made him angry, and that hasn’t changed. What has changed is the way he understands his anger… and how he deals with it.

Angel Fire

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Thu, 31 Aug 2023 14:00:00 +0000

In a remote mountain town, a father turns his devastating personal loss into a place for public healing and remembrance.

CHOOK

echoes@vvmf.org (Grahame Dutton) — Thu, 17 Aug 2023 16:27:55 +0000

U.S. and Australian forces have fought side-by-side in every major conflict since World War I, and some 60,000 Australian service members served in the Vietnam War. August 18 is Vietnam Veterans Day in Australia, and in honor of that commemoration we bring you the personal story of an Australian helicopter pilot who served in Vietnam in 1970 and ’71.

The Red Scarf

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Tue, 25 Jul 2023 15:30:00 +0000

While pursuing his lifelong ambition of becoming an infantry platoon leader, John Hedley overcame a lot of obstacles. His reward at the end of that long, difficult road was a tour in Vietnam starting in July of 1969, where he would lead the Army’s legendary red-scarved recon platoon known as Fox Force. John shares the story of that journey, his experiences in Vietnam, and a surprise ending that will boggle your mind and warm your heart at the same time.

POSTSCRIPT: Denny and the Sculptor

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Fri, 14 Jul 2023 15:59:41 +0000

In EP55 we shared the story of Dennis Lobbezoo, one of 142 service members whose names are on the wall and who were born on the fourth of July. In this postscript, his then-fiancée Joyce Washburn shares the story of Denny and the surgeon-turned-sculptor who was inspired to cast the young Marine’s likeness in bronze 45 years after they met aboard the USS Repose.

Born on the Fourth of July

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Tue, 4 Jul 2023 14:03:09 +0000

July 4th is the birthday of the United States of America. It’s also the birthday of 142 service members whose names are on The Wall at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. This is the story of one of them — Dennis Lobbezoo of Grand Rapids, Michigan. He is remembered by his then-fiancée, Joyce Washburn. Visit Dennis' Wall of Faces profile: https://bit.ly/46xI5Hu Read more about Dennis and Joyce: https://bit.ly/46wCLEf

Tunnel Rats (Part 2)

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Wed, 21 Jun 2023 20:12:39 +0000

In the wake of Operation Cedar Falls, tunnel-rat duties in the 1st Infantry Division were transferred to the 1st Engineer Battalion where men began to specialize in it. In this episode, we’ll hear personal stories from members of the Diehard Tunnel Rats. [WARNING: This episode contains vivid descriptions of combat, injury, and death.]

Tunnel Rats (Part 1)

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Wed, 7 Jun 2023 18:07:40 +0000

Communist forces in South Vietnam used vast networks of subterranean tunnels as hiding places, bomb shelters, weapons factories, food stores, headquarters… even surgical hospitals. In this episode we’ll introduce you to the 1st Infantry Division’s dedicated team of Tunnel Rats — combat engineers who volunteered, whenever necessary, to do their fighting underground.

Unwavering

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Wed, 10 May 2023 15:17:02 +0000

There are more than 72,000 U.S. service members still unaccounted for from World War II -- a war we fought in for four years. The number missing after 20 years of combat in Afghanistan? Zero. That’s no accident; it represents a dramatic shift in policy and priorities, another unheralded legacy of the Vietnam War generation. In this episode, author Taylor Baldwin Kiland shares the incredible true story of the military wives who fought to make “no man left behind” a promise that America keeps.

No Words Necessary

echoes@vvmf.org (Michael Croan) — Wed, 26 Apr 2023 18:45:31 +0000

For the tens of thousands of families who received tragic news during the Vietnam War, their lives were profoundly changed at that moment and their reactions to the news covered the full range of human grief. Imagine being the person who rang doorbell after doorbell for months on end, triggering that outpouring of emotion over and over, in all its forms. In this episode, two Marines talk about coming home from Vietnam and being assigned that terrible duty.

Familiar Voices, Surprising Updates

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Wed, 12 Apr 2023 13:58:47 +0000

To celebrate the fiftieth episode of our podcast, we reconnect with a few of the people who have shared their stories with us over the past two years. They talk about what they’ve been up to since, and we discover some surprising, real-life connections resulting from the podcast.

Operation Babylift

echoes@vvmf.org (Michael Croan, Bud Traynor, Leah Heslin) — Thu, 30 Mar 2023 17:11:40 +0000

Throughout the month of April 1975, in a mass evacuation known as Operation Babylift, around 2,000 infants and children were airlifted from orphanages in South Vietnam to the United States. In this episode, we bring you stories from the first and last flights of that operation — one ending in tragedy, the other in joy.

