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Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American
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- Notes:
- Mitch Amlotte volunteered for the Army in 1968 to escape a bad home life. He was sent to postal school and then to Germany. He volunteered to travel with the children of military men on field trips and spent much of his time seeing different countries. He was released from the military after 3 years would have re-enlisted except that he did not want to go to Vietnam. He encountered an assortment of personal and medical problems after his discharge, which he discusses at some length.
- Date Created:
- 2007-05-22T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- James Turner was born on March 8, 1940 in Guntown, Mississippi. When he was five years old his family moved to Benton Harbor, Michigan. In 1960 (approximately) he enlisted in the Air Force. He received basic training at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. After that he served as chaplain's assistant both in the United States and in Turkey where he conducted tours of the Holy Land and holy sites in the area. He went on to receive Officer Training and training from the Police Academy and got into the Military Police of the Air Force. He served in Spain as part of the Military Police and at Spangdahlem Air Base in Germany where he dealt with the Baader Meinhof Gang and Red Brigades (terrorist groups). He also served at Stewart Air Force Base, New York and at Bunker Hill Air Force Base, Indiana (now Grissom Air Force Base). During his 20 year career in the Air Force he also helped establish human relations courses and race relations courses, specifically with the Department of Defense and President Nixon's Secretary of Defense. He concluded his Air Force career at the University of Michigan where he worked in aerospace studies and recruited minority students.
- Date Created:
- 2015-12-08T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- David Christian was born in 1946 in Muskegon Heights, Michigan. After completing high school there in 194, he enlisted in the Marine Corps. After training in California, David was sent to Chu Lai, Vietnam in 1965. David's first tour was spent at Chu Lai and fixing aircraft at Marble Mountain Air Facility. After returning home and marrying his wife, David reenlisted for a second tour. David was promoted to sergeant and repaired aircraft at Chu Lai until 1970. David also worked at Iwakuni Marine Corps Base for the remaining 6 months of his second tour. David returned to the United States in 1970 where he worked at Camp Lejeune and as a Drill Instructor on Parris Island.
- Date Created:
- 2010-07-29T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Greg Kiekintveld was born in Holland, Michigan in May 1949. After graduating from high school in 1968, he worked in construction until he was drafted into the Army in March, 1969. Following basic training at Fort Knox, Kentucky, the Army sent Kiekintveld to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri for advanced training to be a combat engineer. Once Kiekintveld completed the training at Fort Leonard Wood, Kiekintveld deployed to Vietnam and joined B Company, 326th Engineer Battalion, 101st Airborne Division. While with the 326th Engineers, Kiekintveld had two primary assignments. First, he oversaw a small team tasked with creating landing zones in advance of an assault by infantry from other units in the 101st Airborne. Second, as part of a larger unit, either platoon- or company-sized he helped with construction and demolition of hilltop firebases for the division. His unit was based at Camp Evans, and operated in the hills and valleys of the northern part of South Vietnam.
- Date Created:
- 2012-03-06T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Al Lust was born in Ohio in 1950 and enlisted in the United States Air Force in 1971. Al served in Germany, Thailand, and Korea. While in Thailand, Al worked on flight missions against the Viet Cong. Al stated that he was mortared and shot at many times but never experienced any heavy combat. After his time in the Air Force, Al worked on a mission dealing with the homeless for 16 years. He also was a rescue mission chaplain and a substance abuse counselor.
- Date Created:
- 2005-05-24T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Baltazar Martinez was born in Plainview, Texas, in 1952. He was one of the last people to be drafted into the Army in 1972. He trained as an armored cavalryman and was deployed to Vietnam toward the end of the year, but stayed only a few days before being sent home. He re-enlisted twice, and served in Korea and in different bases in the US until 1981. He subsequently served in the Marine Corps for three years, and then later joined the Army National Guard, and deployed to Kuwait, and Iraq in 2010. He currently serves with the 507th Engineer Battalion, but did not deploy with them to Afghanistan in 2011 due to his age.
