In our 60th edition of the Donut Dollie Detail, Pat explains that the lure of travel prompted her to join the SRAO’s Clubmobile program, that being a California native she unexpectedly had to get snow boots when she arrived in Korea, and that the women who served in Korea were patriotic and eager to serve.

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Please meet Red Cross Donut Dollie Pat Toombs Green…

What prompted you to join the SRAO (Supplemental Recreation Activities Overseas) program and want to go to Korea?

I wanted to travel after college, and this job offered a short term commitment, even though the Peace Corps was just starting as well.   I think my parents felt a little better knowing I’d have one foot on American soil on military bases supervised by the Red Cross. 

When and where were you stationed in Korea?  Did you go by a nickname?

I was stationed at Camp Pelham, which was First Cav Division, then ASCOM CITY (Army Support Command).  I regret I don’t remember my third assignment.  I tried to go on line to check out names, but often we knew the names of the military units, not the official name of the installation.  I was in Korea from November, 1962 to February, 1964. My nickname was Toombsie. 

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What was a routine day like in Korea?

Since Korea was on Armistice status, rather than active fighting, our days were fairly routine depending on the weather: developing programs, participating in events on base, going out with our programs into the various, often remote installations with our donuts, writing, reports, keeping stats, etc. 

We were often flown around in small prop planes or helicopters to remote bases that would have taken too long to get to by truck or Jeep. Often the pilots were glad to fly us, since it gave them flying hours.  The military provided us with fatigues, which were custom fitted by the tailors in the villages and the Red Cross patch, name tag, etc. were sewn on by them.  When I first got to Korea, we were taken into the “Vill” to have snow boots custom made.  I even had them in San Diego when I got back.  Winter clothing was provided by military and was probably one BIG difference from Viet Nam, that and the fact that they were actually in a combat zone. 

Did you ever have any “close calls” either on base or in any vehicles?

I had flown to another base TDY (Temporary Duty Assignment) and after getting off the plane, I almost walked into the still whirling propellers, but one of the Korean soldiers grabbed me.  

Were you ever injured while in Korea?

Mercifully no.  

What was it like to visit the soldiers in the hospitals?

I enjoyed that.  ASCOM had a MASH unit, medical specialties and training for Korean medical personnel.  I had been a pre-nursing major in college.  It was nice to be able to help some of the injured soldiers with letters, programming to the men on the rehab unit and just talking, or rather listening.  It’s no surprise that I continued working in hospitals as a Medical Social Worker until my retirement 5 years ago.

How was the transition returning home to the United States?

Like many, I traveled home “out of route” for another year and a half, mostly by ship, and I sailed into New York in tears on deck passing the Statue of Liberty in June, 1965.  I still had some traveling and visiting to do before finally getting home, but I had stopped at the American Red Cross HQ in Washington, D.C. to find out about jobs when I got back.  Coincidentally, my parent’s neighbors in Berkeley, my home town, were Korean and the smell of Kimchi fermenting would permeate the area.  I went back to work for Red Cross at US Naval Hospital (AKA Balboa Naval Hospital) as a recreation worker and have been in San Diego since, except for the 10 years I lived in Santa Monica.

What would you like people to remember and understand most about the women who served?

We were young, adventurous women, patriotic, eager to serve, but also eager to see some part of the world, and learn about the military.  Since our country was not actively at war, at least not overseas, perhaps it was not as intense as for those who served in Vietnam.  It took us a while to convince the active duty men who couldn’t understand why wholesome American girls would volunteer to come to a “Hellhole like this”.   At the time we were there, Korea was an isolated tour of duty for most.

How do you feel Veterans think of your time having served with them?  Have any Veterans expressed their feelings to you directly?

I’ve spoken with mostly Vietnam veterans who were appreciative of our being there.  But many veterans were well aware of various Red Cross services to military bases overseas.  

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What are your fondest or most interesting memories of your time serving in Korea?

I enjoyed visiting the Turkish bases, they were part of the UN Peace Keeping Forces and were regular stops on our programming runs. There I could get yogurt, plus we had talent exchanges occasionally and I even ended up singing for them, participating in plays and musical productions. Through the SRAO program I got to see a lot of Korea, plus I had the opportunity to travel to Japan on R&R.

One memory is of standing on a table helping to decorate one of the outposts for Christmas and falling over into a tray of donuts, which generated great laughter. As a native Californian, I’d never lived in snow or 4 real seasons.  I often got off base to explore “The Vill”, got to know some of the Korean prostitutes and learned a lot about their survival.  It was after all, 10 years after the armistice.  It was a learning experience to observe first hand the prevalent racism in the military at the time, which was passed on to us from the Red Cross as a “no interracial dating” order.  The Red Cross wanted to be sure we understood that we were guests of the military.  

