EP 62: A Daughter's Search for the Vietnam Veteran Father She Lost

This episode is a little different. Amy Rodman Little isn't a veteran, but the daughter of one who never came home. Army Captain David "Dave" Rodman was an artillery officer, former Big 33 football star, and devoted husband and father. He was killed in Vietnam on May 8, 1968, while helping pull wounded soldiers onto a rescue helicopter. Amy was four years old. For most of her life, Dave was a name on a plaque, a theater in Germany, and a box of sympathy cards. Then, at 30, Amy found a box in her mother's garage. Inside were 45 handwritten letters her father sent home from Vietnam. What followed was a decades-long journey to know the man behind the name: reunions with his Army brothers, a first visit to The Wall, an Honor Flight, a Purple Heart handed to her by a stranger, and finally a book, Love, Dave: Letters to Home – A Daughter's Journey to Know the Father She Lost in Vietnam. 📖 Get Amy's book, Love, Dave: Letters to Home Paperback: https://lovedavebook.org/products/lov... eBook (Amazon): https://a.co/d/05ORteQG This is a story about loss, about the families who carry it, and about what it means to welcome our veterans home. Chapters 00:40 Meet Amy Rodman Little 02:55 Who was Dave Rodman? 04:58 From law school to Army OCS 06:42 Volunteering for Vietnam 07:39 Arriving just before Tet 08:12 Growing up without him 11:13 The day the Army came to the door 16:28 Finding the lost letters 21:53 What the letters revealed about him 23:44 Mom, remarriage and a new family 27:02 Meeting his Army brothers at Fort Sill 28:20 Howitzers and the Bird Dog 31:33 Seeing him move in home movies 35:30 Writing the book 43:08 Cameras, knives and the PX 46:28 The Tet ceasefire and the rules of war 49:28 Rats, bunkers and stolen brownies 52:28 Artillery liaison officer 54:00 May 8, 1968 55:56 The chaplain who inspired him 58:01 The R&R that never came 1:01:07 Her mother and the book 1:01:21 The Big 33 honors Dave 1:03:18 "Do you feel closure?" 1:04:12 The people she met along the way 1:07:29 A Purple Heart from a stranger 1:09:09 "Love, Dave" 1:11:27 The Silver Star and the Rodman Theater 1:15:09 The Honor Flight 1:21:40 Looking back on the journey 🎙️ Subscribe to Ask A Vet for more stories from those who served and the families who stood behind them. Find Your Local Honor Flight Hub: https://www.honorflight.org/ #AskAVet #VietnamVeteran #GoldStarFamily #VietnamWar #MilitaryHistory #Veterans #HonorFlight #WelcomeHome #LoveDave