For the love of family
DELMAR —Sitting at the Vietnam Women’s Memorial, silence surrounded Capital Region author Kat Fitzpatrick. The midday heat in Washington, D.C., left her sweaty and exhausted; it had been an intensely emotional day. As she looked around and breathed, she noticed flowers resting in the hands of the memorialized figures.
Only moments before, she had received a form of benediction. A story forming inside her for decades had received a nod of approval from a stranger at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. She had always felt compelled to share her family’s story and their role in the war but wondered— with a topic this immense and devastating, who was she to add her own perspective?
Fitzpatrick’s journey to Washington, D.C., in 2014, and the events leading to that moment are chronicled in her book, “For the Love of Vietnam: A War, a Family, a CIA Official, and the Best Evacuation Story Never Heard.” In it, she weaves together family memories with historical context from July 1974 to April 1975.
These childhood memories are now viewed through her adult eyes, as she explores how her father, James Welch, ended up in Vietnam in 1972 running a propaganda radio station and later orchestrated the evacuation of 1,000 South Vietnamese people in April 1975. “Terrible things happen in war,” she said of the conflict, which spanned roughly two decades and resulted in an estimated 4 million Vietnamese civilian deaths. “Growing up with that in my past, without context, was bewildering.”
When Fitzpatrick’s family left Vietnam, it seemed that chapter of their lives had closed. “We just had no storytelling in our family about any of it,” she said. “It was painful on a number of levels, so it wasn’t something we revisited.” Decades later, facing a crossroads in her career, she hesitated when a friend suggested she write about her family’s history. The thought was overwhelming, but once the seed was planted, she had to see it through.
Already holding a bachelor’s degree in journalism, she pursued a master’s to gain the tools needed for such a complex narrative. Her mentors proved invaluable, with one providing a key insight for the book: “One mentor told me, ‘Your mom is emerging as a real hero in this.’”
Fitzpatrick’s mother, Nancy Rabdau, was an avid letter writer, unknowingly documenting details of their daily life that became crucial to piecing together the past. “Her eye for detail and storytelling became the foundation for what I had,” Fitzpatrick said.
Fitzpatrick and one of her brothers typed and scanned every document from their childhood—from lengthy letters to hastily-scribbled birthday notes. “I remember looking at these documents, feeling weak in the knees because it was 40 years later,” she said. “It feels like a godsend that all of this was preserved.”
Her mother’s letters soon became the backbone of the story. “She played such a strong support role. Like many women, she was in the background and forgotten,” Fitzpatrick said. “But aside from my writing and research, my mom was never acknowledged for her work—much less moving seven kids and a dog!”
Through this process, Fitzpatrick sees it as a chance to acknowledge her mother’s role. “So much attention has focused, understandably, on my dad’s work and the terrible circumstances of the war,” she said. “But quietly, my mom was there the whole time, inspiring, feeding, and supporting me.”
Writing about the war exacted a toll; her social life dwindled, and it was easy to feel consumed by the subject. “It’s hard to explain what it cost me,” she admitted. “When you’ve been reading about horrific things, it’s hard to switch back to normal life. But I’m glad I did it.”
On the 40th anniversary, Fitzpatrick returned to Vietnam, revisiting a country still scarred by the war. Yet one date remained significant: the 50th anniversary. She saw it as a time to say goodbye to the story and move forward.
Now, she hopes to focus on more joyful projects, like a children’s book on the Vietnam War, to contextualize it for the next generation.
The journey has come full circle as Fitzpatrick prepares to return to Washington, D.C., to speak at the Vietnam Women’s Memorial on Veterans Day, Monday, Nov. 11. As the 50th anniversary of the war nears, she reflects, “I’m glad I took it up and pursued it.”
