POW MIA

2004:

Nam Jam 2004 in Tucson, Arizona Photos by Bill Graham, Thanks Bill!

The Nam Jam Concert was awesome as usual. I got 45 minutes to do my Vietnam Blues Show and I sang the Silver Rose Blues for the first time in public. I gave a nice talk about the Order of the Silver Rose, what wonderful work they do and what great folks they are.

POW MIA

2001:

EVENT REPORT!

Sarge was the Wizard at the Phoenix Zoo's "Boo at the Zoo" a Halloween celebration October 27, and 28, 2001.      What a fun gig! I was hired to be the "Fauna Wizard" and I led the parades, six parades in all. Everyone wanted a picture with the Wizard so I must be in a hundred family photo albums by now.

They loved my Wizard work so they hired me for "Zoo Lights" from December 2, 2001 through January 6, 2002. For "Zoo Lights" I was the Wizard and Leslie was Grandmother Oak, a story telling oak tree. In the 36 nights of "Zoo Lights" over 210,000 people came through the zoo. A picture is worth a thousand spells.

Sarge and Leslie (left) Left to right (photo 2) Leslie, Tina, ("Lady Bug" - Leslie's assistant) and Leslie "Grandmother Oak."

EVENT REPORT!

Sarge and Leslie At Lake Superior College: (September 23, through September 30, 2001)      I'm sure I have bragged to everyone about me and my music being included in the book "Battle Notes: Music of the Vietnam War" by Lee Andresen (available at amazon.com) and some of you may remember the booksigning Leslie and I arranged for Lee in Tempe at Changing Hands Bookstore last spring. The booksigning went great and we really hit it off with Lee and his wife Mary Lou. Lee is not only an author, he also teaches political science and history, including classes on the Vietnam War, at Lake Superior College in Duluth, Minnesota. So, when Lee got back home, he arranged for the Student Life Center at Lake Superior College to sponsor Leslie's and my visit to the college. They hired me to do my Vietnam Blues Show in the Commons and for me to be a guest speaker in as many classes as we could fit in.      Flying across the country twelve days after the terrorists' acts and then again nineteen days after, gave Leslie and me a chance to see America in the process of healing. On our way from Arizona to Superior, Wisconsin on September 23rd, the airports were almost empty, but seven days later when we returned, there was not an empty seat on our flight.      We arrived late on Sunday night so things didn't get started until Monday. To begin our Monday, Mary Lou had arranged for me to present a POW/MIA flag to the mayor of Superior, Wisconsin, Sharon Kotter.

