Silent Night (With A. Nam)

Annotation — US Military & Veteran Songs

Ted Studebaker, born in West Milton, Ohio (near Dayton) in 1945, was a conscientious objector because of his religious beliefs. Yet, he told his draft board that he was willing to go to Vietnam in a peace / civilian role. He joined the Vietnam Christian Service as an agriculturalist, helping Vietnamese in the mountain village of Di Linh. He stayed there for two years and married Le Ven Pak, a fellow volunteer from China. But he died on 26 April 1971 during a Viet Cong raid on the village. While in Vietnam, Studebaker recorded himself playing guitar with villagers, and several spoken-word clips (including an interview with Howard Royer, of Messenger Magazine). The tapes were converted and produced into an LP by his brother Gary Studebaker. The back of the LP quote Ted Studebaker as saying that:I have never heard of a president pining a medal of honour on a pacifist. These are the sacred glories reserved for those who can kill, maim, capture, or destroy the most, and the more human lives involved, the more glorious the award seems to be. What a contradiction of values. How can a great society be so inconsistent and incoherent?

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Annotation — Peace, Protest, & Anti-War Songs

Ted Studebaker, born in West Milton, Ohio (near Dayton) in 1945, was a conscientious objector because of his religious beliefs. Yet, he told his draft board that he was willing to go to Vietnam in a peace / civilian role. He joined the Vietnam Christian Service as an agriculturalist, helping Vietnamese in the mountain village of Di Linh. He stayed there for two years and married Le Ven Pak, a fellow volunteer from China. But he died on 26 April 1971 during a Viet Cong raid on the village. While in Vietnam, Studebaker recorded himself playing guitar with villagers, and several spoken-word clips (including an interview with Howard Royer, of Messenger Magazine). The tapes were converted and produced into an LP by his brother Gary Studebaker. The back of the LP quote Ted Studebaker as saying that:"I have never heard of a president pining a medal of honour on a pacifist. These are the sacred glories reserved for those who can kill, maim, capture, or destroy the most, and the more human lives involved, the more glorious the award seems to be. What a contradiction of values. How can a great society be so inconsistent and incoherent?"

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

About the artist

Born 29 September 1945, West Milton (near Dayton), Ohio, USA. Church of the Brethren pacifist and conscientious objector; served as an agricultural volunteer with Vietnam Christian Service. Killed 26 April 1971, Di Linh, South Vietnam. His recordings were released posthumously on the album Life Is Good, Yea!/Ted Studebaker in Vietnam. [Source: Wikipedia]

Themes

Soldier's Perspective · Military · Religion · Missionary · In Country

In collections

Peace, Protest, & Anti-War Songs · US Military & Veteran Songs