A Vietnam War Veteran talks about the Norman Morrison stamp

Serendipity can be a wonderful and awesome thing. If you’ve seen Re:Union, you might recall that there’s a scene that includes mention of a postage stamp issued in 1965 by North Vietnam. The stamp bears Norman Morrison’s image, since he became an instant folk hero in that country. To this date, we’ve only ever seen this stamp online. But read below how some stamp collectors in Vancouver have a rare connection to Re:Union and Norman Morrison.

October 26, 2011

Dear Mr. Devine,

My name is Bob Ingraham, and I’m the Past President of the BC Philatelic Society. Yesterday I attended a meeting of the executive of the society. The president handed me a postcard advertising your play, Re:Union, knowing that I would be interested. Our vice-president, Trevor Larden, who also has an interest in the subject of your play, also got a card.

Trevor could tell his story better. In a nutshell, he travelled briefly with Norman Morrison and his wife in the eastern Mediterranean in the early 60s, and has a photograph he took of them.

Trevor and I were attending a “Show & Tell” meeting of our stamp club one night, when I happened to show a North Vietnam stamp commemorating Norman Morrison’s self-immolation. I don’t recall Trevor’s exact (and loud) words, but they were along the lines of “Good God! I don’t believe it!” He had not previously been aware of the existence of the stamp. He went on to explain how he had travelled briefly with Norman Morrison and his wife, and that he had a photograph of them which he had taken.

Since that time, I have obtained a North Vietnam Red Cross cover posted to the South African Red Cross [which has] one of the Norman Morrison stamps. It’s probably not a rare cover, but it’s certainly not common, either. I’ve attached it to this email.

A note about my political background. When I joined the U.S. Navy in 1962, I naively thought that the world was at peace. I was almost a “born again anti-communist,” having been effectively brainwashed by my teachers and by a Catholic priest who held public anti-communist rallies.

I am a Vietnam veteran. I served as a hospital corpsman with the U.S. Marines in Quang Ngai Province from Jan. 28, 1966, until March 5th of the same year, when my company was ambushed by elements of an NVA regiment. My platoon commander was the first casualty, although he was not killed. By the end of the battle, my company counted 10 killed and 20 wounded. I was one of the wounded; early in the battle, an NVA bullet hit me above my right knee and nearly tore off my leg.

Best regards,

Bob