- Date Created:
- 2014-03-08T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- David Guevara was born in Martin, Michigan on October 19th 1947. He grew up moving around a lot because his parents were migrant workers. He went to school when he could and worked in a factory. In 1968, he was drafted into the Army, but enlisted in the Marine Corps before he had to report. He trained in California and became a wireman for a communications unit. He was assigned to the Marine air base at Marble Mountain, near Da Nang. He mostly worked on the base laying communications lines, but also did some radio work, at times communicating with other Hispanic soldiers in Spanish, which the Vietnamese could not understand.
- Date Created:
- 2011-11-02T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Alfred Martin was born and raised in western Pennsylvania. He grew up in a family of farmers. He was drafted into the Army in January, 1969, not long after finishing high school. He completed Basic Training, Artillery School and NCO school before departing for Vietnam in January, 1970. He was assigned to 2/11 Field Artillery, a 155mm howitzer unit attached to the 101st Airborne Division. He served on several different firebases, notably Ripcord, where there was heavy fighting in June and July. He was wounded on Ripcord, and after he came back he continued to serve with his battery until he was sent home in late November.
- Date Created:
- 2011-09-05T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- TJ Johnson was born in Chicago on October 19, 1952. Due to growing up in a challenging and often dangerous environment he decided to enlist in the Army (most likely August 1972). He received basic training at Fort Polk, Louisiana, and field artillery training at Fort Hood, Texas. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion of the 92nd Field Artillery Regiment at Fort Hood, Texas. He served as the acting staff sergeant in his unit and also served as a surveyor (gathering coordinates for artillery batteries) and the race relations non-commissioned officer. He served in West Germany for six months of field maneuvers. TJ completed his enlistment at Fort Hood, but remained in the Army Reserves (most likely until the late 1970s).
- Date Created:
- 2016-03-17T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- David Yonts was born in February 1950 in West Virginia. He grew up in Kentucky and on August 31, 1969 he was drafted. He received basic training at Fort Knox, Kentucky and infantry training at Fort Ord, California. Due to his wife being pregnant he was allowed to serve at Fort Hood, Texas until May 6, 1970 when he received his orders for Vietnam. He was deployed to Vietnam and got to Phu Bai on July 1, 1970. He was assigned to Alpha Company of the 2nd Battalion of the 506th Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division and served at Firebase Ripcord until the firebase fell on July 23, 1970. He served with Alpha Company until he left Vietnam in June 1971. Upon arrival in Washington in late June 1971 he was discharged.
- Date Created:
- 2015-10-08T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Ted McCormick was born in Standish, Michigan and grew up in Flint, Michigan. He graduated from high school in 1968 and received his draft notice in 1969. He took basic training at Fort Knox, Kentucky, and infantry training at Fort Polk, Louisiana. Sent to Vietnam, he was assigned to an infantry company in the 101st Airborne Division. His unit went on patrols in the jungles of northern South Vietnam and encountered its share of firefights, ambushes and booby traps. In the last few months of his tour, which ended in October, 1970, he observed the effects of readily available heroin in the rear areas, and an escalation of racial tensions.
- Date Created:
- 2012-04-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Pete Rowe, born in Abilene Texas in 1942, served in the U.S. Air Force from 1964-1986 as an intelligence officer. Pete began his service in the ROTC program. After being commissioned, Pete was sent to the Philippines where he served over an intelligence team that intercepted signals from South and Southwest China. In 1968, Pete was sent to Vietnam where he worked interrogating captured North Vietnamese's soldiers during the Vietnam War. After leaving the country in 1969, Pete began working in the Domestic Contact Position (DCP) where he interviewed individuals who commonly interacted with and traveled outside of the country in order to gain intelligence. In 1974, he began working as an assistant professor of aerospace engineering at California State University Fresno in the ROTC program.