Most profound was the month of mourning when JFK was assassinated.  Korea and my travels after were the adventure of a lifetime.  I was impressed with the careers the Red Cross offered to women at the time.  

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In our 59th edition of the Donut Dollie Detail, Diane tells how her upbringing and need to serve others influenced her signing up to go to Vietnam; how serving the men on base, in the field and children in need all were the focus of her service, and how she met her husband of 43-years in Vietnam and in a funny twist of events, married him twice in 1968.

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Please meet Red Cross Donut Dollie Diane Diggs Byrd…

What prompted you to join the SRAO (Supplemental Recreation Activities Overseas) program and want to go to Vietnam?

I would say that the main reason for my joining the Red Cross Donut Dollies program was because of the experiences I had growing up, based on my family’s focus on church activities, caring for those in our community and appreciating everyone of all races.  At the time of my birth, the only options for race listed on the birth certificate were either white or black, but my family background was Native American.  On my mother’s side, my grandmother was from the Meherrin tribe and my grandfather was Cherokee, and while on my father’s side, his background is Native American, but we need to research this further.  When my mother and father married, the atmosphere surrounding race became a choice for my family, my Mama’s family chose to live with caucasians, while my mother and father decide to live in black society in Norfolk, VA.  I went to an all-black high school and the building was in need of replacement, so when Martin Luther King Jr. heard of our plight, he organized a march asking the city to build a new high school for the black students.  When MLK’s organizers came for the march, they told us that we could be arrested… but we still marched.  Unfortunately, it took 10 years following my graduation for the new high school to be built.

Through these experiences I chose to do something positive with my life and to make a difference.  I began by volunteering with the Red Cross in high school, which began my 30 years of service with them.  My plan was to use my medical studies to work as a  medical missionary, when I decided to join the Red Cross to serve my country, and was then assigned to Vietnam through the SRAO program.  The trip from the U.S. to Saigon was quite an experience, because up to that time, I had never been on a plane with only men on it.  Plus, they all were smoking and that wasn’t something I was used to.  Another thing I hadn’t experienced before was in the airport and on the plane, the men showed their enthusiasm at seeing me and my Donut Dollie sisters, it was quite a reaction. 

When and where were you stationed in Vietnam?  Did you go by a nickname?

I was stationed with the II Field Force in Long Bien from early July to December, 1968.  I flew to Vietnam on July 4th.  There were 12 ladies in our unit.  I went by the name Diane.

What was a routine day like in Vietnam?

A routine day at the beginning of my tour started with our programming on the base. We designed our programs to stimulate the mind of the service members to recall basic facts on a subject using questions and visuals in a game format.  I usually designed my programs using science facts, because my degree was in Pre Med Biology.  I also liked to use questions from botany and other scientific areas.  At first we were doing our programs in the recreation center on base, but when the USO came in, our center was closed down.  We then became a Clubmobile unit, taking our programs out to the men in the field.

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Our programs were designed like quiz shows, like those that the service members would remember from TV or challenges that I would develop.  The programs were designed to be fun and challenging, and when we divided the service members into teams that made them more competitive.  Two Donut Dollies would travel together each day to their assigned units in a jeep, helicopter, MPC’s or other form of military transport.  We spent the day programming, visiting units, sometimes visiting places where children were living who needed help.  The service members in these units would often provide food for the children.

Did you ever have any “close calls” either on base or in any vehicles?

No

Were you ever injured while in Vietnam?

No

What was it like to visit the soldiers in the hospitals?

I enjoyed visiting service members in the hospitals and their units.  It seemed to bring joy to them just to see we cared enough to come.  I received many letters from the men stating that just seeing me made them think of home and that talking with them brought back good memories.

How was the transition returning home to the United States?

My transition returning home was different from many of the Donut Dollies, because I was married to a service member and my life was with service members and their families on a full-time basis.  I was working with new military wives getting them adjusted to military life with their deployed husbands, still visiting hospitals, and creating programs for the military wives clubs.  My husband and I were stationed first at Fort Lee, Virginia, where I worked with the Red Cross in the hospital.  At every point of our deployment, the experiences I had in Vietnam were helpful.  

What would you like people to remember and understand most about the women who served?

The Donut Dollies were dedicated to serving our country and the men who served.  For myself, I served with the Red Cross following my time as a Donut Dollie in Vietnam in many locations during the time of my husband’s military service.  Through my work with the Red Cross and the military, the focus of my service was to military families, as an instructor of international law, serving the diverse community and through disaster services, providing disaster training for children in the community and many other areas of Red Cross service.

How do you feel Veterans think of your time having served with them?  Have any Veterans expressed their feelings to you directly?

