82 Year Old Woman Steals The Dallas "Sir! No Sir!" Premier

As you know, I represented David Zeiger at the Dallas Premier of "Sir! No Sir!" this Memorial Day Week-end at a scheduled appearance of 3 showings over 3 days. The theater folks had a microphone where I could address the folks in attendance. The premise was to introduce the film, watch the film with the audience, then after the film, field questions about the film or Radio First Termer. The Dallas Morning News had already mentioned, along with a review, that being a Dallas Native, Dave Rabbit would be in attendance for 3 showings. Anyway, I was totally amazed at the attendance. It was overwhelming. Once I did the show on Friday evening and got to talk with some of the folks who came and interacted with them, it really got into my blood. So Saturday, I did the one I was suppose to do and an additional one as I did on Sunday.

At the end of the 6:15 p.m. showing on Saturday, during the question and answer session, an elderly woman said that she wanted me to pass on to David Zeiger how deeply moved she was about his movie as well as the brave men and women whom the movie portrayed. Then, just as I was about to go to the second question, the lady speaks up and says, and I quote from memory........

"You know, I was and still am an active anti-war activist. My son was a Green Beret in Vietnam and was killed during the Tet Offensive in 1968. I was a single mom and he was my only son. I was so devastated by his death that I had to find a reason, something that I could pin down that I could understand why he died and what he died for. As I learned more and more about the lies of Vietnam, some others and I started and participated in an underground movement to house American GI's who were refusing to go to Vietnam until we could arrange them safe passage to Canada." She continued on with a few stories of some of the GI's that she met during those times. I asked her why she did it. She said, and I quote from memory "I believed then and do now that for every GI I can save from a senseless death, it is a tribute to the memory of my son."

When she got through speaking.... I found myself misty eyed. As I looked around the crowded theater, I saw dozens of others also that were deeply touched at what she said. Then, without warning, a few people began to stand and started applauding. Before I knew it, the entire audience got up on their feet and started applauding this lady, including me.

As people started streaming out of the auditorium, they would pass by her just to shake her hand. I stood there thanking folks for coming but found myself in awe of what was taking place. After the folks streamed out, I escorted her out and continued talking with her. She is an extremely wealthy woman now, is 82 years young and supports financially anonymously, dozens of anti-war causes and organizations. I asked her if I could get a picture of her standing next to the "Sir! No Sir!" Marquee and she said sure. As I was about ready to snap the photo, she lifted her arm and flashed me the peace sign. I shook her hand, gave her a hug and told her how honored I was to meet her. I asked her what her name was. She said, "Just call me Jean". And with that, she and her friends disappeared into the elevators.

From that point on until I sat down at my computer to write this Sunday evening, my life changed. I suddenly realized that although "Sir! No Sir!" depicts those of us that were involved in the anti-war movement, there was another group of individuals who were just as important and just as involved in changing the course of history.... the families.

I am even more passionate now, if that is possible, to bring Radio First Termer Iraq to the troops as quickly as humanly possible. And although I have never done it ever before, I am going to dedicate Radio First Termer Iraq to someone really special.... "Jean" and all the other family members just like her.

PEACE!

Dave

[edit on 5/28/2006 by Dave Rabbit]

That is an adorable story! Bless her heart...

The families of Vietnam Vets were very much affected by their participation there. My older brother was a Marine. He made it home all right but he wasn't the same. The only thing he ever told me about his time there (because I asked) is "I killed babies".

That, and thinking of how he has been affected has been a painful realization for our whole family. There were 20 years when he didn't speak to any of us. Then he showed up out of the blue talking about his pre-Vietnam days as if he was still living in that time. It's hard. It's hard on the families...

I think of the families of the soldiers in Iraq. The future they have. Even if the soldiers come home alive, this war will wound them as much if not more than Vietnam.

I'm so glad you're here and doing what you're doing! Thank you!

BH... Thank You. I am here because of the THREE AMIGOS. ATS is now the official forum for Radio First Termer (Vietnam & Iraq). It has been an amazing road that forges my destiny.

Because of fabulous ATS members such as yourself.... my permanent marriage to ATS has been a real blessing.

PLEASE feel free to start a THREAD of your own if you have something to say. It may say Dave Rabbit and Radio First Termer on the door.... but this forum is for ALL OF US at ATS and the WORLD who believe that there HAS TO BE A BETTER WAY!