- Date Created:
- 2012-09-20T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Don Alsbro was born on May 20, 1940 in Detroit, Michigan. In 1958 he attended Western Michigan University and enrolled in the Reserve Officer Training Corps, received his commission in January 1963 and graduated in June 1963. He received Infantry Basic Training at Fort Benning, Georgia and was stationed at Larson Barracks in Kitzingen, Germany from 1963 to 1966 working as the athletics and recreation officer of the 3rd Infantry Division. In February 1966 he received orders for Vietnam and in summer 1966 he deployed to Vietnam. He served as the Civil Affairs Officer in the 11th Aviation Group of the 1st Cavalry Division at An Khe promoting the welfare of the Vietnamese civilians in the area. He left Vietnam in June 1967 and received Adjutant General training at Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana and served at Fort Sheridan, Illinois for two years. In August 1970 he returned to Vietnam for a second tour where he served with the 4th Infantry Division at An Khe and the Americal Division at Chu Lai. He returned to the U.S. and served at Fort Bliss, Texas until his active duty ended in April 1972. He continued to serve in the Army Reserve in Kalamazoo, Michigan, Fort Sheridan, Illinois, Camp Ripley, Minnesota, and and Camp Grayling, Michigan. Don served for 30 years and attained the rank of colonel.
- Date Created:
- 2015-11-17T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Tim was born in Buffalo, New York in 1948, and was drafted in the United States Army in 1969. After becoming an infantryman, Tim was sent to Vietnam and was assigned to the 101st Airborne, 2/506th, A Company. He served with his company through the Ripcord campaign during the spring of 1970 and was one of the handful of men in his company to survive it unscathed. He spent most of his tour in the field, but served the final weeks as a jeep driver at Camp Evans.
- Date Created:
- 2012-11-11T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Allen Vande Vusse was born and raised in Holland, Michigan, and graduated from high school there in 1962. He married and got a job shortly afterward, and his marriage gave him a draft deferment, which he lost after getting divorced in 1968. Upon receiving his draft notice, he enlisted in the Marine Corps so as to stay out of the Army, joining in early 1969. He scored well on the aptitude tests and took specialized training in communications and took a four-year enlistment, which meant that he stayed in the US until January, 1971, when he was sent to Vietnam so serve as a radio operator for the 1st Marine Medical Battalion at Da Nang, where he communicated with helicopters bringing in wounded soldiers and the teams that met them upon landing. He served there for the better part of a year, but his tour was cut short by a serious intestinal problems which required hospitalization. He was sent to Great Lakes Naval hospital, and from there to Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. He extended his enlistment, and was able to move to California, where he trained as a drill instructor and eventually wound up as a recruiter in Buffalo, New York.
- Date Created:
- 2012-05-16T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Roger Faber was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on November 5, 1945 where he graduated high school in 1964. He studies architecture at Ferris State College and went to work in Wisconsin before he was drafted into the Army. Faber attended Basic Training at Fort Knox, Kentucky, and Advanced Infantry Training at Fort Polk, Louisiana. He was then deployed to An Khรช with Bravo Company, 1st Cavalry Division. His platoon guarded bridges and conducted Ambush duties in the Highlands. For the remainder of his tour in Vietnam, Faber served as an S1 Clerk for the Headquarters Battalion in An Khรช, Utah Beach, and LZ Jane. Afterwards, he was sent back to the U.S. to serve out the rest of his service at Fort Polk as a Headquarters Company clerk. When he finally left the service, Faber and his wife moved back to Grand Rapids where he resumed his architectual work.
- Date Created:
- 2016-05-29T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- John Tamburini was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey, in 1948. He graduated high school in 1966 and entered a two-year program at a technical institute before recieving his draft notice in 1969. Tamburini underwent Basic Training at Fort Dix, New Jersey, and then reported to Fort Sill, Oklahoma, for advanced training where he opted to join the Noncommissioned Officers program. He was deployed to Vietnam in 1970 where he served in the 2nd of the 319th Artillery Battalion, 101st Airborne and was stationed at firebases Jack, Gladiator, Ripcord, and Bastogne. His unit participated in the siege of Firebase Ripcord during which he recieved the Purple Heart for continuing to fight even after being hit during a gunfight. After only a year in Vietnam, Tamburini recieved an early-out and returned to the U.S. He then began part-time work at an engineering firm and later switched to carpentry, which he continued to work for the rest of his career.