My husband Mel served for 32-years active duty and attained the rank of Brigadier General.  During this time I became very active in military life, supporting the wives and families of the deployed men, and regularly interacting with them in casual and formal settings.  Respect for those who served has always been present around me. I love my country and I feel that the experiences I had serving in Vietnam made me stronger and deepened my dedication to service.

What are your fondest or most interesting memories of your time serving in Vietnam?

One of memories from Vietnam that led to the most impact on my life, were my early days at II Field Force, when a line of Jeeps came rolling up to us Donut Dollies.  The leader of this “convoy” was Kelly, a man I knew from Morgan State College back in the states.  As the men were showing their interest in us, he called out to all of them, saying something funny like “I know this young lady… so everybody just turn around”.  Shortly after this, I got a brief note from one of those men, saying he was temporarily in another area, but that when he got back he hoped he could meet with me.  And that’s how I met Mel, my husband of 43-years.  During the time we were both in-country, we had very little time to date, which was frowned upon by the Red Cross, so our relationship grew through late night phone calls, letters and brief times when we were both in the same place at the same time.  

Another memory regarding Mel, is that we married twice, which is a funny story.  We had both taken R&R in Hong Kong during our tours in 1968 and we got married.  From the time we became engaged and then married, I had to hide my rings and I didn’t inform the Red Cross, but Mel had to inform his superiors.  Shortly after getting married I saw in a movie about a couple who got married overseas and then they learned it wasn’t official.  Of course, the possibility of this happening to us was concerning.  So once I completed my tour, Mel took R&R in the states and as soon as the plane landed, we were married again in New York.  

My fondest memories in Vietnam are of the women with whom I served and the joy on the faces of the service members when they saw we cared enough to come.  I often remember my Donut Dollie partner Ramona jumping out of the helicopter after a day of service into a mud puddle.  I also remember the day that the canvas tops were ordered off the Jeeps during the rainy season and we came back really wet every day.

Another memory I have is of the day I went to a unit I visited on a regular basis.  I had fond memories of visiting with these men and talking to them about home and their families.  One day we went back to program and their living quarters were empty, although the pictures of their family members were still hanging and other items they cherished were still there.  I asked where they were and I was told they were all gone.  They have been killed while in a convoy.  I still have that picture of them in my head and their treasured pictures still hanging in their living quarters!  I still feel the pain I know their families felt.  I know they died for our country – they were so young.

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In our 58th edition of the Donut Dollie Detail, Paula tells that when her fiancé was declared MIA in Vietnam it made her determined to learn more about the Vietnam War for herself, she recounts two very challenging moments of her time in-country and how her Donut Dollie service led to a 2 decade career with the Air Force.

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Please meet Red Cross Donut Dollie Paula Wright Haley…

What prompted you to join the SRAO (Supplemental Recreation Activities Overseas) program and want to go to Vietnam?

I was engaged to a pilot who was flying over Vietnam and was shot down and was declared missing in action.  I was heartbroken and could not understand why America was in this war and what we were doing there that would get our best and brightest killed.  Was the sacrifice worth these young men’s lives?  

I had discovered this relatively unknown Red Cross program called SRAO and became interested in going to Vietnam to have a better understanding of this horrible war.  I was selected to go and I thought at the time it was an honor to be selected.  Little did I know how stupid that really was and I don’t think anyone else had even applied… really who would want to go to a war zone in 1968?

When and where were you stationed in Vietnam?  Did you go by a nickname?

My fist assignment was Chu Lai, my second assignment was Ahe Khe and the third place was Phan Rang.  I arrived in September 1968 and left September 1969.  The soldiers called me the Donut Dollie from Texas… so they usually called me Tex.  

What was a routine day like in Vietnam?

It was get up very early, put on the skimpy uniform rush to the helicopter pad, jump in and go-go-go all day.  Come back to base camp late, fall in bed and start over the next morning.  In Chu Lai there was no recreation center, so every day it was out to wherever the soldiers might be.  One time I was sitting next to a soldier in the helicopter and when he got out of the helicopter he walked into the back blade of the copter and his body flew in one direction and his arm went in another direction.  I jumped out of the helicopter, ran over and picked up his arm and got on top of the soldier and was trying to put his arm back on him.  By the time the soldier got to him they had to lift me off of him and I was covered in blood.  To this day when I see a man without an arm I have to hold myself back from going up to that person and ask if it happened in Vietnam.

While in Ahe Khe, we split our time between the recreation center and going to the field.  There was no set routine… we did whatever had to be done any given day.

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Did you ever have any “close calls” either on base or in any vehicles?

