Here I Am

Annotation — US Military & Veteran Songs

Hershel Gober followed up his 1966 Vietnam-related singles with a full-length album. The title The Proud American (Patriot Records # 91140) stated its patriotic stance. The back of the record said that: "These songs were written in Vietnam, where Hershel has served twice as a combat soldier. This is a soldiers' look at Vietnam". It then showed a picture of Gober performing to his "friends" at the Cam Ranh Air Base - President Johnson, General Westmoreland, and the South Vietnamese President Nguyen Cao Ky. The back of the record also attacked the protest movement who were "trying to sell America short and speak only of its weaknesses and what is wrong with it". It then praised Gober who "sings of its strength". (1) The song "Saigon Warrior" is a comedy addressed to American GIs, which Gober wrote while touring around the hospitals in Vietnam. The lyrics criticised those who spent a lot of time in Saigon: "helping fight a war, pushing a pencil my finger is getting sore". It also focused on GIs visiting prostitutes in the Saigon bars, referencing the famous "Tu Do Street", the main location of these establishments. Tu Do translated as "Liberty", called that between 1955 and 1975.…

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Annotation

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. (2) (3) Lansdale recorded many folk songs of Americans in Vietnam, which are stored at the American Folklife Center (Library of Congress). (4) (5) 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…

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

About the artist

Born 21 December 1936, Monticello, Arkansas, USA

Themes

Patriotic · Military · Soldier's Perspective

In collections

US 'Patriotic' / Pro-Government / Anti-Protest Songs · US Military & Veteran Songs