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Attending The League of Wives Exhibit in Colorado Springs - March 2018
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Michele and I attended this touching tribute to military wives and widows who worked for public awareness on the POW/MIA issue - as Michele and I did while living in Tampa, Florida. There were many photo exhibits - some were 6'x 8' and served as backdrops for items, articles and displays of pertinent and appropriate memorabilia. This impressive exhibit, The League of Wives, was curated by Heath Lee, an author and biographer. From her website:
"I am writing my second biography, this time a group biography entitled The League of Wives: A True Story of Survival and Rescue from the Vietnam Homefront. The book follows four Vietnam-era women through their incredible transformation from conservative, rule-bound, stay-in-the-background military wives to covert spies, national lobbyists, and international human rights figures—all to save the lives of their POW husbands and those missing in action. (Sounds just like what I did! dana). I have been thrilled to bring the story of Vietnam-era POW/MIA wives to light—these women have never gotten the credit they deserve for what they did. I hope now they will be in the history books and finally be recognized publicly for their achievements. It was so satisfying to see the level of interest in this story among both publishers and museum professionals. No one could believe they had not heard of these women before!" |
Exhibit is on display in Colorado Springs until moving to the Virginia Museum of History and Culture in Richmond, VA for March 2 through September 3, 2019.
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This display of POW/MIA bracelets (at left) hung down over 6' from the ceiling. When my husband Mike's remains came home from Vietnam in 1985, dozens of people around the country returned the bracelet with his name and loss date to me. They wrote touching letters as to how long they had worn his bracelet and notes of sympathetic gratitude that he would now be buried in his native soil at Arlington National Cemetery.
On the evening before the official opening of the exhibit, Michele wore one of her father's bracelets. I wore one for Mike's roommate, Bill Andrews who became missing a year after Mike, and also one for Peter Stewart, another Air Force pilot and father of my friend, Beth Stewart. Bill's remains came back in 1987 but Peter Stewart's remains have never been returned. The statistics of our lost men are a sober reminder of lives cut short while serving their country. |
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Click on image to purchase!
An excerpt from "The Reluctant Sorority"...
"...One particular day, they get word that a large flight of many aircraft is headed their way. It is expected that the bridge is the target again, and the guns are ready, supplied and directed by the Russians, some of whom actually manned the guns that shot down American planes. Tranh has been put in charge of a detail of workers to move the shells into place for the coming onslaught. He is spurred to action by the loud voice of a young and handsome Russian officer whom he has come to respect and admire.
The date is September 30, 1965. The Ninh Binh Bridge is the target for America's bombers, coming from several different bases in Thailand and South Vietnam..."
Where fact* ends and fiction begins is seamlessly interwoven to tell the rest of the story....
Author Dana Chwan is the surviving widow of an American serviceman who lost his life in the Vietnam war.
She has been an outspoken advocate for the families of veterans and spokesperson for the POW/MIA issues that still smolder from a tragic chapter in American history. *FACT: The United States provided the North Vietnamese government the names of the targets that would be bombed the following day.
"...One particular day, they get word that a large flight of many aircraft is headed their way. It is expected that the bridge is the target again, and the guns are ready, supplied and directed by the Russians, some of whom actually manned the guns that shot down American planes. Tranh has been put in charge of a detail of workers to move the shells into place for the coming onslaught. He is spurred to action by the loud voice of a young and handsome Russian officer whom he has come to respect and admire.
The date is September 30, 1965. The Ninh Binh Bridge is the target for America's bombers, coming from several different bases in Thailand and South Vietnam..."
Where fact* ends and fiction begins is seamlessly interwoven to tell the rest of the story....
Author Dana Chwan is the surviving widow of an American serviceman who lost his life in the Vietnam war.
She has been an outspoken advocate for the families of veterans and spokesperson for the POW/MIA issues that still smolder from a tragic chapter in American history. *FACT: The United States provided the North Vietnamese government the names of the targets that would be bombed the following day.
