Letter From Vietnam
1970 · Starjo 1709 · Wesleyville, Kentucky
- Artist
- Billy Starr
- Title
- Letter From Vietnam
- Release
- A Letter From Vietnam / The Ode to Ira Louvin
- Year
- 1970
- Label
- Starjo # 1709
- Format
- 7" · Single
- Language
- English
- Country
- Wesleyville, Kentucky, USA
- Genre
- Country · Country
- Primary theme
- US 'Patriotic' / Pro-Government / Anti-Protest Songs
Annotation
Billy Starr (1913-1981) - traditional country singer, born James William Stallard in Kentucky, USA. (1) (2) He released the track "A Letter From Vietnam" (Starjo Records # 1709) in 1970, narrated from the perspective of a soldier writing to his mother, feeling regret that he had committed murder in Vietnam. However, he reported that the next day the platoon were going to "a place called My Lai", where his life might be threatened by the Vietcong: "there might not be a tomorrow if something should go wrong" - and thus it sought to defend the position of Calley. The narrator also took a patriotic, pro-government position, arguing that the war would "make the world a better place for everyone to live".
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
About the artist
Born 30 December 1913, Wesleyville, KY, United States
Themes
My Lai · Patriotic · Pro-Calley · VC · Soldier's Perspective · Calley-Chaos
In collections
My Lai & Lt. William Calley Songs · US 'Patriotic' / Pro-Government / Anti-Protest Songs