Stagecoach Inn to host local author's talk on trailblazing war correspondent Dickey Chapelle

Ventura County Star

The Stagecoach Inn will host Conejo Valley author John Garofolo for a special talk on trailblazing war correspondent Dickey Chapelle as part of the museum's speaker series.

Garofolo is the author of "Dickey Chapelle Under Fire: Photographs by the First Female American War Correspondent Killed in Action." Working at a time when few women were war correspondents, Chapelle photographed the battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa during World War II and continued her career for another 20 years before dying in action during the Vietnam War.

Garofolo grew up in Thousand Oaks, attending Thousand Oaks High School and Moorpark College before graduating from CSU Northridge. Though his primary career has been in entertainment, Garofolo decided to enlist in the Coast Guard Reserve after he turned 30.

Garofolo's passion for the U.S. armed forces led him to read the book "Brown Water, Black Berets" about the U.S. Navy's involvement in Vietnam, leading him to learn about Dickey Chapelle.

Dickey Chapelle was an American photojournalist known for her work from World War II through the Vietnam War. Working at a time when few women were war correspondents, Chapelle photographed the battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa during World War II and continued her career for another 20 years before dying in action during the Vietnam War.

"There's a chapter in the book that the author ... had talked about a crazy reporter running around with Navy fighters in Vietnam," Garofolo said.

"I was like, how come I've never heard of this woman? This is a great story," he said.

Garofolo started looking into Chapelle's life and learning more about her career, which also included stints covering the Algerian Rebellion, the Cuban Revolution and the Hungarian uprising of 1956. He got in touch with the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee, which hosts Chapelle's archive, and in 2015 published his book through the university's press.

Though the book is now out of print, Garofolo continues to share the story of Chapelle and her life when he can. He hopes those who attend the talk will learn something new.

The event will take place from 1-3 p.m. Sunday at The Stagecoach Inn, 51 S. Ventu Park Road. Tickets are $15 for nonmembers. For members of the Conejo Valley Historical Society, tickets are $10.

Tickets can be purchased at the museum or through the museum's website at stagecoachinnmuseum.com/calendar/2022/27/26/speakers-series-john-garofolo-author-p2brr.

Jeremy Childs is a breaking news and public safety reporter covering the night shift for the Ventura County Star. He can be reached by calling 805-437-0208 or emailing jeremy.childs@vcstar.com. You can also find him on Twitter @Jeremy_Childs.