In our fourth installment of Memorabilia Monday, we are honored to share a piece of memorabilia from the personal archive of Donut Dollie Mary Blanchard Bowe (December 29, 1946 – September 12, 2021). Mary served from 1968 – 69 at Dong Ba Thin, Nha Trang, Pleiku, and Qui Nhon in Vietnam.
In this photo, you will see one of Mary’s prized possessions, a set of handmade arrows and quiver presented to her by the Montagnard people of the Central Highlands of Vietnam. Such gifts were given to Donut Dollies and GIs in thanks for the work they did to help provide essential needs for the Montagnards. Mary shared that she had worked on an irrigation system among other projects for the Montagnards on her off-hours.
We are so thankful to Mary for sharing this item with us, and more importantly for being a big part of the Donut Dollies Documentary. Mary shared her experiences about her service with us through several interviews. Plus, she set aside the symptoms of a severe medical condition to join her friend and Donut Dollie sister, Dorset Hoogland Anderson, as they returned to Vietnam for the first time in 46-years, which is featured in our film. We certainly miss Mary every day, as she was an important part of our project.
You can learn more about the Donut Dollies and how to purchase the Donut Dollies documentary at www.donutdollies.com
PLEASE NOTE: THERE ARE 3 PREVIOUS EDITIONS OF OUR MEMORABILIA MONDAY FEATURE AND 62 EDITIONS OF THE DONUT DOLLIE DETAIL THAT CAN BE SEEN HERE, JUST SCROLL DOWN TO READ EACH (AT THE BOTTOM, YOU’LL SEE A LINK TO GO TO THE NEXT PAGE OF DONUT DOLLIE DETAIL FEATURES)
A very special memento of a lost time and place. They must have thought highly of Mary Blanchard.