'Boocoo Dinky Dow' on the radio

Maree McHugh in the KRFP studio

Maree McHugh is a good-hearted Idaho nurse who loves being a weekend deejay.  One of her heroes is Adrian Cronauer, the inspiration for Robin Williams' character in the 1987 war comedy "Good Morning, Vietnam." It stands to reason she would like "Boocoo Dinky Dow: My short, crazy Vietnam War," which is punctuated by Grady's humor. She said it's the only book she's been able to bring herself to read about the war. I've also heard that from some veterans.

Maree interviewed me about the book on January 20, 2013. She really did her homework, and started the live interview with a quick recap of the war.  She asked me to read several passages and to give some personal perspective on Grady, to whom I was married in the 1980s. And -- this was totally cool -- she interspersed our conversation with songs from the soundtrack of "Good Morning, Vietnam."

The hour-plus interview is archived on the website of KRFP, Radio Free Moscow. You can listen to it here.  Or you can listen to an eight-minute excerpt and see some of Grady's art in this Youtube video.

Maree isn't a veteran. In fact, she protested America's involvement in Vietnam. But she is eager to thank veterans for bearing the burden of our wars.  Many thanks to her for helping me share Grady's stories.

On the air, Maree read this Richard Nixon quote, which I'm doing my small part to prove wrong: "No event in American history is more misunderstood than the Vietnam War. It was misreported then, and it is misremembered now."

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