I would say twice.  One time we were out in the field with the soldiers when all of a sudden there was a battle.  There was gunfire everywhere and I laid on the ground with a jacket over my head thinking that if we were overrun, this was my last day to live.  After a while it got very quiet and no one spoke, but then there were a lot of men running around trying to take care of the wounded.  A helicopter arrived and they put the wounded on the chopper.  A second helicopter arrived and the other Donut Dollie and myself jumped on the chopper and we left.  As soon as we were airborne, I realized I was sitting on top of dead men… VC that is!  One of the soldiers on the chopper put his hand in the pocket of one of the dead men and pulled out a picture and he handed it to me.  It was my moment of truth.  I stared at the photo and it was a picture of a Vietnamese man, women and a child.  It was the first time I realized that these people who were our enemy, were real people who had mothers and fathers and wives and children.  Someone would be heartbroken by the death of this man, whom I was now sitting on top of!

Another time when I was in Ahe Khe, it appeared that the base camp would be over run.  The base camp was built around a small mountain.  The VC were running through the base camp to get to the wooded area of the mountain.  We Donut Dollies were instructed to go to the small compound for cover.  We had to run a distance.  I can’t remember how far we had to run, but we didn’t make it and we hid in a ditch and it was raining.  I remember laying in the ditch and I wasn’t even afraid.  I was thinking “how in the world did I ever get here… I wonder what the folks back home would think if they saw me now!?!

Were you ever injured while in Vietnam?

No

What was it like to visit the soldiers in the hospitals?

I did not visit the hospital.  I was never in a place where there was a hospital. 

How was the transition returning home to the United States?

I remember coming home on a flight that had flight attendants.  I remember looking at this flight attendant who was very clean, nice hair, nice red fingernails and for the first time I was totally aware of what I had missed in the real world.  I then realized how I had spent a year without makeup, no fancy anything and I had forgotten what I used to be.  

At first it was great seeing my family, but people really didn’t want to hear about Vietnam.  I felt isolated and at times as crazy as it sounded I missed the soldiers, the high energy and the happiness and the sadness I felt while there.  I wrote several articles about Vietnam and I called one article “What’s a nice girl like you doing in a place like this?”.  Vietnam changed me forever.   

I am glad I had the experience but would never want to face another war like that again.  I came back, got my master’s degree, joined the Air Force and became a military officer and served for 21 years and rose to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.  Upon retirement, I was the director of the Los Angeles  National cemetery for several years.  The more I have studied the Vietnam War and have a better understanding of how and why we were there… it  makes me very sad.  I went back to Vietnam last year and I wish I had never gone back.  It was too sad to think about the horrible things that happen in that small county.

What would you like people to remember and understand most about the women who served?

I know this sounds rather dumb, but the Donut Dollies were not nurses.  While I was in Vietnam I never set foot in a hospital.  I have this friend who introduces me as a nurse who served in Vietnam and every time I correct him.  It is so stereotyping to say any woman who was in Vietnam must have been a nurse.  There were women who were line officers in the military, women who served with the USO, etc.  Not every women who was in Vietnam was a nurse.  I take my hat off to the nurses, but that wasn’t who we were while in Vietnam.

How do you feel Veterans think of your time having served with them?  Have any Veterans expressed their feelings to you directly?

The soldiers whom we came in contact with still love us to this day. The real grunts in the field remember us and that’s all that counts.

What are your fondest or most interesting memories of your time serving in Vietnam?

My very favorite memory was Christmas Day 1968.  We boarded a helicopter very early that morning and we flew to every area possible giving the soldiers bags of goodies, which were donated by the American people.  It made me feel good that the people back home cared enough to make sure the soldiers were remembered and how happy the soldiers were to see us and to know the people back home cared.  I don’t ever remember being that tired in my life, but even today it can bring a tear to my eyes to think back on that day.  The song which was played over and over again was “I’ll be Home for Christmas”.

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In our 57th edition of the Donut Dollie Detail, Diane tells how patriotism led to her join the SRAO program in Vietnam, that she was one of the few Donut Dollies who were injured in-country and how she didn’t allow it to discourage her from completing her one year tour, and how she met her future husband in Vietnam, to whom she’s been married 51 years.

Please share the Donut Dollie Detail with family, friends and veterans you may know, and make sure to like/follow us on Facebook to learn when the next edition is posted.  

Please meet Red Cross Donut Dollie Diane Love Crocker…

What prompted you to join the SRAO (Supplemental Recreation Activities Overseas) program and want to go to Vietnam?

I was raised in a very patriotic family with many aunts and uncles that served both in WWI, WWII and Korea.   My father was too young for WWI and too old for WWII, although he did a great deal of work for the government during WWII.  I had always felt that as one of three girls in our family, that if there was ever a war, of course I would go.  I never had any desire for a military career, but when I read about the SRAO program it sounded like a good fit, even though the Red Cross had a few doubts about me due to the fact that I had been raised in comfortable surroundings.  Little did they know about the strength of Southern women!!

