I’ve lived my life through the lens of the Vietnam War. My memoir is the story of this journey. It is the result of so much love and support from my family and friends, both new and old.
When my daughter and I traveled to Vietnam in 2017, we relied on the help of our stateside friends Lynn Novick, Nhu and Tom Miller, and Larry Berman, who introduced us to Thao Griffiths, Chuck Searcy, John Nguyen, Le Nuoi, and Vo Hong Nam. We felt the warm embrace of friends as we planned our trip, arrived in Hanoi, and lived the most recent chapters of this ongoing story.
Just as the war has determined how I have lived my life, my motorcycle trip to South America has remained my greatest source of inspiration. I could not have had two more trustworthy and adventurous compañeros than Will Rogers and Rob Deford.
To better understand my father and his role in history, I depended upon the most knowledgeable historians and storytellers. Daniel Ellsberg, Errol Morris, Phil Taubman, and Paul Hendrickson were invaluable. Together they shared many hours with me, helping me weave my thoughts into the fabric of the larger story.
While I was a fellow at the Stanford Distinguished Careers Institute (DCI), Sarah Frisch served as my mentor. I have been humbled and honored to have her as my coach during the two and a half years that it took me to write my memoir. Without her assistance in unpacking my story, it never would have been told. It was Sarah who introduced me to Jack Cubria, the writer who has been my partner in telling this story. Jack, I couldn’t have done it without you.
I have the deepest appreciation for my DCI cohort. After dropping out of Stanford in the early ’70s, I made up for my long academic hiatus in 2018 only because Phil Pizzo, founding director, believed in me. Stanford professors Alex Nemerov, Tom Ehrlich, Ed Porter, and Abraham Verghese deeply inspired me with their thought-provoking lectures.
When I began writing this manuscript, I had the same feeling that I had forty-five years ago as a beginning farmer. I depended on friends and fellow farmers for advice. As a beginning writer, I did the same. I asked Gary Hart, Michael Pollan, Steve Mayberg, Rayyane Tabet, and Adam Napolitan for their help. Fellow travelers Marcia Weese and Hilmar Blumberg inspired much of my writing about my trip to South America. When the time came to find an agent, my dear friends Jesse and Betsy Fink introduced me to Flip Brophy. Flip has been wonderful to work with, and to her I owe my introduction to Vanessa Mobley at Little, Brown.
Vanessa has become a trusted member of my family. Through Zoom, she has met my wife, Julie, our children, and our new family puppy. We bonded over our shared connections to Latin America and our belief in the importance of family. Vanessa is both kind and wise. She has been a constant source of ideas, and she brought a lot of joy to our work. She and her amazing team at Little, Brown championed me from the first day.
To my mother, father, and dear sisters, thank you for raising me, introducing me to nature, and loving me.
And to the love of my life, Julie, and our adult children, Graham, Sean, and Emily: I want you to know that your love has helped me reveal parts of my life that have never before been excavated. I am sharing with you my memoir in the hope that you will know me more fully, and that we may know each other more fully for the rest of our lives.