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For the Love of Vietnam: A war, a family, a CIA official, and the best evacuation story never heard

It is a beautiful area and so quiet and peaceful (by day). By night it is war. ~ letter home, Nancy L. Welch, February 1975

It’s not often that a family moves to a war zone. But in 1974, Saigon was supposedly safe. The U.S. government had declared it so after the Paris Peace Accords the year before. CIA officer James E. Welch certainly believed it to be so.

So when his family joined him after two long years of separation there were high hopes for good times. However, it wasn’t long before the truth crept in. As the family struggled to maintain a normal routine–visiting the zoo, going to the beach, taking river cruises–myriad threats thrust themselves into their everyday lives–violent demonstrations, Viet Cong scares, and the sound and sight of artillery fire.

By March 1975, things were truly falling apart. Soon the family would flee, but what of Mr. Welch and his work? A confirmed company man, he stayed behind to do his duty. Soon, however, he was torn between following orders and abandoning his South Vietnamese partners or striking out on his own . . .

Using his expertise in psychological warfare and a heartfelt dedication to doing what's right, he orchestrated the evacuation of 1000 people despite the U.S. Embassy's lockdown.

Filled with warmth, insight, and a thrilling last-minute escape, this telling of the evacuation of the CIA’s “ultra-secret” propaganda radio station is the one Vietnam story you won’t want to miss.

Fittingly told by daughter Kat Fitzpatrick, M.F.A., this creative nonfiction book weaves the tale of her father’s daring rescue with the history of the war and her family’s own 1974-75 Vietnam experience of danger and escape.

Kat Fitzpatrick

Kat Fitzpatrick, M.F.A., was one of the few American dependents living in Saigon at the end of the Vietnam War, the daughter of a CIA operative who worked in ultra-secret propaganda. She grappled with that fact for much of her life and finally dedicated herself to putting the circumstances of that time into words. Her 2015 chapbook, The Fight to Write, What the Vietnam War Taught Me About Truth and Writing relays some of that struggle. As a freelance writer and educator, Kat has held a variety of jobs in support of her writing habit including banquet waiter, pedal-cab driver, and adventure trip leader, as well as myriad desk jobs. She lives in Upstate New York where she runs, hikes, and paddles as often as she can.

Ongoing posts of “Stories of Vietnam,” keep the subject fresh and multi-faceted. You may (free or as a paying supporter) to receive regular stories and updates.

I hope you will join me

Let us dare to read, think, speak, and write. ~ John Adams The 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War is approaching. Read stories. Think about what that era meant to your life. Speak to me about sharing your story (or the story of someone you know). Write about that time, whether in your own private journal, or for the wider world. There is no one right way to open new horizons, but many ways to make our way to a calmer present and to a brighter future.