The following is a blog post my father Joseph Spado wrote in 2012. Thank you for remembering and giving us the chance to remember out loud. 

My dad died on 12/2/2013 from heart failure related to Agent Orange. My dad had heart problems for as long as I can remember. His disability was 100% service connected. He was 64. 

My mother died six months later on 6/8/14 of cervical cancer aggrevated by a broken heart. She was 61. I was 36. 

It is interesting sometimes to discover the "kids" my age who have (or had) a parent who is a Vietnam Vet. Like you are in some shitty club together. 

My dad's service and my mom's devotion to family had a large impact on our lives. My Dad eventually set out on a path to healing his spirit. 

My parents were heroes to many. They believed in peace and walked the talk. 

I have been left with a number of compelling stories of my dad's to tell. This one I think is the easiest to share.

Enjoy :) 

Sounds and Sights of My Life, 1969

Monday Mystery Tour August 13, 2012

This "Tour" is from a place I traveled to a long time ago. The trip was all expenses paid and took me around the globe.

This YouTube video was made from snapshots. Most of them taken in the Republic of Vietnam in 1969 when I served in the US Army’s 25th Infantry Division. A few of them were taken a short time after I returned home.

None of these depict the ravages of war from a standpoint of the death and destruction or combat operations. Read that to mean there are no dead bodies or photos of people shooting guns. What is evident by some of these photos are the grim facial expressions on some and the terrain in the background as well as the armament by way of vehicles and weapons. Also, there are many with smiles on our faces. War was not a 24/7 affair. We were not locked into mortal combat every minute of every day.

The soundtrack is unique in the fact that it was recorded on a small battery powered boxy cassette recorder that was simply activated as we were in a bunker in a base camp near the city of Tay Ninh. I’m sure there was pot and alcohol involved. Down time like this was a time to let loose.

It is about nine minutes long. Having these memories as a YouTube video doesn’t allow the viewer to dwell on any one photo for long unless you have the stop gap capability on the equipment you are using to view the video.

Of course I have the original cassette tape and the actual photos. I also have more tapes of other times during my stay in Vietnam, and a 10 minute piece of video taken during my last days in country. I offer to share this part of my life on my Round Circle blog.

Enjoy the film, enjoy the music. Peace