Vietnam: Still Part Of Who I Am

Annotation

Bill McKenna served with the marines in Vietnam, and returned to the US disabled. He became a regular performer at the Skidmore Freedom Fest. He died in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1995. The title on the front cover, "F.P.O San Francisco", referred to the US military postal system, either known as APO (Army Post Office) or FPO (Fleet Post Office). The San Francisco gateway dealt with overseas mail to Vietnam.12 He released this Vietnam-themed LP in the rock-pop genre in 1986, in New Smyrna Beach, Florida. The title song "Vietnam: Still Part of Who I Am" (FPOSF # 1102108) looked at a Vietnam veterans attempt to find his place in society - which had labelled Vietnam a failure and a mistake. It can be viewed as part of a 1980s, Reagan-era trend of nationalism, or attempt to overcome the "Vietnam Syndrome". Narrated in the first person, the veteran said that originally he did not want to go to Vietnam, but the experience and memories had helped to define him. But when he returned he "found the country in flames", and the government "were freeing draft dodgers while holding Calley to blame" - which indicated sympathy for the plight of Calley, and of course, criticism of those who avoided the draft, and possibly the anti-war movement. He concluded that the veterans had "come of age" and were no longer "naive", and thus they could "be proud of Vietnam" and "love" the "country".The track "Jake's Song" looked at the perspective of two soldiers held captive in Vietnam as prisoners of war (P.O.W.). The narrator explained that his and Jake's plane went down in the jungle, which they survived. However, they ended up "caught and beaten, locked in this goddamn cage". The captors separated the soldiers, and the narrator wondered what happened to Jake, while he started to lose hope. It concluded with the soldier wishing he would die.Sources1olive-drab.com: Od apo fpo (archived copy)↩2popsike.com: BILL MCKENNAVietnam vet private folk SSW AOR LP hear↩

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Annotation — Draft Songs

Bill McKenna served with the marines in Vietnam, and returned to the US disabled. He became a regular performer at the Skidmore Freedom Fest. He died in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1995. The title on the front cover, "F.P.O San Francisco", referred to the US military postal system, either known as APO (Army Post Office) or FPO (Fleet Post Office). The San Francisco gateway dealt with overseas mail to Vietnam.12 He released this Vietnam-themed LP in the rock-pop genre in 1986, in New Smyrna Beach, Florida. The title song "Vietnam: Still Part of Who I Am" (FPOSF # 1102108) looked at a Vietnam veterans attempt to find his place in society - which had labelled Vietnam a failure and a mistake. It can be viewed as part of a 1980s, Reagan-era trend of nationalism, or attempt to overcome the "Vietnam Syndrome". Narrated in the first person, the veteran said that originally he did not want to go to Vietnam, but the experience and memories had helped to define him. But when he returned he "found the country in flames", and the government "were freeing draft dodgers while holding Calley to blame" - which indicated sympathy for the plight of Calley, and of course, criticism of those who avoided the draft, and possibly the anti-war movement. He concluded that the veterans had "come of age" and were no longer "naive", and thus they could "be proud of Vietnam" and "love" the "country".Sources1olive-drab.com: Od apo fpo (archived copy)↩2popsike.com: BILL MCKENNAVietnam vet private folk SSW AOR LP hear↩

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Annotation — My Lai & Lt. William Calley Songs

Bill McKenna served with the marines in Vietnam, and returned to the US disabled. He became a regular performer at the Skidmore Freedom Fest. He died in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1995. The title on the front cover, "F.P.O San Francisco", referred to the US military postal system, either known as APO (Army Post Office) or FPO (Fleet Post Office). The San Francisco gateway dealt with overseas mail to Vietnam.12 He released this Vietnam-themed LP in the rock-pop genre in 1986, in New Smyrna Beach, Florida. The title song "Vietnam: Still Part of Who I Am" (FPOSF # 1102108) looked at a Vietnam veterans attempt to find his place in society - which had labelled Vietnam a failure and a mistake. It can be viewed as part of a 1980s, Reagan-era trend of nationalism, or attempt to overcome the "Vietnam Syndrome" - the perception that domestic controversies over the war led to the US taking a less interventionist position in US foreign affairs. This term also applied to veterans, who may have felt guilt or shame about the war, influenced by the domestic climate they returned to in the US.3 Ronald Reagan spoke about this on 18 August 1980: "for too long, we have lived with the Vietnam Syndrome....As the years dragged on, we were told that peace would come if we would simply stop interfering and go home....We dishonor the memory of 50,000 young Americans who died...we give way to feelings of guilt as if we were doing something shameful, and we have been shabby in our treatment of those who returned. They fought as well and as bravely as any Americans have ever fought in any war. They deserve our gratitude, our respect, and our continuing concern".4 Many war films of the period fitted into this climate of trying to overcome the Vietnam Syndrome, such First Blood [Rambo] (1982), Uncommon Valor (1983), and Missing in Action (1984). So narrated in the first person, the veteran said that originally he did not want to go to Vietnam, but the experience and memories had helped to define him. But when he returned he "found the country in flames", and the government "were freeing draft dodgers while holding Calley to blame" - which indicated sympathy for the plight of Calley, and of course, criticism of those who avoided the draft, and possibly the anti-war movement. He concluded that the veterans had "come of age" and were no longer "naive", and thus they could "be proud of Vietnam" and "love" the "country". Sources1olive-drab.com: Od apo fpo (archived copy)↩2popsike.com: BILL MCKENNAVietnam vet private folk SSW AOR LP hear↩3The Columbia History of the Vietnam War (David L. Anderson, 2010)↩4Reagan Library (archived copy)↩

