Here Am I

Annotation — US Military & Veteran Songs

Hershel Gober followed in the footsteps of Barry Sadler, producing songs while serving in the US army. They were mainly positive, patriotic tracks, but also dealing with the plight of the soldier. He did two terms in Vietnam between 1965 and 1969 - firstly as an Infantry Adviser to the South Vietnamese Army (1965-1966), and secondly as an Infantry Company Commander (1969). He received the Soldier’s Medal, Bronze Star, Purple Heart, and Parachutist Badge. He later served as US Deputy of Veteran Affairs during the Clinton Administration (1993-2000).1 Interestingly, he actually started his career in the late 1950s as a rockabilly singer called Hershel Almond. While in Vietnam he took part in a project run by Major General Edward Lansdale of the US Army, which produced songs to win the "hearts and minds" of the Vietnamese people.23 Lansdale recorded many folk songs of Americans in Vietnam, which are stored at the American Folklife Center (Library of Congress).45 The song "Here I Am" looked at a lonely soldier away from home, missing his sweetheart. The track started with a spoken-word introduction: "a feeling that all soldiers have shared since the beginning of time is the feeling of being alone and far from home. In Vietnam I had this feeling, so I wrote this song". Thus, a fairly typical soldier boy song of the 1960s period. Of greater interest, he narrated the song "Picture of a Man" (Tee Pee Records # 834T-4533) from the perspective of an American soldier who became friendly with a South Vietnamese man. The US soldier described how the Viet Cong attacked the man's son at an outpost. The US soldier found the body: "I saw him hanging on a barbed wire fence...his head was blown off...I never shed so many tears". The man "attacked by over 300 Viet Cong", attempted to "keep his country free". While it is interesting for an American folk song to focus on the loss of a Vietnamese life, it sought to defended the existence of South Vietnam against the communist Viet Cong forces, and hence justifying the role of the US soldier. Therefore, this can be viewed as military propaganda. Re-issued in 1970 (Picture of a Man - Buddah Records # BDA 152), his title on the record went from "Capt." to "Major".Sources1veterans.arkansas.gov (archived copy)↩2In the Midst of Wars (Edward Geary Lansdale, 1991)↩3BBC: Asia pacific↩4Library of Congress, American Folklife Center: Vietnam War collections guide (archived copy)↩5Buffalo State University↩

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Notes

Tee Pee Records 834T-4533, red label, "A Subsidiary of Target Records, Appleton, Wis.", produced by Target Productions, ALPO Music; "Here Am I" (H. Gober), T45-34, 2:27, matrix UK4M-2906, backed with "Picture of a Man" (H. Gober), T45-33, 3:20, matrix UK4M-2905; credited to Capt. Hershel Gober. The LP The Proud American, Patriot Records 91140, Dermott, Ark., blue labels, 33 1/3 RPM: side one "Proud American" 2:45, "Six Klicks" 2:50, "Look Over My Shoulder" 3:46, "Here Am I" 4:00, "Forgotten Man" 2:45; side two "Saigon Warrior" 5:56, "Tropic Rain" 3:54, "Picture of a Man" 3:28, "Birth of a Nation" 3:10, "An American's Dream" 5:02, "Closing"; "All songs written and recorded by Hershel Gober", with Pamco Music credited for "The Proud American", "Here Am I" and "Forgotten Man". The front cover shows Gober in Army uniform playing guitar at a microphone before a waving American flag; the back…

About the artist

Born 21 December 1936, Monticello, Arkansas, USA. Recorded rockabilly in the late 1950s-early 1960s as Hershel Almond; as an Army officer in Vietnam wrote and recorded war songs including the LP Proud American, performing for President Johnson in Vietnam in 1966 as the 'Singing Soldier'. Later Deputy Secretary and twice acting Secretary of the US Department of Veterans Affairs. Died 15 October 2024. [Source: Wikipedia; Miller Center; Encyclopedia of Arkansas]

Themes

Patriotic · Military

In collections

US 'Patriotic' / Pro-Government / Anti-Protest Songs [War Years] · US Military & Veteran Songs