I recently had the privilege of visiting Fort Campbell, Kentucky to represent the city of San Mateo as the 101st Airborne commemorated its entry into the Vietnam War 60 years ago. It was a humbling experience to meet hundreds of young men and women so committed to service and protecting our country.
If you’re wondering why a member of our City Council flew across the country to attend this event, you’re in for a treat. The relationship between our city and the historic 101st Airborne is a rich story of love, loss, commitment and lasting partnership that exemplifies the best in us.
More than 55 years ago, during the Vietnam War, Sgt. Joe Artavia wrote a letter home to his sister Linda Patterson. Joe was thinking about the morale of his fellow soldiers, and he was worried. Many had not received mail or care packages in weeks, and he asked Linda if she could find a city, any city, to adopt Alpha Company.
Linda answered the call, and worked tirelessly to find a Bay Area city that could help. She went up and down the Peninsula asking for support, until, on March 4, 1968, San Mateo stepped up. The city council, then led by Mayor Jack Murray, quickly adopted Alpha Company, sparking a connection between a sleepy California city and the combat torn jungles of Vietnam.
Unfortunately, just three weeks after San Mateo and Alpha Company joined forces, Joe Artavia was killed in action trying to save a fallen solider. It brought Linda a modicum of peace to know that Joe was aware Alpha Company had friends and support back home when he passed, and her fierce dedication to the 101st Airborne never waned. To this day, Linda is hero amongst the troops in Fort Campbell. I saw their love for her firsthand.
During the remainder of the Vietnam War, Linda ensured letters, care packages, and special silver Christmas medallions made their way to Alpha Company. Her efforts were buoyed by donations and volunteers from across San Mateo, including immense support from Noe Chanteloup of the Lions Club and reporter Vera Graham of the San Mateo Times who kept the story alive and top of mind. And when Alpha Company of the 101st Airborne returned home in 1972, our community’s generosity didn’t stop. San Mateo did something no other American city had done in the politically charged Vietnam era — we brought our adopted son’s home and hosted a three-day welcome celebration and parade, honoring their courage and service.
Throughout the years, the relationship between San Mateo and Alpha Company (known today as ABU) has deepened. ABU’s unit headquarters has an entire wall of memorabilia dedicated to San Mateo swag, including pictures and school banners. Think about it — soldiers from across America who serve in ABU get to learn about the amazing people of San Mateo!
The goodwill modeled by San Mateo eventually spread. Today, the nonprofit Linda started, called America Supporting Americans (ASA-usa.org) has connected 300 military units across 28 states to sponsor communities. As Linda notes, “in times of both war and peace, these strong connections have proved richly rewarding for all involved.”
However, like so many aspects of our lives, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the connection between our city and ABU. Donations are down and the quantity of care packages has declined. The reason we visited Fort Campbell this month, the first visit since 2017, was to renew and restore our bond, and to remind today’s generation of soldiers that we remain grateful.
Indeed, in today’s tense world, both at home and abroad, this work of human connection is so vitally important. Letting individual soldiers know we care, we are on the same team and that gratitude extends past state and political lines will surely pay dividends down the road.
If you’re curious to learn more about the partnership between San Mateo and the 101st Airborne, or become involved in a new generation of supporters, I encourage you to contact me at dcwirkogodycki@cityofsanmateo.org or Linda and team via the ASA website. You can also explore this unique partnership in the San Mateo Public Library, which has an exhibit dedicated to the history we share.
Danielle Cwirko-Godycki is a member of the San Mateo City Council. Views are her own.
(3) comments
The City of San Mateo has a long history with the 101st Airborne. A platoon of the young men of the 101st marched in our Parade a few years back and Linda Patterson was present to speak at their welcoming dinner while Mayor David Lim hosted the event. Susan Loftus was our city manager at the time. That parade was outstanding, and I wish we could make it an annual July 4th event. The parade was rebroadcasted continuously on the public service cable network. If fireworks go to the wayside, we will need other events to celebrate America's history. Nothing is more festive than a marching brass band. The parade terminated at Central Park, and it seemed like the whole town tuned out.
During the Vietnam war, I was stationed at Travis AFB, 602nd OMS, as a crew chief on C-141 cargo planes. The Screaming Eagles, identified by their conspicuous patches, also used these planes for their jump exercises. I met many of them before they boarded. They were a fearless bunch and told me that they were always glad to jump because somehow their officers had told them that our planes were not reliable, and jumping was safer. Probably an old wives tale, but amusing. Our planes were brand new in those days and scrupulously maintained. We should also be reminded that the 101st was deployed on D-Day in 1944, as was portrayed in the HBO "Band of Brothers" series. We should all be grateful that these young men are willingly continuing to serve.
Today at City hall 7:00 PM PST we will be honoring Linda Patterson for her incredible work with the 101st airborne and ABU in San Mateo. We will also be walking thru the recent trip to Kentucky, Fort Campbell. Hope you can attend or watch online!
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