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Annotation — US Military & Veteran Songs

He released this Vietnam-themed LP in the rock-pop genre in 1986, in New Smyrna Beach, Florida. The title song "Vietnam: Still Part of Who I Am" (FPOSF # 1102108) looked at a Vietnam veterans attempt to find his place in society - which had labelled Vietnam a failure and a mistake. It can be viewed as part of a 1980s, Reagan-era trend of nationalism, or attempt to overcome the "Vietnam Syndrome". Narrated in the first person, the veteran said that originally he did not want to go to Vietnam, but the experience and memories had helped to define him. But when he returned he "found the country in flames", and the government "were freeing draft dodgers while holding Calley to blame" - which indicated sympathy for the plight of Calley, and of course, criticism of those who avoided the draft, and possibly the anti-war movement. He concluded that the veterans had "come of age" and were no longer "naive", and thus they could "be proud of Vietnam" and "love" the "country".The track "Jake's Song" looked at the perspective of two soldiers held captive in Vietnam as prisoners of war (P.O.W.). The narrator explained that his and Jake's plane went down in the jungle, which they survived. However, they ended up "caught and beaten, locked in this goddamn cage". The captors separated the soldiers, and the narrator wondered what happened to Jake, while he started to lose hope. It concluded with the soldier wishing he would die.

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Lyrics

English: Didn't want to be in Vietnam, didn't want to see those things... / But I got home safe from Vietnam, but I couldn't tell the people what was really going on / Vietnam, it's part of who I am / Like memories of those first days that are spent in Da Nang / Vietnam, It's part of who I am / I source of pride / I felt the need to hide inside / When I got home safe from Vietnam, I found that the people hadn't noticed that I'd gone / Back here in the world I found the country in flames / They were freeing draft dodgers while holding Calley to blame / And all my brothers who fought in this war we've now come of age / Were not naive anymore / We all love our country that's why we went to Vietnam... / I'm trying to stay, start today, be proud of Vietnam Lost in action, me and you, downed in the jungle / But we made it through, but I can't go on Jake / I can't go on, don't wanna be strong Jake, I can't... / Caught and beaten, locked in this goddamn cage / Don't know what I've eaten, but I do know Charlie's rage... / Don't know what I'm doing, I can't remember why / Now where did they put you, god Jake, did you die? / I can't go on Jake, I can't go on, don't wanna be strong Jake / I can't go on, Jake, maybe I'll just die

Notes

Front cover "F.P.O. San Francisco / Vietnam / Still Part Of Who I Am", with a map of South Vietnam marked with the four Corps areas and Highway One, surrounded by snapshots of a young Marine in Vietnam; jacket made in Canada. The back carries McKenna's note, signed "Bill McKenna, 'Wild Willie', 233-4008": his tour of duty changed him forever, the 22 months "in-country" and the condemnation he met on returning home, and his offering of these memories so that veterans "may share again the pride in each other that only we can know". Service printed: '68–'69, 7th Engineer Battalion, 1st Mar. Div., I Corps; '69, 3rd Amtrac Bat., 3rd Mar. Div., I Corps. Dedicated "to all my brothers who served, especially to Animal, Doc, Lee, Freddie, Sonny, Mavrellis, Savo, Turk, Crazy Paul Harrington, Jim Mason, Matey and the more than 58,000 who were left behind." Tracks: side one Vietnam: Still Part of…

About the artist

Died Atlanta, Georgia, USA (October 1995)

Themes

Vet · Military · My Lai · Pro-Calley · Draft Dodger · Patriotic · PTSD · Da Nang · Vietnam Syndrome · Mistreatment of Vet · Draft · Pro-Soldier

In collections

Draft Songs · My Lai & Lt. William Calley Songs · P.O.W. / M.I.A. Songs · PTSD Songs · US Military & Veteran Songs