When and where were you stationed in Vietnam?  Did you go by a nickname?

I arrived in-country in November, 1966 and was sent to An Khe with the First Air Cavalry Division for about 6 months.  I then was transferred to Bien Hoa with the 173rd Airborne, where I served as the Program Director from April to mid-July, 1967 (I had to wait for my jaw to heal, but more on that below). My last assignment was from mid-July to late November, 1967, back to the highlands at Pleiku with the 4th Infantry Division, where I was the Unit Director. I felt so fortunate to serve with two incredible Generals – General  Norton with the 1st Air Cav and General Peers with the 4th Infantry.  They both were so very supportive of the work we were doing and did everything in their power to get us where we were most needed.

I’ve always been known as Diane.

What was a routine day like in Vietnam?

There were very few routine days for us, at least in the units I was in.  In An Khe we had 8 girls and different areas to cover – the on-base recreation center (card games, pingpong, snacks, etc.), trips to firebases in the forward areas – weather permitting, and visits to different units on base camp where we would present a program.  We always had at least two people in the recreation center, the forward areas had 2- 4 girls who would go out in 2 separate aircraft and the remaining 2 – 4 women would be on base camp.  We had to fit in time for program planning and preparation, housekeeping and everyone had one day off for laundry, etc.

We never went anywhere alone, so sometimes there might have been 3 people in the recreation center, with one of them working on the next week’s program.  It was very day to day and even though we planned the week as best we could, we always knew there would be changes.  Also, each unit had different priorities.  The 173rd Brigade was smaller, with more on-base programing and less firebase visits.  The 4th Division had a lot of forward area firebase visits, as well as on-base programs.  But anything I could say about the units I served with could be the exact opposite of what happened in other units.  Support units were very different from combat units – I have always felt that Vietnam was contradictory on almost every level. 

Did you ever have any “close calls” either on base or in any vehicles?

I think most of us that served with combat units had an occasional “close call”.  Once we were headed out to a forward firebase and the helicopter crashed after it had dropped us off.  A couple of times they dropped us at a firebase only to return after a few minutes to pick us back up due to enemy activity in the area.  Almost all of us experienced occasional trips to the bunkers due to incoming fire, but strangely I never was really frightened.  

The scariest thing I can remember was going to the latrine one night and looking to my right to see a giant fuzzy spider on the wall.  I let out a yell and the poor MP on duty came running and thankfully called out to see if I was OK, instead of barging in:)   One day we were visiting an artillery unit and as we safely stood on a high hill, we watched an infantry company below racing through rice paddies with rifles at the ready.  As so often happened in Vietnam, it was a very surreal moment.

Were you ever injured while in Vietnam?

I was one of the ones who was injured in Vietnam.  While driving to do a program at the Long Bien base on one of the few paved roads in Vietnam, our driver took a turn a little quickly and I was throw out of the Jeep.  I looked up and my Donut Dollie partner and the driver looked at me as though I was a ghost.  Apparently my chin and the road found each other and there was a lot of blood.  Thankfully, the head of dental surgery happened to be at the base that day and he stitched my chin and wired my broken jaw, and after a few days I was sent back to Bien Hoa.  The driver felt so bad that he drove to the airbase every day to get me a milkshake, since I could only eat soft food. 

What was it like to visit the soldiers in the hospitals?

Visiting the men in the hospitals was so rewarding and could also be very sad, depending on the situations.  It meant the world to the men and we tried to wear our blue uniforms as often as we could.  If they saw us in our uniforms, how bad could it be?  Sometimes we had to wear our fatigues due to weather and other conditions.  I will feel so grateful that I had the opportunity to give something back to those incredible young men.

How was the transition returning home to the United States?

The transition home was another surreal experience.  I left Vietnam 2 days after being at a forward firebase with a raging battle going on a mile away  – I cant remember the name of the battle, but what I do remember was watching the wounded coming in and being lifted into helicopters.  After I was home and watching the news, they were discussing THAT firebase and THAT battle – it was very hard to absorb and I had mixed emotions of wishing I was back there and being so grateful to be home.

What would you like people to remember and understand most about the women who served?

The majority of the women I served with were incredible.  I have been fortunate to be able to keep in touch with some of these wonderful women.  I have always felt that I received so much more than I could have ever given.  It was a truly life changing experience for me. 

How do you feel Veterans think of your time having served with them?  Have any Veterans expressed their feelings to you directly?

At the time I served in Vietnam, there were men that doubted our morals and our sincerity.  Being from a very loving and protective family, I never had either of those virtues questioned and it was hard emotionally to deal with that.  However, once they saw us in the field, many minds were changed and many apologies came my (and our) way. 

