Where There'll Be No Vietnam

Annotation — US Domestic Perspective Songs

The country track "There There'll Be No Vietnam" (New Hope Records), written by Mrs. S. H. Brackins, featured the child singer Brenda Gail Foss. This song reflected on how a M.I.A. soldier caused uncertainly for a soldier's family, and in this case, on a child. She started by explaining that her father served in the US army: "he is fighting for our country over there in Vietnam" - so a small degree of patriotic sentiment. He frequently wrote a letter to his daughter and she and her mother prayed for his safe return home. However, she recalled receiving a letter from the army, with the information that her "dad was missing over there in Vietnam" (in other word, 'missing in action' - M.I.A.) The army later informed the family that he had in fact been killed in action (K.I.A.). As Brenda Gail Foss explained, "he has gone to heaven", and so away from the Vietnam War, which explained the title of the song. Unknown date and location.&

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Annotation — Children on Record

The country track "There There'll Be No Vietnam" (New Hope Records), written by Mrs. S. H. Brackins, featured the child singer Brenda Gail Foss. This song reflected on how a M.I.A. soldier caused uncertainly for a soldier's family, and in this case, on a child. She started by explaining that her father served in the US army: "he is fighting for our country over there in Vietnam". He frequently wrote a letter to his daughter and she and her mother prayed for his safe return home. However, she recalled receiving a letter from the army, with the information that her "dad was missing over there in Vietnam" (in other word, 'missing in action' - M.I.A.) The army later informed the family that he had in fact been killed in action (K.I.A.). As Brenda Gail Foss explained, "he has gone to heaven", and so away from the Vietnam War, which explained the title of the song. Unknown date and location.

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Lyrics

English: My daddy is a soldier in a uniform / He is fighting for our country / Over there in Vietnam / He writes us a letter almost everyday / But still I miss my daddy... / Kneel and prayer, our lord take care of daddy and bring him safely home / Mummy and me are together / But we still seem all alone / We know that he is needed over there in Vietnam / But we are still praying that he will come back home / Mummy received a letter, it was from a strange man / It read that dad was missing over there in Vietnam / But now we know that daddy is safe from all harm / For he has gone to heaven

Notes

New Hope Records, RT #3, Johnson City, Tenn.; Side 2, 45 RPM; "Where There'll Be No Vietnam" (Brenda Gail Foss); label also prints "Brenda Gail Foss, Rt. 5 Johnson City Tenn." and "Author Mrs. S. H. Brackins; Acc. Joe Foss, Chas. Murr, Kenneth Brackins". No catalogue number or time printed. [From the record sleeve and labels]

About the artist

Country/gospel singer from Johnson City, Tennessee (1949-2020) who performed country music from age six and was noted as one of the oldest Americans living with spina bifida; she wrote and recorded 45s for Johnson City-area labels including New Hope ('There Is Nothing Like the Love of God' b/w 'Where They'll Be No Vietnam', both self-penned, label marked 'Recorded in Johnson City, TN'). [Source: Morris-Baker Funeral Home obituary; Discogs]

Themes

Patriotic · Child · M.I.A. · K.I.A.

In collections

US Domestic Perspective Songs [War Years] · Children on Record · P.O.W. / M.I.A. Songs · US 'Patriotic' / Pro-Government / Anti-Protest Songs [War Years]