In this episode of Dearest Suzie, Popi writes on May 25 with a rare sense of warmth and optimism—thanks, in part, to receiving two letters from Suzie in a single day. He mentions that his brother Jim, a Marine, is being sent to the Dominican Republic for a conflict unfolding at the same time as Vietnam acting as part of the wider Cold War logic that sent American troops around the world. Bill doesn’t linger on it, but the mention highlights just how deeply military service ran through families like his. One brother heading into Southeast Asia. The other into the Caribbean. For them, duty wasn’t just patriotic—it was inherited.

In between updates about long flying days and unit losses, Popi shares one of the more touching gestures we’ve seen: he had two photos of the boys—Billy and Brian—enlarged and framed. He writes with pride about how well they turned out, how much he wishes Suzie could see them. These photos become more than keepsakes; they’re anchors. Objects that carry home into a warzone.

What’s Covered:

• Popi’s May 25 letter and the emotional boost of receiving multiple letters from home
• A brief but telling mention of his brother’s deployment to the Dominican Republic and what it says about military families
• The pride and longing behind enlarging and framing photos of Billy and Brian
• A grueling eight-and-a-half hour mission following a deadly ambush, and how the strain of war shows up between the lines
• The increasingly frequent phrase: “It won’t be long now,” and what it reveals about Popi’s hopes and weariness

📷 Featured Photo: A wounded Vietnamese man sits in the back of a Huey helicopter. An ARVN officer stands nearby, facing him, while the foreground shows a blurred Vietnamese figure—possibly another soldier, a civilian, or a prisoner. It’s a layered image: tension, exhaustion, and uncertainty all captured in a single frame.

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