- Date Created:
- 2018-11-02T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Bob Tarbuck was born in East Liverpool, Ohio, in 1949 and was working there when he was drafted into the Army in 1969. He trained at Fort Campbell, Kentucky and at Fort Dix, New Jersey, before being sent to Vietnam, where he was assigned to C Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment in the 101st Airborne Division, which was operating in the A Shau valley. Toward the end of the year, they moved to Camp Evans and operated in that area until April, when they went into the hills north of the A Shau Valley and set up Fire Support Base Ripcord. He patrolled the Ripcord area for the next two months, and survived the enemy attack on their position on Hill 902 in early July. Not long afterward, he was sent to the rear with bronchitis, and then rotated back home. He served the remainder of his enlistment in Germany and left the service in 1971.
- Date Created:
- 2012-10-05T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- After completing his tour in Vietnam with the Air Cavalry, Alan Toms returned to the United States, where he completed drill sergeant training before going to Fort Campbell, Kentucky. From Fort Campbell, Toms deployed for a second time to Germany, where he met a girl from Hamburg who he eventually married. Toms returned to the United States in 1970 with his wife and her son and went to Fort Knox, Kentucky to give more basic training. Eventually, the Army sent Toms back to Western Michigan University, where he finished his degree before deploying for a third time to Germany, to join the Berlin Brigade. Finally, when Toms returned to the United States, he went to the Virginia Military Institute's ROTC program before finally retiring from the military.
- Date Created:
- 2011-03-10T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Richard Tibbe enlisted in the Army in 1966. He trained as a combat engineer, and served in Vietnam 1967-68. He was given clerical jobs with engineer units based in Long Binh and Bien Hoa, outside of Saigon, and did not spend time in the field. The one time when he experienced and attack was at the start of the Tet Offensive, when he was at Bien Hoa.
- Date Created:
- 2010-03-16T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Alan Toms was born in Toronto, Canada in 1939. Because of his father's occupation, Toms' and his family moved several times while Toms was a child, eventually ending up in Grand Rapids, Michigan. After graduating from high school, Toms attended junior college in Grand Rapids before enrolling at Western Michigan University, although he eventually left the university. After leaving Western Michigan, Toms joined the Army and went through his basic training and armored AIT at Fort Knox, Kentucky. From Fort Knox, Toms deployed to Germany for a three-year tour as part of an armored unit. After his tour in Germany, Toms went to the artillery OCS at Fort Sill, Oklahoma but did not do well and eventually transferred to the 2nd Infantry Division at Fort Benning, Georgia. While at Fort Benning, Toms went through Airborne training before transferring to the 1st Cavalry Division and was with the division when it deployed to Vietnam. While in Vietnam, Toms served as a door gunner aboard a helicopter.
- Date Created:
- 2011-03-10T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Richard Johnson was born in Lincoln, Kansas, in January 1932. He first served in the Army as a draftee and was inducted in October 1953. He served for two years before getting an early discharge to go to seminary. Upon completion of seminary he joined the National Guard and served as a chaplain for three years before deciding to go on active duty. He was assigned to Fort Riley, Kansas, in October 1965 and originally worked with the 1st Infantry Division then was transferred to the 2nd Brigade of the 9th Infantry Division. In January 1967 he was deployed to Vietnam and served with the 9th Infantry Division. He mostly tended to troops in the Mekong River Delta, conducting services in the field and at Bearcat Base. He left Vietnam on January 2, 1968, and was stationed at Fort Ord, California. He was also stationed at the New Cumberland Defense Depot, Pennsylvania, and served as the post chaplain.
- Date Created:
- 2016-10-26T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Steven Hillock initially joined the US Navy in 1963 to get out of farming. After his duty was up with the Navy, he joined the Army to fight in Vietnam. Initially trained as an airborne trooper, he joined the Tracers Recon unit. They fought in minor skirmishes, and took part in some battles. While he initially left the military very angry, he does not regret his time in the military.
