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derivative filename/jpeg
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363-08364 to 363-08367.pdf
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Digital Object Identifier
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363-08364 to 363-08367.pdf
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Title
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Article about Dicky Chappelle
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Description
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Original title: N/A, Keever's title: N/A, Article draft about Dicky Chappelle, for the Overseas Press Club of America
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AI Usage Disclosure
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Draft transcripts were automatically generated via Google Document AI and are currently under review. Please report significant errors to Archives & Special Collections at archives@unl.edu.
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Transcript
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BAIGOIT, BOURH VIESTIAM
Dickey Chappelle had visited Vietnam three times to cover
the war from the soggy rico poddios in the south to the jungled
"Croon bell" in the north near Laos.
She was a favorite of the Vietnamese Airborne Brigodo;
ohe thrilled the lowliost vievnamose privaten and the highoot
ranking generals in the country by becoming the first correspondent
to jump on combat oporations with them.
"She voon't vory pretty," one of the generals commented
this wook. "Dut oho was very courageous. I saw hor jump with
the paratroopers in Tayninh provinco (noar the Cambodia border)
where there wozo alot of Viot Cong. Sho was really courageous."
As the first var correspondent to make the necessary covon
combat jumps, she added hor Viotnanoco airborne symbolo to those
she had von years earlier with the paratroopers of America and
Franco. She was an adopted nombor of the Zoned 101st and 82nd
Airborne Divisions of the U.S. Anny and sho not only jumped
with thom but continuod tho battlen or training exercises on
the ground in the most rumble-tumble airborno fashion.
the briefing
It seemed fitting that on November 4
officer was a paratrooper who told the Saigon Prose Corpo,
"We are saddened tonight to report..."
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"But Dickoy's first love was always tho Marinos," one of
her admirers and old-time friends reported. "It won't that
sho wao a Marine Corps mascot or anything like that. She was
a Marino, said sho'd go out on the biggest oporations or
the little patrols with them; oho had more combat oxporionco
than the liteliont privatos and always sought to protect thon.
She dug her own foxhole and built her own fire to heat the
instant coffoo in the most traditional Marine Corps fashion.
She even carried hor pack of cigarettes in the top of her socks,
11ho they did. She adopted their descriptive four-lettor
language and she could out-chos any of them--but she usually
saved these words for the gonorals--como of the highest onos
in the American military establishment came under firo of hor
tongue. Before her last trip to Vietnam, the interviewed
Goneral
Groeno (U.S. Marine Corps commandant) in
Washington. He procontod hor an honorary globe and anchor
of the U.S. Marino Corps.
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In mid-1962, Dickey became the first correspondent to
photograph in color tho Vietnaneco war, which was oxquisitely
published in the National Coographic. The article and photographo
foatured the first U.B. Marino helicopter squadron in Viotnan,
which at that tino had just moved to the Holong Delta town
of Soc Trang. During the day season Soc Trang was a pleacant
sleepy town; during the rainy season it was micozablo; and
that's whon Dioboy was thoro. The Marinos, who had tranoforrod
their "colf-contained" squadron from tho forth voro subnorgod
in uator; ovon whon tont-to-tont boardwalko voze constructed
they too bocono indulatod. Broakfast was usually in the rain,
about throo in the morning, long bofoto the daun 21icht
briefings and then take-offs for combat missions.
tho
"We could novor Find Dickoy anywhore," one of the Marines
thon roninococo. "Sho would oat nonls with the 'old man' (tho
commandor), but thon oho would walk all over this camp; usually
sho vao talking with the onlisted non. She always carried sis
canoras around her neck and she photographed everything in sight.
"It was very onbarrassing when she first cane bore,"
young Marine rocalled. "We had nover had a woman down here
bozozo; vo didn't Imow how wo would manage things for hor.
Dickoy said 'Don't worry about it, conny.
myself. / But then we devised a nou syston;
rod flag on the outdoor latrine, which moant
I'll tako of things
vo flow a littlo
'Tomalo Inside!"
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So, three years later, on November
, it is hardly
a surprise that hor lont patrol should be with the Marinos or that
the load on her less pio00 sond, "I was today again out mity with
By Marines...!
When the news reached Danang, the U. S. Marine Corpo
ommanding general, Maj. Gen. Lewis Walt immediately telephoned
the Marine Corps commondant in Washington; Saigon information
officers immediately telephoned their superiors in Washg Washington;
the colonels and gonorals who had known her in Koron, in World
War Two talked about the news over dinnors and ordered an extra
round of drinks.
This wook, she was accompanied to the United Statos by six
Harinos an honor guard. She wont homo, as the CI's have a way
of explaining, "under a fifty-stor flag."
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Date
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Unknown
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Subject
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Vietnam War, 1961-1975
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Location
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Saigon, South Vietnam
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Coordinates
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10.8231; 106.6311
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Size
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20 x 26 cm
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Container
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B191, F7
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Format
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dispatches
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Collection Number
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MS 363
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Collection Title
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Beverly Deepe Keever, Journalism Papers
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Creator
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Keever, Beverly Deepe
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Collector
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Keever, Beverly Deepe
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Copyright Information
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These images are for educational use only. To inquire about usage or publication, please contact Archives & Special Collections.
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Publisher
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Archives & Special Collections, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries
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Language
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English