Humping The Boonies

echoes@vvmf.org (Michael Croan, Robin Bartlett) — Wed, 15 Mar 2023 17:30:16 +0000

Of the 58,281 names on the wall, two-thirds of them died in 1967, ‘68, and ‘69. Robin Bartlett landed in I Corps right smack in the middle of that period. His training sergeant at Camp Evans said to him, “your life expectancy is less than 90 days.” In this episode, Robin talks about the realities behind that prediction, how he defied it, and the book he wrote about his Vietnam War experience.

Repo Depot

echoes@vvmf.org (Ray Welch, WitnessToWar.org, Michael Croan) — Thu, 2 Mar 2023 05:00:00 +0000

For soldiers joining the Vietnam War after the initial buildup, the first stop in Vietnam was usually at a replacement battalion — commonly referred to as a “repo depot” — where they would wait to be assigned to a unit. Those few hours or days unfolded in a strange kind of limbo where hot emotion met cold procedure. And somebody had to run it.

Donut Dollies

echoes@vvmf.org (Peggy Kelly, Michael Croan) — Thu, 16 Feb 2023 14:00:00 +0000

American Red Cross volunteers known as “Donut Dollies” were often called in to visit a unit after it had been experienced intense fighting and had suffered heavy casualties. Why would any twenty-something, college-educated woman volunteer to work in a war zone halfway around the world? In this episode, Peggy Kelly shares her personal reasons and talks about how that experience shaped the rest of her life.

Joe Zengerle

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Wed, 1 Feb 2023 21:25:11 +0000

December of 1967 was a pivotal time to arrive in Vietnam. A month later, the Tet Offensive would alter the course of the war, public sentiment about its prosecution, and the direction of a presidency. From his unique vantage point as General William Westmoreland’s special assistant, Joe Zengerle saw the world transform itself in the first half of 1968.

Capt. Jack Ensch

echoes@vvmf.org (Jack Ensch, Michael Croan) — Thu, 19 Jan 2023 13:30:00 +0000

*The pilot awarded the Navy Cross was Capt. Ronald E. “Mugs” McKeown. Commander Michael William Doyle was the pilot of the downed F-4 Phantom. CDR Michael W Doyle is honored on Panel 1W, Line 69 of The Wall: https://www.vvmf.org/Wall-of-Faces/13877/MICHAEL-W-DOYLE-2/

[REBROADCAST] Christmas and the Vietnam War

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Mon, 19 Dec 2022 22:34:37 +0000

Surprises are an essential part of the Christmas experience. But in wartime, the surprises aren’t often joyful. In this episode we’ll hear stories of Christmas from people who survived the war in Vietnam, and from people whose losses nearly 50 years ago have colored every Christmas since.

Ann-Margret

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Wed, 7 Dec 2022 22:12:24 +0000

Show-business legend Ann-Margret entertained troops in Southeast Asia in 1966 and 1968, and she remains an active and ardent supporter of Vietnam veterans to this day. In this episode, she sits down with Jim Knotts to talk about why she went to Vietnam and what those trips have meant to her — personally and professionally — in the five decades since.

Seawolves (Part Two)

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Wed, 23 Nov 2022 17:45:23 +0000

Honor Flight San Diego takes 85 HA(L)-3 Seawolves to Washington, D.C. for a tour of memorials and museums. Along the way, men who haven’t stood together in 50 years rekindle old connections and forge new ones, remember their fallen brothers… and receive the surprise of a lifetime.

Seawolves (Part One)

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Wed, 9 Nov 2022 12:25:35 +0000

The HA(L)-3 Seawolves were the Navy’s first attack-helicopter squadron, and they remain the most decorated squadron in the history of U.S. naval aviation. Their courage, dedication, and ingenuity made them heroes to Navy SEALs and River Rats throughout the Mekong Delta from 1967 to 1972. So how come you’ve never heard of them?

Every Picture Tells a Story

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Wed, 26 Oct 2022 17:05:03 +0000

Completing the Wall of Faces took more two decades of sustained effort by thousands of volunteers around the world. In this episode, you’ll hear the story of two of them — a story that sheds some light on why this project was so important to so many people.

[REBROADCAST] EP15: Longview

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Tue, 11 Oct 2022 23:44:32 +0000

Originally published one year ago today, we reprise a very special episode. With audio gathered at a stop on last year’s 26-city tour of The Wall That Heals, we bring you several very personal stories that shed light on why people visit The Wall, the emotions they bring to it, and what happens when an entire community connects with its Vietnam War history.

