About this episode
In this episode of Dearest Suzie, Popi writes on August 13, 1965, from a villa in Saigon. He’s groggy, hungry, and still waiting on the orders that will send him home. But in between complaints about raunchy coffee and missing breakfast, there’s something else stirring: thoughtfulness. With only weeks left in-country, he’s begun souvenir shopping, jewelry boxes for the grandmothers, cloth for his sisters, a uniform for Al. He even buys a tablecloth from a group of Irish Catholic nuns, fully aware it won’t fit any table they own. “I just call it my contribution to the war effort,” he jokes.
This episode explores the quiet acts of care that soldiers engage in at the end of a long deployment. From a conversation over raisin cake with nuns raising money for an orphanage, to his quip that Suzie will only receive about fifteen more letters, Popi is beginning to shift. He’s thinking not just about going home, but about what he’s bringing back with him—and what kind of man he wants to be when he gets there. That too-small tablecloth becomes a kind of symbol: proof that generosity can persist, even amid exhaustion, even when it doesn’t quite fit.
What’s Covered:
- Bill’s R&R in Saigon and frustration with delayed orders
- His visits with Irish Catholic nuns raising money for an orphanage
- Souvenir shopping as a ritual of return
- Quiet reflections on nearing the end of a year-long deployment
📷 Featured Photo: A woman stands in the foreground of a storefront display filled with candle holders, porcelain vases, and mother-of-pearl jewelry boxes—just like the ones Mema kept for decades.
🔔 If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe! I’ll be posting new episodes regularly, sharing letters and stories from exactly 60 years ago, as written by my grandfather.
Follow Dearest Suzie on social media:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1GwqPyO061k0iaQRKwfjoQ
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dearestsuziepodcast/
X: https://x.com/DearestSuziePod
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dearestsuziepodcast
📧 Have a story to share or want to reach out? Email me at [email protected] — I’d love to hear from you!
VietnamWar #SouvenirsOfWar #IrishNuns #SaigonStories #MilitaryHistory #WarLetters #InheritTheStories #DearestSuzie #FamilyHistory #OralHistory
Get every episode summarized
Each time Dearest Suzie publishes, we email you a written briefing from the transcript — the topics, who appeared, and any specific claims, with the ad reads skipped.
Email me new episodesFree for 3 shows. No card needed.
Hosts & guests
No transcript yet
This episode has not been transcribed. Request it and it moves to the front of the queue.
More episodes
