In this episode of Dearest Suzie, Popi writes on June 5, 1965, from a moment of anticipation—he’s about to go on R&R in Saigon. But even that, he discovers, comes with its own tangle of logistics and disappointment. He’s learned that the free seven-day leave he’d hoped to take in Nha Trang isn’t available unless he leaves the country. Rather than burning precious leave time, he decides to stay put and promises to save that money for a future trip to Daytona Beach with Suzie and the boys. It’s another small window into the balancing act soldiers performed between downtime and duty, always trying to make the most of both.

Popi’s letter is paired in this episode with a Stars and Stripes article from August 30, 1965, that captures a surreal moment in the Vietnam War: the 114th Aviation Company’s Cobra Platoon—Popi’s unit—shooting an elephant being used by the Viet Cong as a pack animal. The story, complete with helicopter transport of the meat to a local village and the gifting of the tusks to the unit, reads like something out of fiction. Yet it’s real—another piece of the strange, sometimes shocking mosaic of Vietnam. The article’s mention of Popi’s own unit and familiar names like Molinelli and Cosimano ties the story back to his world and ours, offering a connection that bridges the lines between memory, history, and narrative.

What’s Covered:

• Popi’s June 5 letter about R&R, errands in Saigon, and missing a USO show
• Reflections on the small disappointments and logistics of life in Vietnam
• A Stars and Stripes article about the 114th Aviation Company shooting an elephant used by the Viet Cong
• The surreal intersection of war and wildlife in the Delta, and the ways such moments linger in memory
• The connections between Popi’s letters, historical records, and our own search for understanding

📷 Featured Photo: Taken from the inside of a helicopter, a soldier with his weapon stands in the foreground. In the background, another helicopter rests in a rice paddy, with soldiers on the ground nearby.

🔔 If you’re enjoying this series, don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe. New episodes post regularly, following Popi’s letters exactly 60 years after he wrote them—and the lives they continue to touch today.

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 #FamilyHistory #WarLetters #InheritTheStories #Popi #ShootingAnElephant #114thAviation #StarsAndStripes #OralHistory #CombatHistory #Vietnam1965 #DearestSuzie #HelicopterWar #MarthaRaye #GeorgeOrwell