The flag was donated by my good friend and an Arizona Vietnam veteran, Larry Brown, on behalf of Reflections of Honor, a business run by Larry and his family. Larry is the Arizona State Commander for the Military Order of the Purple Heart. (Thanks Larry!) I also was the guest speaker in two sociology classes and a history class at Lake Superior College that day.      The second day was very busy. I was the guest speaker in four history and political science classes all taught by my friend, Lee Andresen. Two of the classes were studying the Vietnam War.      The third day, on Wednesday at noon, I performed my Vietnam Blues Show in the Commons for students and teachers at Lake Superior College. After my performance, I was interviewed by the local NBC affiliate and the interview was aired on the 6 PM news. I also performed my Vietnam Blues Show that evening at the Superior Public Library where a local cable station filmed my performance for a cable show called Open and Shut Case.      On day four, Thursday night, I spoke and did my Vietnam Blues Show for a big crowd at the Vet Center in Duluth, Minnesota, which is like a twin city with Superior, Wisconsin. The vets, their wives, and the folks who run the Vet Center were a wonderful audience and the outpouring of love and respect after was truly medicine for my PTSD.      Friday, day five, I was guest speaker at 11:00 am in a psychology class at Lake Superior College. Then I performed at the Villa Marina Nursing Home in Superior. After that we finished the day at a high school in Superior where I was the guest speaker for a class of "at risk" students. We won the students' hearts as well as their attention when their teacher brought out a guitar and I grabbed a harmonica for an impromptu blues jam.      Saturday we had the day off. We spent the day sightseeing with Mary Lou who gave us a tour of the area. Leslie and I were amazed at all the beautiful houses and the brilliant colors that the leaves were turning. Mary Lou took us to a Native American burial ground, a beautiful waterfall, and all the local points of interest including Lake Superior, the biggest lake in the world. We also ate at a cafe near the water which was a real treat. That evening Lee and Mary Lou threw a big party they called a "Hootenanny." Lee Andresen is one of our nations leading authorities on the music of the Vietnam War era. So, Lee and Mary Lou's parties are filled with the music of that era including many very rare recordings from Lee's extensive collection of 45 rpm records. What a party! I discovered a new (to me) beer called Grain Belt. You know it's one heck of a party when the host ends up with a picture of me, the Sarge, wearing a balloon hat. Oh well, it WAS our send off party!      Sunday, Mary Lou and Lee went far beyond the call of duty by waking us up at 4 am and driving us 30 minutes to the Duluth Airport to catch our flight home to Arizona. Bless their hearts! Everything went rather smoothly on our American Eagle flight until we tried to land in Chicago only to find that it was fogged in. We circled for an hour hoping the sun would cut through the fog, but it was not to be. We were diverted to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. There they told us our plane would be delayed another hour (which we found out later never did leave) and we would have a seven hour wait in Chicago for our connecting flight to Phoenix. So, Leslie quickly hunted down a flight that could get us to O'Hare and then to Sky Harbor without a long wait. Luckily, we got on a flight right away and to Phoenix by 2:30 that afternoon. Unfortunately our luggage did not, but "all's well that ends well," our luggage was delivered to our home at 1:30 am the next morning.      As I said before, our flights were all full on the way home and the hustle and bustle of the airports had returned. Things seemed to be starting to get back to normal in America. We want to give a special thanks to Lee and Mary Lou Andresen for doing such a wonderful job booking my events and getting superb publicity for it all. Also, a special thanks to Roger Johnson, Director of the Student Life Center at Lake Superior College, and all the teachers, students and new friends for making our visit a truly memorable one. ~ Sarge & Leslie Nan ~