- Date Created:
- 2008-05-06T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Bob Arntz was born in 1944 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. After graduating from high school Bob worked in a factory for a while before enlisting in the Army in 1968. Bob went through basic training in February of 1968 at Fort Knox, Kentucky. After training at Fort Knox and in Maryland, Bob was sent to Vietnam in October of 1968. Bob drove semi trucks and helped transport supplies in Vietnam.
- Date Created:
- 2004-06-26T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Paul Lecours was born in Lebanon, New Hampshire in 1946 and decided to join the U.S. Air Force in 1966 because of concerns that he wouldn't be able to keep his deferment from the draft. Following basic training, Lecours briefly served at a Strategic Air Command base in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan before deploying to Vietnam. During his tour in Vietnam, the Air Force stationed Lecours at Cam Ranh Bay in the military pay section. While with that section, Lecours worked on one occasion with the Office of Special Investigation doing an investigation of a corrupt doctor at the base hospital. Following his main tour, Lecours signed for a six month extension to finish said investigation then transferred to Washington D.C., where he finished the remainder of his time in the service.
- Date Created:
- 2010-09-02T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Tom Meyer was born in Oak Park, Illinois in 1945 and grew up in Cicero, Illinois. After high school he attended college briefly before enlisting in the Marines in 1964. He went through basic training in San Diego, California and advanced infantry training in Camp Pendleton, California. He would go on to specialize in radio repair and operations. After a brief stint at Camp Lejeune he received orders to go to Vietnam whereupon he returned to Camp Pendleton for pre-deployment training. He was sent to Vietnam in February 1966 and was assigned to the 4th Marines Regiment Headquarters stationed at Phu Bai where he spent his deployment both in, and out of, the field.
- Date Created:
- 2013-10-17T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Glenn Sheathelm was born in Muskegon, Michigan, in 1946. Enlisting in the Army in 1965, he joins the Army Artillery and undergoes Basic Training at Fort Knox, Kentucky, and AIT at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, before being deployed to Nuremberg, Germany. He is then redeployed to Vietnam where he served with the Fire Direction Control and S2 Military Intelligence sections of the First Cavalry Division until after the Tet Offensive in January of 1968. He sees combat while on patrol, during rescue missions, during Air Assaults, and during the Second Battle of Tampon when he receives several minor wounds and is sent to the rear for treatment in the final days of his deployment. He then returns to the United States in February of 1968 where he attends the Western Michigan and Grand Valley State Universities for masters' degrees in library sciences, literary media, and history.
- Date Created:
- 2018-08-08T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Carol Gilbert is the wife of U.S. Army/Vietnam War veteran Freddie Gilbert. She was born in 1950 in Nuremberg, Germany to a military family and would move back to the U.S. in her childhood. She met Freddie when they were in high school and were married after they graduated. Through his deployment to Vietnam and his military career afterwards she remained supportive and stood by him through the emotional conflicts that persisted due to the war.
- Date Created:
- 2013-10-09T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Robert Vandermolen enlisted into the Marine Corps in 1974 when he was 18 years old. He spent several weeks training before he was sent to Yokohama, Japan. From Japan, he traveled to Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Korea. In Vietnam and Cambodia, he assisted with the evacuations of civilians when their governments fell.
- Date Created:
- 2010-05-08T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Bruce Brady was born in 1949 in Welch, West Virginia. His family was forced to relocate to North Carolina where he eventually graduated from high school in 1967. He was drafted on October 6, 1969 and was sent to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and to Fort McClellan, Alabama for training as an infantryman. Sent to Vietnam after training, he was assigned to A Company, 2/506 Infantry, 101st Airborne Division. On joining his unit, he became a radio operator for his squad, and later for his platoon. His unit participated in the campaign around Firebase Ripcord for several months. He was wounded in an ambush in July, 1970, and sent to Japan for treatment, and served out the last part of his enlistment at Fort Carson, Colorado.