Dave

P. S. I LOVE the twirling PEACE SYMBOL. How about e-mailing me it for use.

[email protected]

[edit on 5/28/2006 by Dave Rabbit]

Thank You, Dave for all you have done and for this thread. A beautifully touching story that needed to be said. As BH points out, family members suffer, too. My mother suffered from what my father went through in WW2. As a young woman, I dated/talked with guys just back from Vietnam and was profoundly affected by how terribly their war experiences affected them, not just physically but mentally and emotionally. Our nation should be ashamed for letting the chicken hawks send our troops to a devastating elective war. Our prayers and thoughts for troops should not stop when war ends, because for many it never does.

Hi Desert.....

Yes.... the FAMILIES were and ARE so important now. Without their LOVE and SUPPORT.... the troops could not handle the things that they are forced to handle. As already mentioned.... the NEWS MEDIA and almost EVERY MOVIE that I have ever seen NEVER shows the FAMILY PART of the story. The only exception that I can remember is "We Were Soldiers" which showed the FAMILY SIDE of war in a very meaningful and touching way..... especially the way Lt. Col. Hal Moore's wife aided the wives and girlfriends when the TAXI's would pull up with the notice from the ARMY and DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE.

Anyway... thanks for your comments. Opinions and comments such as yours are exactly why ATS partnered with me and created this forum. It is REAL.... it is PERSONAL.... just like WAR!

Dave

Dave, thanks for sharing your experience. Quite a woman! Interesting - like mother like son, a pair of strong people. This is truly an American story. Her wanting to find out why her son died, rather than simply mourning him, tells us much - not just about her spirit - but of the times, then and now. And your insight into the heart of the matter, the families, is important to keep in mind. One of the great moments of the anti-war movement arrived when the actress Donna Reed spoke out against the war in Vietnam. Reed, unlike Jane Fonda, was the everywoman, the quiet American, and if she had a problem with the war then by gosh everybody had a problem with the war.

Your firend Jean played a vital war in bringing the war to a halt. And you're fortunate to have met her.

Best Regards, KH

Thanks Kim.....

I have "Jean's" picture up on my wall next to my RFT signs and stuff. Seeing her standing next to the SNS marquee is really amazing to me. It was a day that I will remember the rest of my life. I once told David Zeiger, and it is still true to this day, that when I look back over the road that I was destined to walk since Saigon, just how many things had to happen EXACTLY the way they did for me to be where I am today. If my kid doesn't need a book report and if I don't look on the internet and come across the RFT shortcuts..... Dave Rabbit is still a myth and legend and I continue on in a world that is nothing compared to the legacy that has followed me for 35 years in the parallel universe.

"Jean" is one of the MANY THINGS that has happened on this trip that I am extremely THANKFUL for.

Dave

That is very moving...

To all the true patriots...
whether they are fighting in the trenches, or fighting to bring home the troops...
heres to ya... sipp...

it is all done for the love of America, and what we stand for...

The only hard thing to understand, is the harsh treatment that the soldiers withstood when they returned...
Spitting in faces, shouts of protest...

It is almost as if the anger of the protesters just had to go somewhere, so instead of towards the people pulling strings, and making poor decisions, it went to the other victims... the biggest victims of them all...
the actual soldiers, that were forced to fight a war that shouldn't have been fought...

Same today...
reminder folks... love the "sinner", because they are doing their job... hate the sin, because if enough people hate the war, then things change...
if people start to hate the soldiers (voluntary this time) then we have fallen for a devisive ploy... that attempts to split us where no split exists...

We all want peace (except members of the military industrial complex & Cheney)... just different approaches to getting there...

Originally posted by LazarusTheLong
The only hard thing to understand, is the harsh treatment that the soldiers withstood when they returned...
Spitting in faces, shouts of protest...

Hey LTL.... thanks for the post. I quoted part of what you said because the investigative book by Larry Lembcke called "The Spitting Image" which was part of the video interviews of "Sir! No Sir!"

www.amazon.com...

factually shows that the spitting BS story was a "Hollywood" concoction that dated back to before "Rambo". Unfortunately, like ALL myths ..... became widespread and MYTH became FACT. It just DID NOT HAPPEN!

Anyway, thanks for your post.