POW MIA

Sarge and Leslie at LaGrange College:    I woke up at the Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport at 8:00 AM on Wednesday March 7th. Well, I must have been awake before then, after all I did drive to the airport but my memories don't start until about half way through my third cup of coffee. After a fifty-minute delay, we were airborne. The stewardess never did come up with a good answer to my question about why my seat cushion turned into a floating device instead of a parachute when we would be over land the whole time. Then, there we were in Atlanta, Georgia.    When we arrived in Atlanta, there to welcome Leslie and me, in his Scottish hat and a grin that showed his heart was the director of the play, "A Circle on the Cross" and professor at LaGrange College, Dr. Steven Earl Edwards. In his eyes was a welcome home that I had always imagined folks would have when I came home from Nam. This man is a true brother and we all hit it off from the start. Steven Earl, as he is called by his friends or Dr. E, as he is lovingly called by his students drove us sixty-five miles to LaGrange, Georgia and our motel room to prepare for the dress rehearsal that evening.    Steven Earl picked us up that evening for a quick super and then on to dress rehearsal. Because I fly dressed as "Sarge" (just to scare the airport security dudes) I am always ready for a dress rehearsal and it went very well.    The next morning we were up at 7 AM and off to the local TV station for me to be interviewed with the author of the play, Thomas Catawalder Jones, a warm and very talented man. I must have had my three cups of coffee because the show went very well. A few days before we arrived the leading actor in the play, Austin Tidwell, a marvelous actor, a decent harmonica player and a junior at LaGrange College, and Steven Earl were on the same show promoting the play and announcing our arrival. The station ran both shows three or four times a day through, I believe the duration of the play.    I got to meet a Vietnam combat veteran, author that gives the most powerful performance I have ever seen, Fred Leo Brown. Although he usually performs in schools around the country, he performed at the party and he is awesome!    Our stay in LaGrange was awesome! A whirl wind tour that included a TV appearance, a luncheon with and performance for all the college VIP's, sitting in on some of Dr. E's classes, acting as military advisors (along with Fred Leo Brown) to the cast, a really killer party at Dr. E's house, a dress rehearsal and opening for the play three times. All interspersed with wonderful stories told by both Tom Jones and Steven Earl who are great friends and work very well together.    Now the really killer party at Dr. E's house was where I got to actually jam non-Vietnam Blues songs. Everywhere I go folks want me to do my "Vietnam Blues" and I seldom get to do any thing else. Well, I was in heaven, between getting to play songs like "Under the Boardwalk" and a ton of others right down to Dr. E's fine single malt Scotch whisky. Come to think of it, a Scotch whisky was how that stewardess got me to shut up about that floating seat cushion over land thing.    Opening night: My job was to open for the play. Steven Earl would go out first, acknowledge the dignitaries in the audience, and then call me out with, I must say, a wonderful introduction. As I walked out onto the stage, the jungle sounds and upright bass from the first cut on my CD would begin. Then I would give Steven Earl a big veteran hug and go to the Mic just in time to start the Vietnam Blues Poem. The Howler Monkey and the Huey Helicopter sounds then lead me into the first blues song on my CD, "This Shirt of Mine." Then, after that song I would give my talk about the number of names on the Wall (58,000+) and the number of suicides after the war. (150,000+) After my talk I would go into my song, "Time Bomb in My Mind" that tells what it felt like for me to come home after three tours of duty in Nam and not be welcome. After that song I would thank the audience and start a lonesome harmonica lick like in my song, "Blue Monsoon" as a thunder sound effects loop echoed through the theater. Then I would move toward stage left and stop and do another harmonica lick, and then for the next harmonica lick I moved in front of the stairs that lead off the stage and up the side isle beside the audience. Then, suddenly, in response to my harmonica lick, from the very back of the audience the lead actor, Austin Tidwell, would answer my harmonica lick with one of his own and I would point up at Austin and that would turn the entire audience in their seats to look up at him, the returning POW. We would take a few steps toward each other after each lick as we traded back and forth, and when we met in the middle, I would give him a hug. At this point, my eyes would have developed some serious leakage problems. Then I would go on up to sit in the back row with Leslie and Austin would take the stage and the play would begin. Wow, what a dramatic segue into the play and what a powerful play!   I should say here that Tom Jones, the author of the play, is not a Nam vet but they had to tell me that more than once before I could believe it. How he captured the head space of the returning POW and the dark humor of the combat veteran so brilliantly must have been inspired from above, as his visit to the Wall years earlier had inspired him to write the play. I opened for the first 3 nights of the play, March 8, 9, and 10. On the 10th we were honored to have Sally Griffis, Pat Allen and Nancy Graham in the audience thanks to the communication power of the "Vietnam Veterans Home Page." The play ran for four more performances that Leslie and I sadly had to miss.    We had to return to Arizona to meet and visit with the author of a new book, which includes my music and me! The book is titled, "Battle Notes: Music of the Vietnam War," by Lee Andresen. Lee Andresen and his wife, Mary Lou came out to visit Leslie and me and we had a fun filled visit. The book signing was on Wednesday March 14 at Changing Hands Book Store and was excellent. We had a good crowd and lots of book signing.

POW MIA

2000:

June 21st, 2000, Harmonica Showcase at the RHYTHM ROOM blues bar! Featuring 18 of Phoenix's finest harp players. Sarge is sponsored by the LEE OSKAR HARMONICA COMPANY!

July 1st, 2000, Sarge performed his Vietnam Blues Show at BIG D'S SPORTS BAR in Phoenix Arizona. Sarge was backed up by blues legend, Chico Chism and his band. Chico drummed for the late, great, Howlin' Wolf. Chico had just gotten back from performing at the Chicago Blues Fest. This event was a benefit for the VIETNAM VETS BENEVOLENCE SOCIETY!