- Date Created:
- 2012-10-06T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Craig Brodie was born in Plattsburgh, New York in 1941 and grew up Newtown, Connecticut. He attended the University of Vermont and Army ROTC there and received his commission in 1963 He served in Germany with the 4th Medium Tank Battalion of the 68th Armored Regiment as well as the 3rd Squadron of the 8th Cavalry participating in training maneuvers and border patrol of the East/West German border. He then served at the Aberdeen Proving Grounds and deployed to Vietnam in 1968. He commanded the 590th Maintenance Company at Bearcat, a base outside of Saigon. After Vietnam he served in different positions in the US and Korea, and retired at the rank of colonel.
- Date Created:
- 2014-03-06T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Tom Pack was born on December 12, 1949 in Kansas City, Kansas. He was drafted in June, 1969 and completed his training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. When he arrived in Vietnam, Tom was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 319th Field Artillery Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division. His battery (battery B) was positioned on Firebase O'Reilly, Firebase Jack, and was one of the first batteries on Firebase Ripcord in April, 1970. In July, 1970, Tom was transferred out of the 101st due to major hearing loss and he spent the remainder of his tour driving trucks and guarding the headquarters of the 1st Cavalry Division.
- Date Created:
- 2015-10-08T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Fred Garcia was born in 1948 and served in the Army during the Vietnam War. Fred was drafted into the Army in 1968, and was trained as an infantryman. He spent his time on active duty as a desk clerk, training troops, and in the Demilitarized Zones in both Korea and Vietnam. After his time in the service, he worked as a teacher.
- Date Created:
- 2008-06-16T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Ben Harrison was born in Truman, Arkansas in 1926. After first attending Arkansas State College then the University of Mississippi, Harrison enlisted in the Army because he needed the money from the G.I. Bill to help finish his school. After finishing his first enlistment, Harrison returned to school, where he enrolled in the ROTC before eventually graduating. Once he graduated from college, Harrison re-enlisted into the Army as an officer and held a variety of positions, including as an aide-de-camp to a general in a variety of locations, including Iceland and Germany. Eventually, Harrison deployed to Vietnam to take command of the 10th Aviation Battalion. Once his first tour in Vietnam ended, Harrison went to Washington D.C. and worked in the office of the Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara. Eventually, Harrison returned to Vietnam as commander of the 3rd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division. While Harrison was commander, part of the 3rd Brigade fought in one of the last major battles involving American forces in Vietnam, the battle for Firebase Ripcord. After his tour as the brigade commander ended, Harrison served as deputy commandant and commandant for several military colleges and bases throughout the U.S. before retiring.
- Date Created:
- 2011-10-07T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Born in Sturgis, Michigan in 1942, Gabe Hudson joined the U.S. Army in 1967 following several years of college. After completing training as a photo interpreter, Hudson deployed to Vietnam served with 101st Airborne Division for fifteen months. After returning to the United States, Hudson continued in the military, training with the OV-1 reconnaissance aircraft. Once he completed that training, Hudson redeployed to Vietnam for another fifteen months and was on the last flight of American troops out of Da Nang. Following Vietnam, Hudson served at a variety of different posts, including in Korea and several throughout the United States before finally retiring after twenty-seven years of service.
- Date Created:
- 2010-02-09T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Jack Austhof, born on September 15, 1948, enlisted in the US Army in 1967 during the Vietnam War with a friend under the Army's buddy system. He spent a year and a half in Germany as a repair parts specialist in a supply company. He did not see combat, but saw rioting in Germany.
- Date Created:
- 2004-12-08T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Patrick Lee Duncan served in Vietnam in Duc Pho, working with aircraft armament. He was drafted because he had waited a year to attend college. After being discharged he went to college and became a respiratory therapist.
