Imagine being nearly 80 years old and answering the phone—only to hear a voice you thought you’d never hear again in your lifetime. A long-lost voice you haven’t heard since hell on earth–the blood, the smoke, the terror, and the unbreakable, indescribable bond that can only be forged among those serving shoulder to shoulder at war. 

A few weeks ago, I missed a call from an Arizona number I didn’t recognize. The voicemail that followed would reunite two women Vietnam veterans who had served as Army nurses together in the Tet Offensive—after nearly 60 years apart.

“I have been trying to find Sharon for many years,” the voicemail said. “I didn’t know her married name. We both served together at the 93rd and the 95th Evacuation Hospitals in Vietnam. My name was Pat Thomson at the time, and I really counted her as one of my very best friends. I don’t know how to reach her beyond your magazine. I just really hope that she is well at this point.”

The message was from Patricia “Pat” Little-Upah, who had come across a November 2024 Porch & Parish article by writer Lauren Pope. That story, which highlighted three Zachary-local women Veterans, happened to list Sharon Spino Callahan by her maiden and married name. It led Pat straight back to the woman she had been searching for across five decades.

The two women first met in 1968, serving side by side as young Army nurses during the Vietnam War. Together, the 22-year-olds endured the Tet Offensive, a series of aggressive, coordinated attacks by the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese forces against South Vietnamese cities and military bases spanning from January through September of that year. 

Pat and Sharon treated an endless stream of casualties at the Army’s 93rd evacuation hospital at Long Binh, the largest and busiest medical facility in Vietnam during the War. Both Sharon and Pat then served at the 95th evacuation hospital at Da Nang, which Pat said was like “going from the frying pan into the fire” (Magruder, 2025). Pat recalls working 12-14-hour days while the tents were guarded by soldiers with M-16s. The 95th was in a combat zone, under constant red alert from rocket attacks and ground assaults. 

The Tet Offensive was a turning point in the War; not only did it lead to more than 10,000 casualties and 2,600 deaths of U.S. and South Vietnamese troops, but it also weakened American public support of the Vietnam War. There were no parades for Sharon and Pat and the other Veterans when they finally came home. 

After the war, life carried them in different directions. Sharon raised a family and dedicated most of her life to caring for others as a nurse at Lane Memorial Hospital in Zachary, retiring in 2011. Pat became a mother, joined the Reserves, and was activated again during the Gulf War in 1991. She retired from the Army as a colonel in 2004 and went on to work in the behavioral health space. She serves on numerous boards as an advocate for Veterans and mental health, building a life and a legacy out in Arizona. Through the decades, she says, she’s always wondered what became of Sharon Spino and was never able to find her—until last month.

I returned Pat's call as soon as I got the message, and she was able to reach Sharon immediately. 

“To hear her voice again after all these years—it was amazing,” Sharon said. “What a wonderful surprise.” 

The two talked for more than an hour, slipping back into the friendship that had sustained them during one of the most difficult times of their lives. They will stay in touch and hope to see each other in person again one day. Both women will turn 80 years old this November. 

It has been an absolute honor to play a part in reuniting Pat and Sharon and tell their story. From all of us here at Porch & Parish, thank you for your service. 

Our initial article was inspired by Kristin Hannah’s 2024 novel, The Women. To read Lauren Pope’s original article, click here. To read more about Colonel Pat Little-Upah’s advocacy for Veterans, click here for Janie Magruder’s 2025 article for the Mesa Tribune, which also served as a background source for this article.