Vietnamese Song (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 Pakdy, a fellow volunteer from Hong Kong. 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 quotes Ted Studebaker as saying that:"I have never heard of a President pinning a medal of honor 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

Notes

GS-1000 (labels GS 1000 A / GS 1000 B), stereo, 33 1/3 RPM, plain gold labels titled "Life Is Good, Yea! Ted Studebaker in Vietnam", with no label name printed. The front cover shows a green felt banner reading "Life Is Good Yea!" with a peace sign, a guitar, a butterfly and four dancing figures (cover banner by Virginia Hemmrick). The back cover note tells that Ted Studebaker of West Milton, Ohio, told his draft board he could not conscientiously accept military service but was willing to go to Vietnam, went with the Vietnam Christian Service to help the mountain people of Di Linh, taking a guitar and a small tape recorder instead of weapons, married Pakdy, a volunteer from Hong Kong, and was shot dead when a Vietcong unit attacked Di Linh about a week later, on April 26, 1971; it quotes him: "I have never heard of a President pinning a medal of honor on a pacifist." The record was…

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] 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…

Themes

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

In collections

Peace, Protest, & Anti-War Songs [War Years] · US Combat Perspective Songs [War Years] · US Military & Veteran Songs