No Limit

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Wed, 28 Sep 2022 20:33:46 +0000

Drafted out of high school, Alex Walker Jr. arrived in Vietnam in February of 1969 and served for more than a year. In that time he faced unimaginable threats from enemy fire, deadly predators, and a generally hostile environment. In this episode, he recounts those experiences and talks about why his younger self was drawn to danger.

Kiss Lori for Me

echoes@vvmf.org (Michael Croan, Dr. Lori Goss-Reaves) — Tue, 13 Sep 2022 22:40:00 +0000

When Lori Goss-Reaves set out to write a book about her father, a U.S. Navy corpsman, she couldn’t have imagined where that process would take her. In Kiss Lori For Me, she celebrates her parents’ inspiring love story and discovers, decades after the fact, the truth about her father’s death on Valentine’s Day 1968.

The Mind Benders

echoes@vvmf.org (Raymond Ambrozak, Michael Croan) — Tue, 30 Aug 2022 20:30:00 +0000

Deceiving and demotivating an enemy, enlisting and engaging an ally, all of these are necessary in war. You have to get people to do things or to stop doing things. And for that, you need to understand them at a narrative level. Histories, cultures, belief systems… what are you up against, and what facts or fiction can you inject to change or influence it? Major Ray Ambrozak sheds some light on psychological warfare during the Vietnam War.

Brigadier General George B. Price

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Tue, 16 Aug 2022 18:30:00 +0000

George Price was instrumental in getting the Vietnam Veterans Memorial’s design unstuck from a morass of politics and controversy. That was a pivotal moment for VVMF, but just a tiny blip on the radar screen of General Price’s remarkable life. In this episode, Jim Knotts sits down with the general to get the rest of his story.

Vietnam Goes to Hollywood

echoes@vvmf.org (Dale Dye) — Tue, 2 Aug 2022 17:10:00 +0000

Captain Dale Dye served 20 years in the Marine Corps including three tours and 31 major combat operations in Vietnam. In 1985 he founded Warriors, Inc. to help Hollywood do a better job of depicting American fighting men and women. He has worked with some of the biggest names in the business — Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Oliver Stone, among others — and has appeared as an actor in dozens of films, including "Platoon", "Saving Private Ryan", and "Mission: Impossible."

TOPGUN: Call Sign “Wildman”

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Tue, 19 Jul 2022 15:50:33 +0000

The United States Navy Fighter Weapons School — better known as TOPGUN — was established in 1969. Early TOPGUN graduates fanned out across the Navy’s fighter squadrons to share what they had learned about dogfighting, and the results were dramatic: according to the Navy, its kill-to-loss ratio against the North Vietnamese MiGs saw a sixfold improvement. In this episode you'll hear from a real TOPGUN graduate, a veteran who flew 150 combat missions in Vietnam.

Growing Up Gold Star

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Tue, 21 Jun 2022 18:10:00 +0000

Tony Cordero talks about growing up without his father, realizing in early adulthood that there must be many thousands of other kids who lost their fathers in Vietnam, and creating an all-volunteer non-profit organization, Sons and Daughters in Touch, to connect them with each other.

You Are Not Alone

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Tue, 7 Jun 2022 22:05:22 +0000

June is National PTSD Awareness month. Vietnam veterans often have a hard time getting help for this condition, and having someone in their corner can make all the difference in the world. Cyndy Hollender-Stancliff married two Vietnam veterans, both of whom suffered from PTSD. She shares her story of love and support, loss and healing.

Nobody's Perfect

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Tue, 24 May 2022 17:55:05 +0000

In wartime, casualty and injury records are often created (or not created) in moments of absolute, unimaginable chaos. Sometimes the dots just don’t get connected. David Kies is the living embodiment of that phenomenon. He is alive... and his name is on The Wall. In this episode, he tells us what it’s like to do a rubbing of your own name at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

Hamburger Hill

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Tue, 10 May 2022 15:00:00 +0000

Hill 937 was the center of a brutal and legendary battle that began 53 years ago this week. After eleven days of vicious fighting and heavy losses on both sides, it would become known by another name: Hamburger Hill. Hear a personal account from a soldier who survived it.

John Woods Is a Ghost

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Mon, 25 Apr 2022 16:25:23 +0000

October 27th, 1967, outside of Bù Đốp, near the Vietnam-Cambodia border. The helicopter John is piloting has just been shot down by an enemy RPG while attempting to evacuate two wounded Special Forces soldiers from the jungle. In this episode, John shares the story of his service in Vietnam, including his helicopter crash, his dramatic rescue, and his long, strange journey home.

Brothers and Sisters in Arms

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Mon, 11 Apr 2022 18:07:20 +0000

April 10, 2022 was National Siblings Day. In this episode, we bring you the inspiring stories of two separate sets of siblings — both from families with long legacies of service — whose lives were forever changed by the war in Vietnam.

