Jim Rhodes is a great human being – and a dear friend.  He recently returned from a year of living and working in Viet Nam – Hanoi to be precise.   What makes his story somewhat unique is the special relationship Jim has with the Viet Namese people.   He told his story at our house on Saturday Night.

Jim was in Viet Nam as a soldier with Special Operations from 1968 to 1969.  His unit was responsible for retreiving downed American pilots.  They also mixed and loaded and dispersed Agent Orange, the dioxin-based defoliant we sprayed on that country by the millions of gallons.  In 1969, Jim got sick.  He began vomitting blood.  He was evacuated from Plaicu with the 71st med-evac and discharged with honors.  Unfortunately, “with honors” meant “without healthcare”.

As Jim suffered tumor after tumor for the next 14 years and exhibited all the symptoms that the Government’s own Agent Orange report linked to that deadly defoliant, Jim was repeatedly denied treatment.  The Government report not withstanding,  the Veteran’s Administration continued to insist there was “no proof” that his illness was caused by Agent Orange.  Finally in the early 1980’s, having a strong will to live and a cultivated disdain for bureaucracy,  Jim wrote to the US State Department and told them he intended to violate the embargo on Viet Nam and travel there for the medical treatment they had developed for their own victims of that horrific poison during what they call “The American War”.  Receiving no response from our government, Jim went.  The Viet Namese people saved his life.

Jim has spent years as a columnist, publishing many newspaper articles about Agent Orange and our government’s feined ignorance of it’s dangers.  Jim was welcomed into Viet Nam “as a long lost brother” he says, and given the treatments there that have helped overcome the physical pain.  More importantly, he has received a measure of forgiveness and love from a people with every reason to hate him, that has yielded a great spiritual healing in his soul.  He has written a book about his war, and post-war, experience which will be published in Viet Nam next summer.  All of his proceeds will go into a fund for the treatment of Viet Nam’s Agent Orange victims.  Jim says “it’s the least I can do”. 

There were several Viet Nam veterans among our guests Saturday night.  Every one of them expressed their gratitude to Jim for telling his story.  One man, who has also suffered from Agent Orange, told Jim “when you go back there, please tell your friends inViet Nam that I’m sorry”.

There comes a point in a man’s life when politics and power, struggle and stress, must give way to compassion.  

“When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.  (King James Bible, 1 Corinthians, 13:11)

 Jim Rhodes reached that point some time ago.  I hope nations can follow his lead.

Well, I got back home on Monday night after spending four glorious days at Bosch Baha’i School in Santa Cruz, CA.  Bosch is a georgeous place about 7 miles or so from the coast north of the city.  And this year, the weather was perfect.

Each year I coordinate the activities for the Annual Music Industry Weekend at Bosch Baha’i School.  It is a labor of love.  This year it seemed to pay dividends as this group of musicians, though fewer in number than past years,  included many new faces and some very talented ones at that. Meeting them was a sheer delight.  I wrote a full report for the Music Industry Weekend website.  Please have a look.

What I want to write about here, was the Birthday surprise I received on Saturday (one day early).  My dear bride Deb enlisted the help of a friend, and delightful singer Kyra Platte, to get folks to sign a birthday card. Some of their comments are a hoot.   And then she conferred with Bosch’s Chef, Jamshid Kiana, who baked the bigest birthday cake I’ve every been presented.  It was as big as a truck tire.  Of course, he thought he would trick me with one of those candles that re-light themselves, but I saw the sparking and applied wet fingers to quench the flame.  But man, what a cake.  After feeding EVERYONE, there was still a good portion left over to enjoy with coffee.

I also wanted to comment about songwriting.  For the past 3 years, Alan James and I have hosted a “songwriter’s round table”  where we share our views on songwriting and also some tricks for breaking writing block, etc.  This year, several of our participants launched into songwriting during the weekend and that to me was very gratifying.

We’ve set a schedule for next year, tentatively reserving October 21-24 for our annual gathering.  We also are arranging for an optional “early arrival” Wednesday night for those who want to jam all day Thursday.  I’m looking forward to that.

Right now, I’m tired.  And I’m happy to be home for a while. I plan to take some time in December to do nothing but write new songs.  I have a collection of ideas and starting lines.  It’s time to develop some new material.

