In this episode of Dearest Suzie, Popi writes about a surreal mission supporting South Vietnamese troops on a disputed island off the coast of Ha Tien. While the island was claimed by both Vietnam and Cambodia, the mission itself felt more like a break than a battle. Back at base, his thoughts turn to home: a surprise gift for Billy, who hasn’t missed a single day of school, and custom-made blue shirts for each of the boys and Suzie. Embroidered with initials and a white knight. Not a snake or a cobra, but a knight: a symbol of pride and care. And years later, those same shirts would reappear—found tucked away in Mema’s trailer, still intact, still meaningful.

This letter invites a reflection on what soldiers choose to bring home—and how those objects come to matter. In war, men like Popi weren’t just fighting. They were shopping, gifting, collecting. The shirts say something not just about the man who bought them, but about the craftsman who made them. About the little economies that bloomed around military bases. And about how, in the middle of a foreign war, a soldier could still act like a tourist, a father, and a man trying to hold onto home.

What’s Covered:

• Popi’s May 22 letter and a mission to a contested island near Ha Tien
• Reflections on beach days, standby flights, and snapshots taken mid-war
• The story behind a set of custom-made shirts and what they meant—then and now
• A personal memory about recovering those shirts decades later and what they reveal about Popi’s time in Vietnam
• A meditation on soldiers as tourists, gift-givers, and participants in wartime economies

📷 Featured Photo: A nighttime shot of Popi in a Cobra shirt. The flash washes out his face, but the image of an aggressive cobra is clearly visible on his chest—a sharp contrast to the white knight he chose to send home.

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