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Mary-Alice Shaw
Pocatello, ID, USA
I flew as a MATS-contract airline stewardess on the Freedom Birds in the early 1960s, before the US was officially in the war. Our passengers were young recruits, not the purported "military advisors", and we took them to lush and deadly destinations in IndoChina. The experience of bringing back those who experienced the terrors of futile warfare affected me profoundly, so much so that I became a protestor. I was protesting our country's policy, not the brave soldiers who had to carry it out. The experience also forced me to become much more politically aware.
After helping to read the names at the local Vet Center one April a few years ago, I wrote an essay which was ultimately accepted for publication by Cowles Military History group. It was dedicated to a vet friend at the Center who took his own life. It is too long for this page (2700 words), but can be made available if you are interested. I have also performed it as a theatre piece.
Mary-Alice Shaw
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