So many men called my parents when they returned home and my sister said our house was often like a USO canteen with GIs coming for lunch or dinner while in Atlanta.  In 1993, veterans lined Constitution Avenue in Washington, DC when the Vietnam Women’s Memorial was dedicated, and so many of us were allowed to march and welcomed with thank yous from the men that had served.  It was such an incredible and moving day.

What are your fondest or most interesting memories of your time serving in Vietnam?

This is a hard one, but I will try.  

Living with so many wonderful and interesting women is one.  

Meeting my future husband is another, although I did not know he would be my future husband – he had extended his service for 6 more months after I left.  Gary came through to meet my family in Atlanta and to see if what we felt in Vietnam on his way to his next assignment in Washington, DC was still there. We did feel that it was real and lasting, so we dated back and forth from his base in Washington, DC to Atlanta. We got engaged in the fall of 1968 and married in April of 1969:)

Having the opportunity to visit the Montagnard villagers that the 1st Air Cav had rescued and relocated was amazing.  

We were asked to lunch by an ARVN Colonel (Army of the Republic of Vietnam) – needless to say we contacted our headquarters in Saigon and they sent someone up to accompany us for that visit.  It was a very interesting and insightful day.  

Occasionally we had a long weekend of R&R that allowed us to visit Red Cross units in other areas of the country – for me it was Danang, Qui Nhon, Nha Trang and Cam Ranh Bay.  

One of my fondest memories is of flying over the gorgeous country to our various programing destinations – via helicopters of various types, the C-130, Chinooks, the C-47, the Caribou and a little fixed wing plane that I can’t remember the name of.  

Another fond memory is Christmas with a small unit – a beautiful church service followed by us serving Christmas dinner to the men.  Although we missed the Bob Hope show in An Khe, our Christmas was so meaningful.  

So many other memories come and go through my mind – hopefully I will start to write them down for the grandchildren.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE ARE 56 PREVIOUS 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)

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In our 56th edition of the Donut Dollie Detail, Peggy tells how she joined the Donut Dollie program to support the men who were drafted, how just hearing a female voice over the phone brightened the day of the men on the Tuy Hoa base, and that following her year in Vietnam she signed up for an additional year with the Red Cross in the states and then with the Department of the Army in West Germany.

Please share the Donut Dollie Detail with family, friends and veterans you may know, and make sure to like/follow us on Facebook to learn when the next edition is posted.  

Please meet Red Cross Donut Dollie Peggy Lynd Kelly…

What prompted you to join the SRAO (Supplemental Recreation Activities Overseas) program and want to go to Vietnam?

As a history/political science major at University of New York at Albany, I was intensely interested in the news and felt that it was so unfair that only males were drafted and expected to serve their country.  I wanted to help end the war or at least make it better for those who were there.

When and where were you stationed in Vietnam?  Did you go by a nickname?

My first assignment was at Tuy Hoa Air Force Base where I served from November ’69 – February ’70, I then transferred to Cu Chi and was there from February ’70 – July ’70 and during my time there, I did TDY (temporary duty assignment) at Cam Ranh Bay Air Force in May of ’70.  My last assignment was at II Field Force from August ’70 – November ’70.  My formal name is Margaret, so my nickname is Peggy.

What was a routine day like in Vietnam?

At my first assignment in Tuy Hoa, we lived in trailers and walked every day to the Red Cross recreation center, and worked either a morning shift or an afternoon shift, with 2 of us on at night.  It was the monsoon season, so many of our clubmobile runs by chopper out to the firebases were cancelled.  In the morning we taped a phone message for the dining hall and the name of the movie and other activities happening at the recreation center.  All the guys loved calling that number just to hear a female voice.

At my last 2 units we would be on a chopper by early morning heading out to a firebase.  Sometimes some 19-year-old Warrant Officer chopper pilot would try to scare us with some moves, but the longer we were in country, the more we got used to it.  

When programing for the men, we would have an audience participation program with the infantry and then also do one with the artillery unit.  We would usually eat at the base and noticed that the artillery unit usually had better meals.  We would then go on to another firebase and do it all over again, introducing ourselves and telling what state we were from.  The guys always loved that.

Sometimes it seemed like ages waiting for a chopper to come pick us up and take us back to Cu Chi.  There were times that all of us were waiting for the water truck to fill the water tank for the shower in our Quonset hut known as the “Doll House”.  All of us would have a layer of red clay all over our exposed bodies and couldn’t wait for the shower.  We all had “lifer tans” on our arms and legs showing where our uniform sleeves and hem stopped.  Since we were in the sun much of our work day, most of the Donut Dollies had a distinctive tan.  On weekends we worked in our office and had to go to Commanding General Mess.  