Dave

[edit on 6/7/2006 by Dave Rabbit]

And thanks Dave,
for the opportunity to set that straight once and for all...

for those of us, that were barely out of diapers at the time- the truth is sometimes hard to see...

and as we know... the media makes "the truth" what they want it to be...
At first, i thought it was to sell papers, and maybe it was...
but nowadays, I feel that there is an agenda that is about much more than profit...

Originally posted by Dave Rabbit

Originally posted by LazarusTheLong
The only hard thing to understand, is the harsh treatment that the soldiers withstood when they returned...
Spitting in faces, shouts of protest...

Hey LTL.... thanks for the post. I quoted part of what you said because the investigative book by Larry Lembcke called "The Spitting Image" which was part of the video interviews of "Sir! No Sir!"

www.amazon.com...

factually shows that the spitting BS story was a "Hollywood" concoction that dated back to before "Rambo". Unfortunately, like ALL myths ..... became widespread and MYTH became FACT. It just DID NOT HAPPEN!

Anyway, thanks for your post.

Dave

[edit on 6/7/2006 by Dave Rabbit]

My friend's father was spit on in LA in 1969, while wearing his uniform for his trip home to Pittsburgh. He told me to his face. He was a marine, a drill sargent, and an honest, quiet man, and he would not have lied to me.

Either an honest man lied, or the book is somewhat inaccurate, as the author could not have been everywhere at once.

[edit on 6/7/2006 by soulforge]

Soulforge...
no offense intended, and no assumptions made...
This is regarding the media hype surrounding the fewer real instances...

We have to accept that some people got spit on, because those kind of tales always come from some grain of truth.

I grew up in Oklahoma though... and we just never saw that kind of reaction here... I think we were just always glad to get people back from the war... hippies and squares alike...

I have always been forced to assume that big city folk, didn't know how to treat their vets, and now i see that perhaps is not the case... (outside a few protest related incidents)

also, from the movies (gasp- he said it) we see situations revolving around soldiers that are yelling at protesters for not supporting them... and protesters calling soldiers wardogs, and murderers... It appears that those type situations were not the case near as often as the media would have us believe...

My friend's father was spit on in LA in 1969, while wearing his uniform for his trip home to Pittsburgh. He told me to his face. He was a marine, a drill sargent, and an honest, quiet man, and he would not have lied to me.

Either an honest man lied, or the book is somewhat inaccurate, as the author could not have been everywhere at once. by soulforge]

Hi Soulforge:

My comments were in reference to what was constantly PUBLICLY being said about Hippies meeting the planes when the troops arrived home and so forth, and THAT is what the book dispels. First off, military planes DID NOT ARRIVE at civilian airports... so there is NO WAY IN HELL that civilians, much less Hippie Girls (I WISH) would be allowed on a military installation.

Now... since you have brought it up... "I" was spat on myself.... not in military uniform.... but at a party I went to after I was discharged. When I was in Saigon, I had purchased a U. S. Air Force Ring with "Saigon 1970-71" on the crest along with a dragon and "U. S. Air Force"..... basically like a Senior Ring. Anyway, I am sitting on a couch hitting up on this good looking chick sitting next to me..... she notices my ring and asks me what college I graduated from..... I told her "University Of Saigon". She then asks me if I had been in Vietnam.... which, of course, I tell her "Three Tours". Then she stands up in front of me, with me still being on the couch, and tosses her drink in my face and does, in fact, spit on me and calls me a baby killer. Well...... even though to this day I am proud that I have NEVER struck a woman.... EVER, on that particular evening.... I stood up and SLAPPED THE "BENCH" as hard as I could.... and told her where she could place future comments like those on returning Vets. I then thanked the hosts for having me and walked out the door leaving everyone who was at the party standing there with their mouths open.

So, I have no doubt about your story. Again, the book as described above has to do with the MYTH of the RETURNING VET at the AIRPORT...... NOT individual incidents.

By the way...... in thinking back to that time..... it is QUITE POSSIBLE that if the ALCOHOL had not been flowing as it was for several hours BEFORE the incident... it might not have happened at all. My experience has always been that PEOPLE act their DUMBEST when DRUNK.

Thanks for your post!

Dave

Very awsome, glad you posted your account of the event for every one to learn about. So, where is that photo of the amazing lady who touched so many hearts that day, and the many years before?