- Date Created:
- 2009-11-03T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Larry Groothuis was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. He was drafted into the Army late in 1966. During basic training at Fort Knox, Kentucky, he was selected to go to Fort Gordon, Georgia, for training as a teletype operator, and from there was sent to Fort Huachuca, Arizona, where he served until late in 1967, when his communications company received orders for Vietnam. The unit went by ship, arriving in Vietnam in January, just before the Tet Offensive. His unit initially coordinated communications between the 1st Cavalry Division and other units while based at An Khe, but soon moved north to Phu Bai, and Groothuis was promoted and put in charge of the communications net for all of I Corps. He remained at Phu Bai for the rest of his tour, but made regular trips to other bases by helicopter with his company commander, and also periodically traveled with road convoys simply to get off the base. The base itself was relatively secure, but subject to regular mortar and rocket attacks, one of which killed one of his friends, and periodic sapper attacks.
- Date Created:
- 2011-06-17T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Steve Manthei was born Janesville, Wisconsin, in 1949 and was drafted into the Army in 1969. After training at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and Fort Polk, Louisiana, he was sent to Vietnam. He was assigned to the 101st Airborne Division, and served most of his tour as a machine gunner in C Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment. His unit operated in the area around Camp Evans, in the A Shau Valley, and finally on and around Firebase Ripcord in the spring and summer of 1970. On July 2, he was wounded when his company's position was overrun, but he returned to field a few weeks later at the end of the Ripcord campaign, after which there was much less activity. After his tour in Vietnam, he served out the last part of his enlistment at Fort Carson, Colorado.
- Date Created:
- 2012-10-04T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Harold was born in Ava, Missouri on June 26, 1949. He worked for General Motors in Kansas City before being drafted into the United States Army in 1969. After basic training, Harold was made a crewman on armored vehicles such as M114 APC's and M48 and M60 tanks. He was sent to Vietnam and assigned to the 1st Battalion, 4th Cavalry, 1st Infantry Division. Harold served as a tank driver before volunteering to go to sniper school. He graduated fifth in his class and was later reassigned with the 101st Airborne. Harold spent thirty days on Firebase Ripcord.
- Date Created:
- 2013-10-11T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Duane Ritsema was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan and enlisted in the Marine Corps on March 3, 1964 because he had wanted to avoid being drafted into the Army. Duane went through basic training for 3 months and then spent 1 month in advanced infantry training. He was then shipped to Vietnam and worked near China Beach for about 8 months. Duane was later discharged and sent back to Michigan where he found that the country did not appear to be fighting a war at all.
- Date Created:
- 2008-03-12T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Howard Van Solkema was born in Byron Center, Michigan, in 1950. He was drafted shortly after graduating from high school and served in the Marine Corps between 1969 and 1971. He trained as a machine gunner and joined the First Marine Division at Da Nang in 1969. When his original regiment was sent home, he was transferred to a different unit in the northern part of the country, and finally to a base camp toward the end of his tour. He saw a good deal of small unit action, but no large battles, and worked with Australian and Korean troops.
- Date Created:
- 2008-10-21T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Ron Oakes was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan in March 1949. After briefly attending junior college, he enlisted in June 1967 and received training at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot and Camp Pendleton, California. He then received instruction in the Vietnamese language before being sent to Vietnam. Once he arrived, he was trained as a radio operator and assigned to a squad in the 27th Marine Regiment in the Da Nang area, soon becoming his platoon's radio operator, and saw extensive combat experience. When the 27th was rotated home, he was reassigned to 4th Marines at Quang Tri, and operated between Quang Tri and Hue before being sent inland toward Khe Sanh. While in this area, he contracted dysentery and was sent to a hospital ship where he spent a month aboard a hospital ship before being returned to his unit. When his tour was over, re was sent home and discharged in 1969.
- Date Created:
- 2010-06-15T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Charles Tipton was born in Baskin, Florida in 1947. He received a draft notice in 1965, but received a deferment until 1969. After training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, he deployed to Vietnam in October 1969. He was assigned to Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne Division. He was sent to Camp Evans and then to Firebase Bastogne where he met up with his unit upon which they traveled to Firebase Birmingham. In December 1969 he and his unit moved to Firebase O'Reilly where he saw action in the field and from there went to Firebase Ripcord where he helped establish the base there. After Ripcord he was assigned to a mortar unit then he re-enlisted to be an aviation mechanic. He trained at Fort Rucker, Alabama and returned to Vietnam to serve with the 361st Aeroweapons Company at Camp Holloway outside of Pleiku. After Vietnam he served at Fort Bragg, Fort Campbell, and in South Korea until he retired on October 31, 1990.