Did you ever have any “close calls” either on base or in any vehicles?

One time we were on a chopper heading to Bearcat base, when the pilot informed us that there was incoming fire going on there, so we had to go another base.

The day our Donut Dollie class was heading back to the world, the flight was cancelled and we had to stay at a hotel in Saigon.  I shared a room with a gal who was at Cu Chi when a newly arrived Donut Dollie was killed there in August of ’70 (see more details at www.donutdollies.com/tag/ginny-kirsch).  Needless to say, my classmate was having a rough time.  In the middle of the night, someone knocked on our door and yelled out our names and saying, “I know you are in there”.  Never again would I ever write my first name at a hotel, initial only.

Were you ever injured while in Vietnam?

No

What was it like to visit the soldiers in the hospitals?

One time at II Field Force our runs were cancelled, and we did visit a hospital.  When you are doing your job, you see all those men serving and you know there are some on the firebases suffering in their own way. We found that those in the hospital didn’t want our pity.

How was the transition returning home to the United States?

I flew on a red eye from San Francisco the night before Thanksgiving sitting next to a college friend who flunked out of law school, got drafted and was coming back from a year in Thailand.  While everyone else was asleep we caught up on college news, etc.

My family met me at the airport in Rochester, NY and holding on to the cold railing, I realized I was home!  Later at a big family dinner, the only person I could relate to was my cousin, Larry Lynd, who served in Vietnam the year before in one of the units I visited, the 199^th Infantry Brigade near Long Binh.

I was able to continue to work for the American Red Cross as a Youth Director in Wheeling, West Virginia.  As part of my job, I gave many speeches and show slides of the activities of the Red Cross. 

I was not happy there, so after one year I left and got a job with the Department of the Army, similar to the Donut Dollies as a Program Director of a Recreation Center on an US Army installation in West Germany. There were many Donut Dollies who did the same thing.  For those who went with the Army, I called us “Stale Donuts”. 

What would you like people to remember and understand most about the women who served?

We were all different and had different reasons for being there.  Even though I only had a sister and didn’t have lots of experience with males, I found the GIs were like my brothers.  From then until today, I can talk to a group of guys and not feel intimidated.  Also, as a mother of 2 sons, I feel very fortunate. 

How do you feel Veterans think of your time having served with them?  Have any Veterans expressed their feelings to you directly?

They are grateful and I have had the opportunity to participate in the Story Telling at the Vietnam Women’s Memorial, both on many Memorial Days and this past Veterans Day.  All kinds of guys, ‘Our Brothers”, would come up and chat with me. 

What are your fondest or most interesting memories of your time serving in Vietnam?

When I was at Cu Chi, a guy from my neighborhood came to the Doll House (our Quonset hut) to visit.  All I could think of was memories of him as an altar boy and a young kid shooting baskets in our backyard.

At the end of my tour, some guy loaned me the book “Love Story”, that I read on the plane home.  I made sure to send it back to him, since his wife sent it to him and wrote a personal note inside of it. 

PLEASE NOTE: THERE ARE 55 PREVIOUS 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)

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In our 55th edition of the Donut Dollie Detail, Kit tells how the opportunity to see what the Vietnam War was all about motivated her to sign up for a one year tour in Vietnam, how she feels that the Donut Dollies did make a difference through their service supporting the troops and that she believes she is the only Donut Dollie who got married to a fighter pilot in-country, at the end of her tour.

Please share the Donut Dollie Detail with family, friends and veterans you may know, and make sure to like/follow us on Facebook to learn when the next edition is posted.  

Please meet Red Cross Donut Dollie Kit Sparrow Cotton…

What prompted you to join the SRAO (Supplemental Recreation Activities Overseas) program and want to go to Vietnam?

After graduating from college with a degree in International Studies, the only prospect of a job was working in a basement for the CIA.  A one-year job working overseas to see for myself what the Vietnam War was like just fit the bill.  My dad was a general in the Army, so I knew his stand on the war, but all the people my age were vehemently against it, so I signed up!  And the funny thing was that it was my mother who spotted the Red Cross ad in the Washington Post!

When and where were you stationed in Vietnam?  Did you go by a nickname?

I arrived at my first base in Tuy Hoa in July, 1969 and was there until November, 1969.  I then transferred to Camp Enari in Pleiku and was there until March, 1970.  My last base was Cam Ranh Army from March – July, 1970. I didn’t go by a nickname and was known as Kit.

What was a routine day like in Vietnam?

