3/23/26 - Who were the "Donut Dollies"?

You're listening to the VPM Daily Newscast, the recap of today's top stories in central Virginia. From the VPM newsroom in Charlottesville, I'm Megan Moore. Virginia's Attorney General has joined a lawsuit to block a multi-billion dollar broadcast media merger. Whitney Evans with the VPM News reports. Jay Jones says the Next Star Media Group and Tegna merger, federally approved on Thursday, will harm consumers by putting power over local news in the hands of fewer people. The new company would own 265 television stations in 44 states and the District of Columbia, according to the Federal Communications Commission, most of them local ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC affiliates. Although Next Star has committed to divesting six of those stations, including Wavy TV and Hampton Roads. The FCC says the merger empowers local broadcast TV to compete with national broadcast networks. Jay Jones argues the merger violates federal law by reducing competition. In order to approve the merger, the FCC waived its own rule that bars a single company promoting more than 39% of U.S. television households. Whitney Evans, VPM News. Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger has a slate of immigration bills from the General Assembly session. As VPM News' Kris Manzanis reports, these could reshape the state's relationship with U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement. Virginia state lawmakers approved bills that restrict 287 agreements by limiting how and when law enforcement may perform federal immigration functions. These bills shift the warrants standard to requiring court approval before someone can be detained. Law enforcement agencies also have to meet several conditions before entering or continuing agreements with ICE. Democratic delegate Alfonso Lopez, who carried the House bill, said these protections will clarify the roles and responsibilities of local police. Because they address community safety, community trusts, and fundamental. constitutional rights is due process, and it's about relieving the fear that exists in some new American and immigrant communities. Other bills prohibit detentions at courthouses and schools and limits law enforcement's ability to shield their identities. K. Rismanzaneris, VPM News. During the Vietnam War, between 1962 and 73, more than 600 college-educated women flew to war-torn Vietnam to bring a morale boost to American soldiers. They came to be known as the Donut Dollies. One of their children, Libby Hedgevick, brought their stories to life with a new PBS documentary premiering tonight. It's called The Donut Dollies, 627 women who also served in Vietnam.

VPM News Morning Edition host Phil Liles recently spoke with Hedgevick about the film. Libby, tell me a little bit about the donut dollies. Actually, that's a nickname. They're the SRAO Supplemental Recreation Activities Overseas Association. They were part of the Red Cross. They were some young women who wanted to help serve their country and to basically uplift the morale of the men that were fighting so far away from home. And it began in what World War I and World War II? In World War I, it was the Salvation Army who sponsored this program, these donut lassies is what the men had referred to them in World War I. And by World War II, the Red Cross started the SRAO program, which the men called them the donut doll. And in World War I, they would make donuts and coffee and drive to the front lines and deliver donuts and coffee to the men. And they were very brave women for doing this. Just bring a little comfort to these men. By the time Vietnam came along, this SRA program was, wasn't about donuts and coffee. It was about uplifting the morale of the men through what they called programs. And these programs were basically TV game shows that they... would create, whether they're like talking about state capitals or things like that. And the women. volunteered to do this. You had to be between 21 and 24, single, never been married, and you had to have a college degree. And then you had to also go through a selection process. You had to volunteer, but also be selected and had some training for just two weeks in Washington. And then they were off to Vietnam. And these women, they went to Vietnam for an entire year. And they lived on firebases. And they came under some dangerous circumstances and rock. rocket attacks and sniper fire. So they would live on these larger firebases and larger bases. And then they would be flown in helicopters or driven in jeeps or trucks to these smaller bases in the field and in the front lines to program to the men because they couldn't talk to everyone, but just going there and showing up and spending an hour or two, just showing them someone cared and talking to them and interacting with them. with these game shows that just kind of helped them relax and feel like, wow, there's a familiar face from home. They were really something special. You had a special interest in doing this documentary that you've created. My mom was a donut dolly who served in Vietnam. She met my dad at Camp Eagle. He was a helicopter pilot with 101st Airborne Division. He was a recon pilot, actually. So he was the bait. And in January of 24, my dad was chosen for an honor flight.

