Kat Fitzpatrick

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.

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