Missing Mitch

Stepbrother Mitch and the crew of his C-1130 went missing in action at the height of the war in Vietnam. Their fate remained unknown, and their families and friends were cast into limbo, unable to grieve. We [rayed for news, even bad news, that would free us from this hell of not knowing. And then, when I had decided I would never, in this life, know what happened to Mitch, he was found. The is also the story of the men and women who vowed that no American service behind. It is also the story of a badly divided country, and of families that split into splinters over the war.

Missing Mitch is a memoir that focuses on the loss of my stepbrother Mitch, a pilot during the war in Vietnam. He went missing and remained missing for years, leaving those who loved him in limbo. It is also the story of the brave men and women of our military who vowed that they would never leave one of our men or women behind.

Josephine Fitzpatrick, also known as Jo, is a retired attorney. Her essays have been published in Creative Nonfiction magazine. For the last ten years, she has co-facilitated a memoir writing class at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at CSULB.