My sister fought to get my mom on the same honor flight and tried to tell them like, look, she lived there for a year. She actually came under fire in the Ashaw Valley and had to spend the night in a cave and she was under rocket attacks and she was there for a whole year and please take her on this honor flight and they rejected her for not being a military veteran, which was unfortunate. I had grown up. always loving my parents' service and their love story. I just felt like they were both just so brave to go. And anytime I said to people, my parents met in Vietnam, my mom was the donut dolly with the Red Cross. And people were like, oh, she was like a nurse. I said, no, not a nurse. And I said, oh, like she was there for like a two-week tour, like USO. And no, no, no, not that. And people just didn't know. And when this incident happened when she was rejected from an honor flight that she really should have been on, that game. me the motivation because I had worked in advertising in production for 21 years. And so I went to my COO and I talked to her about like, hey, I want to tell this story. I want to tell the story of my parents love story, but also the story of the donut dollies because people don't know about them. And she was wonderful about it. She said, tell me more about this. Send me everything about it. She talked to the rest of the leadership team. And they said, go make it. Let's do this. And so I. started diving in and it's pretty amazing because what I thought I knew and then what I ended up learning and the stories I've learned through this experience have been fantastic. How did they meet exactly? So my mom was one of six donut dollies that were the first that were stationed at Camp Eagle. Before that, donut dollies had flown in and programmed there, but not been stationed there. So she flew in and landed and had her bags. or whatever. And I think she said she hadn't even been to her hoot yet. And it was like, oh, let's go up to the mess hall and eat lunch. And so my dad had recently been moved near this same mess hall. And so my mom just lands. She goes. They're having lunch. And in walks this captain. And he says that, well, I saw these cute little red cross girls sitting there. And I sat across from the cutest one and started up a conversation. They started talking and talked. and then the other girls ended up leaving and they were still talking. They started to fall in love. And, you know, it wasn't like they went on dates. You're on this fire base and you hope to run into each other at breakfast and dinner time if you're both back on time and just spending time together on the base. And they unofficially got engaged just before my mom left. And then they got officially engaged on Christmas of 69 when dad flew down to meet mom for Christmas. finding each other and falling in love really kind of took both of them by surprise. Did they disband after Vietnam? They did. There were 627 women who were donut dollies in the Vietnam War. They did what they could. Years later, some of them found out stories that helped people and it's really just beautiful and it's sad that it's history that's gone this long without anyone knowing. And so in 1972, when they were disbanded. It was just getting pretty rough over there. And, you know, we pulled out in 73, but in 72 was when it was disbanded.

Now, is there anything else that I haven't asked you that you would like folks to know? It's really beautiful and wonderful history to learn about. People at the Red Cross didn't know this history. I was invited to a Red Cross event last year to share the story of why I made it and to show the documentary. And they've been so wonderful. Just getting the word out there about these wonderful women. I hope people watch it and they want to know more and learn more. Well, I want to thank you, Libby. Thank you. I appreciate it. In addition to tonight's premiere on VPM PBS, The Donat Dollies, 627 women who also served in Vietnam, will re-air on the following dates. Thursday, March 26th, at 8 p.m. on VPM PBS. Sunday, March 29th, at 3 p.m. on VPM PBS. Tuesday, April 1st, at 8 p.m. on VPM plus. And for full disclosure, VPM Media Corporation is the FCC license holder of VPM PBS and VPM News, which operates as 88.9 FM in Richmond, 89.1 FM in the northern neck, and 90.1 FM in Southside, Virginia. As a newsroom, VPM News maintains editorial independence. Both the article and the feature went through our usual fact-checking and editing process. Station leadership did not view the article or hear the feature prior to publication. Questions about the interview and VPN News' overall editorial policy should be directed to managing editor Dantea Price Lisko and news director Elliot Robinson. This has been the VPM Daily Newscast.