That was one of the highlights of our jobs, in that you never knew what the next day held in store.  My favorite days were the ones when we went out to the firebases by whatever means of transportation was available (helicopters, deuce and a halfs, Jeeps).  We would have our program ready to go, but sometimes the men had just returned from the field, and by the look in their eyes, you could tell they just wanted to talk.  When we didn’t go out, we worked in the recreation centers, filling the Kool-Aid dispensers, visiting with the men or playing games (cards, ping pong) with the men or designing our next program.  Sometimes we would “test” our upcoming programs with the men, and sometimes we would occasionally do entertainment, such as fashion shows or sing-alongs (I played the piano). 

Did you ever have any “close calls” either on base or in any vehicles?

Sometimes while in route to a firebase, there one we were scheduled to go to was under attack, and we would be diverted to another firebase.

Were you ever injured while in Vietnam?

I got mono, but that’s not “battle worthy”!

What was it like to visit the soldiers in the hospitals?

I don’t remember visiting soldiers in hospitals.

How was the transition returning home to the United States?

I believe I am the only Donut Dollie who – at the end of my tour – got married in Saigon.  Let me backtrack: during my first assignment in Tuy Hoa, I met a fighter pilot named John Cotton.  We started dating, and when the Red Cross in Saigon found out that we were pretty serious, I was moved to Camp Enari in Pleiku, which was my favorite assignment.  But my new locale couldn’t keep John away, and he would go up into the tower at Tuy Hoa and contact a chopper flying over saying, “Would you mind taking a fighter pilot up to Pleiku?”  When I was transferred to Cam Ranh Army, it was easier for John to come see me, because he could catch C-130s, as well as choppers.  It seemed as if every time I turned around, there was John, and I was so happy to see him!

I should mention that my Dad had an office in Saigon, and he came over to visit and check out John.  Our original intention was to travel around the world and then get married in the States.  But, my Dad, in his authoritative voice said, “No daughter of mine is going to travel around the world with a man to whom she is not wed!”  So, in a way, he forced our hand in marriage. 

We had arrived in-country about the same time, and when John was ready to DEROS (Date Estimated Return From Overseas) to his next assignment in Lakenheath, England, he asked me to marry him.  And what a procedure that was!  We had to follow the same rules as the GIs did if they wanted to marry a Vietnamese woman.  And that entailed many trips down to Saigon – which neither the Red Cross nor John’s squadron commander appreciated!  The first time we had to pick an area in Saigon where we wanted to be wed.  We met with the staff of a councilman, who said that we had to post our intentions in various areas in his district, so that if anyone had any objection, they could voice it.  That entailed another trip to Saigon with papers that we had written in English saying that we wanted to be married.  For an afternoon, we taped these papers to walls, nailed them to telephone poles, posted them on billboards, etc.  We went down another time thinking we would be married, but that did not pan out.

Finally, each of us had a witness (mine was a fellow Donut Dollie, and we still keep in touch) and we went down to Saigon.  We sat and chatted at a table covered with a red and white checkered linoleum table cloth, not knowing what to expect.  Suddenly, these massive wooden doors opened, and we were ushered into a dark mahogany library with books from floor to ceiling.  All at once, our grins turned to a solemn countenance as we faced our councilman, who was wearing a red sash and seated behind a massive desk.  The ceremony consisted mainly of paperwork – all in French (which I speak) – and John and I signed on the dotted line.  When we walked out of the office, I was Mrs. John L. Cotton!

From there we immediately went to the Red Cross office, where I turned in my Red Cross pin and papers and was no longer their responsibility.  I was now under the umbrella of protection of my husband and the United States Air Force.     

What would you like people to remember and understand most about the women who served?

That we came from all different walks of life, wanting to contribute and make a difference – no matter how small – to the war effort and to our soldiers (and I use the term “our” with reverence and respect) who were fighting and dying for a cause that they didn’t understand.

———————————————————————————————–

How do you feel Veterans think of your time having served with them?  Have any Veterans expressed their feelings to you directly?

I think that they smile – both in their minds and on their faces – when they meet us Donut Dollies.  And yes, I have been hugged and blessed with the words, “Welcome back!” from veterans, as I utter those same words back to them.

What are your fondest or most interesting memories of your time serving in Vietnam?

Feeling as if we DID make a difference to the “youngsters” sent into battle.

Making some of the best friends among my Donut Dollie sisters, who can relate and share memories that the rest of the world will never be able to understand.

Learning a new value system – what is really important, and what can be discarded.

Bringing home the best souvenir of the war = my husband.  We will have been married for 50 years on July 6th.

P.S. – In the three photos above that the Donut Dollies appear in red dresses, which were their Christmas outfits, Linda Meinders Webb explains “I bought the material and had them made in Hong Kong, so they were original for us, but not approved by American Red Cross.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE ARE 54 PREVIOUS 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)

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