"The Secret War and Other Conflicts"
(Published 2014 by GENERAL PETE PIOTROWSKI ISBN 978-1-4931-6187-4 (Hardcover))
Following is a quote of much interest, from pages 246/247:
"Nearly twenty years later, former Secretary of State Dean Rusk being interviewed by Peter Arnett on a CBC documentary called, “The Ten Thousand Day War™."
Mr. Arnett asked, "It has been rumored that the United States provided the North Vietnamese government the names of the targets that would be bombed the following day. Is there any truth to that allegation?"
To everyone's astonishment and absolute disgust, the former Secretary responded, "Yes. We didn't want to harm the North Vietnamese people, so we passed the targets to the Swiss embassy in Washington with instructions to pass them to the NVN government through their embassy in Hanoi."
As we watched in horror, Secretary Rusk went on to say, "All we wanted to do is demonstrate to the North Vietnamese leadership that we could strike targets at will, but we didn't want to kill innocent people. By giving the North Vietnamese advanced warning of the targets to be attacked, we thought they would tell the workers to stay home."
No wonder all the targets were so heavily defended day after day! The NVN obviously moved as many guns as they could overnight to better defend each target they knew was going to be attacked. Clearly, many brave American Air Force and Navy fliers died or spent years in NVN prison camps as a direct result of being intentionally betrayed by Secretary Rusk and Secretary McNamara, and perhaps, President Johnson himself.
I cannot think of a more duplicitous and treacherous act of American government officials. Dean Rusk served as Secretary of State from January 21, 1961, through to January 20, 1969, under President John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson.
Mr. Peter Arnett opined that this would be a treasonous act by anyone else. A very sad revelation.
(Published 2014 by GENERAL PETE PIOTROWSKI ISBN 978-1-4931-6187-4 (Hardcover))
Following is a quote of much interest, from pages 246/247:
"Nearly twenty years later, former Secretary of State Dean Rusk being interviewed by Peter Arnett on a CBC documentary called, “The Ten Thousand Day War™."
Mr. Arnett asked, "It has been rumored that the United States provided the North Vietnamese government the names of the targets that would be bombed the following day. Is there any truth to that allegation?"
To everyone's astonishment and absolute disgust, the former Secretary responded, "Yes. We didn't want to harm the North Vietnamese people, so we passed the targets to the Swiss embassy in Washington with instructions to pass them to the NVN government through their embassy in Hanoi."
As we watched in horror, Secretary Rusk went on to say, "All we wanted to do is demonstrate to the North Vietnamese leadership that we could strike targets at will, but we didn't want to kill innocent people. By giving the North Vietnamese advanced warning of the targets to be attacked, we thought they would tell the workers to stay home."
No wonder all the targets were so heavily defended day after day! The NVN obviously moved as many guns as they could overnight to better defend each target they knew was going to be attacked. Clearly, many brave American Air Force and Navy fliers died or spent years in NVN prison camps as a direct result of being intentionally betrayed by Secretary Rusk and Secretary McNamara, and perhaps, President Johnson himself.
I cannot think of a more duplicitous and treacherous act of American government officials. Dean Rusk served as Secretary of State from January 21, 1961, through to January 20, 1969, under President John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson.
Mr. Peter Arnett opined that this would be a treasonous act by anyone else. A very sad revelation.
For all you "techies" out there..."The Reluctant Sorority" is available as an e-book. Click HERE to order yours today!
Dana Chwan is available as a speaker on veteran's issues and her book. Click on image to contact her.
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Cecil B. Currey, a favored author on our
Suggested Reading List (click on photo)
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Suggested Links and Organizations we support - Hope you will, too!
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Veteran's Day is EVERDAY
Remember those who have given all for country - and those who continue to do so bravely and without hesitation.
The best way to honor their sacrifice is by
holding those in power to the highest standard of honesty and integrity for deploying our bravest and brightest.
Remember those who have given all for country - and those who continue to do so bravely and without hesitation.
The best way to honor their sacrifice is by
holding those in power to the highest standard of honesty and integrity for deploying our bravest and brightest.