Building The Wall

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Sat, 26 Mar 2022 14:45:00 +0000

Jan Scruggs, a decorated veteran of two tours in Vietnam, had the idea for a memorial in March of 1979. Three and a half years later, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was a reality. In this episode, Jan recounts his incredible journey from grunt to visionary to target… and, ultimately, to victor.

8 Days in March

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Tue, 15 Mar 2022 16:15:53 +0000

The panels that make up the Vietnam Veterans Memorial each represent a moment in time. Some moments are measured in years but for one of those panels, its beginning to end lasted only eight days. It could have been any eight days in the Vietnam War, but this panel tells the story of a secret mission in Laos, rising tensions back home, and the incredible story of a Medal of Honor recipient.

Items Left at The Wall

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Wed, 2 Mar 2022 21:29:23 +0000

More than 400,000 items have been left at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in remembrance, in longing, and in tribute. Learn how those items became a museum collection of the National Park Service, and hear from its first curator — a Vietnam veteran who would perform that labor of love for the better part of three decades.

Vietnam Love Stories

echoes@vvmf.org (WitnessToWar.org) — Mon, 14 Feb 2022 18:54:33 +0000

War interrupts everything normal in life… except for love. In this episode you’ll hear stories of people falling in love, people keeping love alive, and love keeping people alive.

The Tet Offensive

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Mon, 31 Jan 2022 20:00:00 +0000

On January 30, 1968, North Vietnamese and Viet Cong troops launched an offensive that is widely considered a pivotal moment in the war. Vietnam War specialist Dr. Erik Villard sheds a historian’s light on the Tet Offensive.

Remembering Khe Sanh

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Mon, 17 Jan 2022 23:01:03 +0000

The siege at Khe Sanh began on January 21, 1968. For 77 days, 6,000 Americans — mostly Marines — held their positions against an all-out assault by more than 30,000 enemy troops. Hear personal stories from two men who survived the siege and then returned, decades later, to Khe Sanh.

Christmas and the Vietnam War

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Mon, 6 Dec 2021 14:35:21 +0000

Music of the Vietnam Era

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Mon, 22 Nov 2021 16:00:00 +0000

The Battle of the Ia Drang Valley

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Mon, 8 Nov 2021 14:00:59 +0000

November 14, 1965 marked a pivotal moment in U.S. involvement in Vietnam. Elements of the Army's 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) entered the first major land battle of the war at landing zones X-Ray and Albany, which would turn out to be proving grounds for a whole new kind of warfare. Hear three personal perspectives from men who survived.

Song for the Unsung

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Mon, 25 Oct 2021 14:56:54 +0000

Longview: Stories From The Wall That Heals

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Mon, 11 Oct 2021 15:03:43 +0000

So That Others May Live

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Mon, 27 Sep 2021 16:43:03 +0000

Missing in Action

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Mon, 13 Sep 2021 14:49:44 +0000

“We Were Essential" - Nurses in Vietnam

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Mon, 30 Aug 2021 15:05:48 +0000

Canines in Combat

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Mon, 16 Aug 2021 20:02:41 +0000

Agent Orange

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Mon, 2 Aug 2021 15:43:48 +0000

Combat Chaplain

echoes@vvmf.org (Michael Croan, Jim Johnson) — Mon, 19 Jul 2021 13:00:40 +0000

“Rocket Man, Part 2”

echoes@vvmf.org (Michael Croan) — Mon, 5 Jul 2021 13:11:11 +0000

Rocket Man - Part 1

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Mon, 21 Jun 2021 16:53:34 +0000

Out of Tragedy, Trees

echoes@vvmf.org (Michael Croan, Jerilyn Brusseau, Heidi Zimmerman) — Mon, 7 Jun 2021 13:27:31 +0000

Finding Faces

echoes@vvmf.org (Ryan Kern, Michael Croan) — Mon, 24 May 2021 14:19:11 +0000

A Bump in the Road

echoes@vvmf.org (Dr. Hal Kushner, Michael Croan) — Mon, 10 May 2021 13:31:29 +0000

Answering The Call

echoes@vvmf.org (Michael Croan, Callie Wright, Michael McMahon, Ernie Guthrie) — Mon, 26 Apr 2021 17:13:42 +0000

The Sound of Hope

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Mon, 12 Apr 2021 14:43:29 +0000

Making An Impact At Home

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Mon, 29 Mar 2021 14:10:09 +0000

Echoes of the Vietnam War - Trailer

echoes@vvmf.org (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) — Sun, 28 Mar 2021 20:20:00 +0000

Produced and hosted by Michael Croan