Bosch Baha’i School is one of the prettiest wooded spots in California, not just for those magnificent trees, but more for the spirit that permeates the 88 acres of the school.  I started going there regularly many years ago following my divorce.  Though a long way from my home, it was only an hour from Sunnyvale CA where I often went on business.  I spent many weekend hours helping out with maintenance (the best I could) or performing music for sessions.

For the past seven years, it has been the home of our annual Music Industry Weekend when dozens of Baha’i musicians, and like-minded musical friends, gather to attend workshops on performance, recording, promotion and to jam and make music together.  It provides an opportunity for aspiring musicians to gain skills and contacts and  encouragement that will help them succeed in their chosen field.  It’s a blast.  And it starts next week on Thursday evening the 22nd of October.

Now some Baha’is (some you may know in fact) have said to me:  That weekend shouldn’t be about improving business for musicians, but rather about serving Baha’i communties with music.  I say, NO. 

Think about it this way: No one would dream of gathering Baha’i plumbers to convince them to work for free in their communities.  No one expects doctors, lawyers, attorneys, engineers, or any other professional to work without compensation just because the customer is a Baha’i.  And think for a moment who has had a greater influence on people through music, Joe Nobody the unknown musician, or the late Dan Seals who had numerous number one hits?  Bosch has hosted Music for Service sessions in the past and I hope those continue for all who need it.  But there is no other Baha’i-oriented training for the business of Music available to our aspiting talent.

Our goal for the Music Industry Weekend is two-fold:  1) improve the caliber of Baha’i-oriented music available for the public, and 2) foster the success of Baha’i-minded musicians who will attract favorable attention to the Faith and uplift the character of the Music Industry.

I see some great young talent out there with a real chance to make a difference.  And there are ”old-timers” who still have some great music share ( at least I think so).  We will bring them together next weekend, and for me, that is a service too.

 ///Darrell 
 Darrell Elmer Rodgers                                 

Singer, Songwriter, Performer, Humorist

Hi friends.  My dear bride Deb is healing slowly following some ankle surgery.  She had the metal plate removed that was put in 5 years ago when she shattered that ankle on a cross counrty trip.  Hopefully, with that hardware removed, her range of motion will return to normal and help her feel better all around.

Five years ago, before we met, Deb was determined to celebrate her emergence from bed-ridden incapacity with a cross country car trip.  (It’s a long story that she’s putting in a book)  Unfortunately, while taking a walk in Wilcox, Arizona she tripped and her ankle shattered having become somewhat brittle from four years in a sick bed.   After getting wrapped by the local paramedics, that woman drove 135 miles to Desert Rose Baha’i Institute in Eloy, AZ, for some help finding help.   The Baha’is there took her to Casa Grande Medical Center which immediately referred her to the the Tucson Orthopedic Institute – some 65 miles in the other direction.  She drove. 

Upon arriving in Tucson, she could not walk and so, a staff member parked her car as they wheeled her into surgery.  Dr. Joel Goode, the surgeon on duty, re-aligned and braced her broken bones with some stainless steel and told her to rest for a few weeks.  She drove herself back to Desert Rose where the wonderful Ladjamaya Green hosted her and nursed her back to health.

Fast forward five years.  Now married (to me) and living in Casa Grande, AZ (another long story revealed through this blog) her ankle begins to hurt.  We “google” Dr. Joel Goode and find that he is still with the Tucson Orthopedic Institute.  We made the appointment and on the 30th of September, out came that metal.  Last Wednesday Dr. Goode removed the stitches.  Yes, it was ugly (no I won’t post pictures).  But it’s looking better each day and I know it’s a BUNCH better on the inside.

In another week, it should be healed sufficiently to safely embark on our next road trip to Bosch Baha’i School in Santa Cruz, CA for the 7th annual Music Industry Weekend.  We’re looking forward to seeing many of our musician friends and learning some good stuff from professional producers Jon Rezin and Jarome Matthew who are presenting their “Business Bootcamp” for independent recording artists.  Of course, the best part will be making music with spiritual people.  You know the music is good when you want to play along.  And this year, we might even see Deb dancing!