—Willie James King, Member of the Military Family

Willie James King is a widely published poet. He resides in Montgomery, AL. His latest book, The House in the Heart, is available at http://www.williejamesking.com or from Amazon.com.

Compiler’s Note Milspeak writer F.P. Siedentopf’s memoir, “Monkey Mountain,” generated so much interest from military people unable to attend Milspeak Creative Writing Seminars that we decided to start this ezine. Milspeak Memo is dedicated to freedom of speech, particularly for military people. In Milspeak Memo you will find memoir, personal essay, fiction, and poetry by military people that want to share their military experience but are unable to attend a Milspeak Creative Writing Seminar. You will also find the writing of Milspeak writers that are venturing into genres other than creative nonfiction. Volume 1 is dedicated to sharing memoir, personal essay, and poetry about the Vietnam experience by Vietnam War-era Veterans, their family members, and USO entertainers who toured during the Vietnam War. You didn’t have to serve in country to have your work posted here. Were you on active duty in the States during the Vietnam War? Were you deployed to a country other than Vietnam? Were you a military family member during the Vietnam War? A USO entertainer? If you fit this description then you have a war story to tell. If you would like your work posted in this volume, please see submission guidelines for this volume and future volumes. If you’ve already written a longer nonfiction work about your Vietnam War-era experience and would like to post an excerpt, I’ll be happy to post it. I will also post short anecdotes, trivia, and visual art, plus comments from readers. New material will be posted weekly. Sincerely, Pirate aka Sally Drumm, AIC #375 – Compiler Contributing Compilers: Bat Rastard AKA F.P. Siedentopf Vlad AKA Dennis Adams Mustang AKA Harry Parmer Virtual Vietnam Archive at Texas Tech Milspeak Memo TABLE OF CONTENTS Click on Date to go to Post Posted 03 JAN 2009 Memoir & Poetry by F.P. Siedentopf, Dick Reynolds, & Moe Haagensen Plus Marine Air Control Squadron Emblems & a map of Monkey Mountain Posted 10 JAN 2009 Memoir by Dave Burns, Gerard Boe, & Nancy Whitworth An Email Conversation with Joy Wilkerson, USO Entertainer: New Link to Bring Joy to Vietnam Plus a Link to a Recent Radio Interview with Joy and A Link to Craig Hiler’s Monkey Mountain Posted 17 JAN 2009 Reminiscing with Poet Tom Sheehan about Poker, Baby Carriages, and Chesty Puller Memoir from Patricia Hysell, George O’Kelley, & Harry Hooper Poetry by Tom Sheehan & Nguyen Du Plus “Rockin’ Rock Ape” Posted 24 JAN 2009 Pirate Riffs on Helmets, C-rats, & Books A List of VA , Other Benefits, and Very Interesting Links Compiled by a Vietnam Veteran Memoir by F.P. Siedentopf “The Royal Order of the Walking Finger” Link to “Ann Margaret’s Gentlemen: A Veteran’s Wife Remembers” A List of Links to Air Force Veteran Bill News’s Extensive Web Site – Filled with Military Stories. Poetry by Air Force Veteran Bill News Video Images Submitted by a Military Family Member whose Father Served in Vietnam Plus “Chillin’” Posted 31 JAN 2009 Vietnam War Era USO Performers Testimony Summary before the subcommittee on health committee on Veterans’ Affairs United States House of Representatives regarding Women, Rural, and Special Needs Veterans Comments on PTSD Now & During Vietnam War Plus “LtCol U.N. Decided” Posted 07 FEB 2009 Pirate Riffs on Kilmer and the Military Stereotype Remembering CPOs by Anonymous Video From Vlad Plus “Triple M Goes Bongo” Posted 14 FEB 2009 this post is packed with purple hearts, lost loves, sgt rock, the grunt padre, history, video, and miscellany plus “The Monkey King” by Sean J. Devare Posted 21 FEB 2009 Women Vietnam Veterans Plus “Triple M Finds Home” Posted 28 FEB 2009 Remembering Vietnam plus “Last Call” SUBMISSIONS: Send your Writing, Comments, Art, Video Clips, ETC to Milspeak Memo Share your comments on the post at the mcws blog Contact: postmaster@milspeak.org Disclaimer: The appearance of hyperlinks or logos does not constitute endorsement of Milspeak, Milspeak Memo, or linked sites, or the information (written and graphic), products, or services contained therein, by the Department of Defense, any other government agency or office. Written content and graphics on the pages within this website, whether submitted by members of the Writer’s Gallery, by contributors, guest writers, or by those posting to the Milspeak Memo feature, represent the thoughts and opinions of the writers & artists. Written and graphic content does not reflect the position or opinion of any organization, institution, or person other than the artist. 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