August 19th and 20th, 2000, Sarge was in St. Cloud, MN for the MIND JAM CONCERT. Check out the EARTH MOTHER MIND JAM web site.

October 22nd, 2000, at the State Fairgrounds, for the Veterans Recognition Day, Sarge read a poem that he had been asked to write in honor of the Tuskeege Airmen, the first black pilots in the US Military.

POW MIA

1999:

September 3rd-5th in St. Cloud, Minnesota for the MIND JAM. SARGE'S VETERANS DAY GIG 1999!

POW MIA

November 10th-13th Sarge performed his "Vietnam Blues" at the biggest Vietnam Women Veterans' event ever! He was at the "FIRST HOMECOMING CONFERENCE", put on by "VIETNAM WOMEN VETERANS INC.." The event took place in Olympia, Washington. Sarge performed his "Vietnam Blues" on Friday, November 12th, at the Barbeque. They have honored Sarge by putting the words to his song, "Sister Soldier" on the front page of their website. This was a very special event for Sarge!

November 20th in Albuquerque, New Mexico for the "New Mexico Veterans Fine Art Exhibit." Sarge performed his powerful, nationally acclaimed Vietnam War and homeless veteran poetry.

December 12th at the Rhythm Room blues bar in Phoenix, Arizona was SARGE AND LESLIE'S 30TH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY BLOW-OUT PARTY AND BENEFIT FOR THE FIELD CROSS MEMORIAL! With special guest, LEE OSKAR OF WAR fame and creator of the LEE OSKAR line of harmonicas. Also featuring Vietnam veteran entertainer, Jimmy Logston, and of course Sarge Lintecum and his Vietnam Blues. (Proceeds went to the Phoenix VVA Chapter #432)

Sarge and Leslie's 30th Wedding Anniversary Blowout Party and Benefit for the Field Cross Memorial. That's what we called it, five hours and forty-five minutes of live music by some of the finest musicians in Arizona. Not to mention our friend, the fabulous Lee Oskar, (of WAR fame and creator of the Lee Oskar line of harmonicas), who played with us for two and a half-hours! As well as Jimmy Logston, who flew in from Knoxville, TN just for our event!   The show started with our daughter, Brandy, in the FLD Productions Improv Comedy Troupe. They were wonderful, and the audience response was great! Then came, Ralo, the founder and organizer of the annual Earth Mother Mind Jam, and a fine musician and dear friend. Next up was Jimmy Logston, a Vietnam veteran, super musician, and international karate and kick boxing champion. Keith Secola and the Wild Band of Indians who played their hit song, "NDN Kars", followed Jimmy. Then Walt Richardson totally blew away the crowd with his Reggae/Folk style performance. Next up was our friend and world-renowned master of harmonica-in-a-rack, Hans Olson, just back from a five week European tour. Then, joining Hans, our guest of honor, Lee Oskar, totally blew the crowd away!    Lee had just finished a Korean music project in LA, where he wrote, arranged, and produced a beautiful (harmonica lead) theme song for an upcoming Korean television show. Lee Oskar really made our show special as well.    Then it was my turn to perform my "Vietnam Blues," with Hans Olson, Lee Oskar, Pops McFarland, Bob Slifer, Jimmy Logston, and sitting in on drums for my second song was my oldest son, Colt Lintecum! What a show! We raffled off three Lee Oskar harmonicas and Lee signed them with his engraving tool for each winner.   The party was a great success, and the proceeds went to the Vietnam Veterans of America Phoenix Chapter #432 to help complete their Field Cross Memorial project. However, the day after the party Leslie and I felt like two used Yule logs. (All burnt out!)   Even a huge party and a nightclub packed with friends and fine music can't express how much in love I am with Leslie Nan. Thirty years… heck, that's nothin'.

ALL EVENT REPORTS AND WRITEUPS OF EVENTS ON THIS PAGE ARE COPYRIGHTED BY SARGE AND LESLIE LINTECUM OF MR. & MRS. SARGE ENTERPRISES AND CAN NOT BE USED WITHOUT PERMISSION.

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POW MIA