- Date Created:
- 2013-10-11T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Garry Underwood was born in Jackson, Michigan in March 1946. He started college after high school, but did not do well enough to keep his deferment, and was drafted in 1967. He trained as a mortarman, but when he arrived in Vietnam in the fall of 1967, he was assigned as a rifleman to the 4th Infantry Division at Pleiku. He participated in numerous patrols and larger operations in late 1967 and early 1968, including a number of fights around Dak To. His platoon took heavy losses, especially immediately before and during the Tet Offensive of 1968 and during the "mini-Tet" in May. Toward the end of his deployment, he was put in charge of perimeter guards at his brigade's base camp.
- Date Created:
- 2013-01-22T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Kenneth Pitetti, was born in1946 in San Francisco, California, where he was raised. He enlisted in the ROTC program at the University of San Francisco. He signed up for infantry in the Army. He received Infantry Officer Basic Training at Fort Benning. In the fall of 1969, he was assigned to the 24th Division at Fort Riley, Kansas, which, within his last two weeks of the assignment, became the 1st Division. He then participated in jungle training in Panama before being sent to Vietnam in August of 1970. He was assigned to C Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne Division. He spent most of his time in the field leading platoon-size patrols in the mountains and jungles in the northern part of South Vietnam. Four months into his service in Vietnam, Ken Pitetti stepped on a land mine and lost his leg just under his knee in a traumatic amputation. He was medically evacuated to a field hospital, where they performed surgery. He was sent back to the United States to recover. After his return to the United States, he faced the negative treatment and negative stigmatization that many veterans of Vietnam felt. Still, he worked to get his PhD and now is a professor at Wichita State.
- Date Created:
- 2017-07-21T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Howard Plattner was born in Sabetha Kansas in 1950 and served in the U.S. army during the Vietnam conflict. He was drafted into the Army in 1969 and sent to Fort Sam Houston to train as a medic. He was sent to Vietnam in 1970 and returned to the U.S. in 1971. During this time he served as an operating room technician in an Evacuation Hospital at Chu Lai.
- Date Created:
- 2007-06-06T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Mike Renner was born in Sigourney, Iowa. He enlisted in the Army in 1969 to stay ahead of the draft. After training at Fort Polk, Louisiana, he was sent for artillery training at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. Sent to Vietnam in early 1970, he was assigned to Battery A, 2nd Battalion, 11th Field Artillery, a 155mm howitzer unit in the 101st Airborne Division. He served on several different fire bases in the northern part of South Vietnam, including Ripcord, where he served during the siege that took place in July, 1970. His own gun was destroyed by enemy mortar fire during the siege, but he helped out as best he could until the base was abandoned. He remained with his battery for the rest of his tour, and returned home in 1971.
- Date Created:
- 2012-10-05T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- James VandenBosch, born in Ada, Michigan, enlisted in the Navy in 1966 and trained as a medical corpsman. After a cruise aboard the aircraft carrier USS Shangri La in the Mediterranean, he trained for combat duty with the Marines at Camp Lejeune and was sent to Vietnam in 1968. After a short stint with a Civil Action Patrol working in the villages near Da Nang, he became the senior corpsman for a rifle company of the 26th Marines, and participated with them in a series of combat operations. He spent the last part of his tour at a hospital in Da Nang. After his discharge, he eventually decided to go to nursing school and re-enlist in the Navy, this time as a nurse and officer. He did so, and retired from the Navy in 1989.
- Date Created:
- 2007-06-28T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Vogel served in the U. S. Navy both stateside and during two tours overseas during the Vietnam War. He joined the Navy immediately after high school to avoid being drafted. Vogel recalls his experiences during basic training, his time spent in Vietnam, and the technology used during the war.
- Date Created:
- 2007-06-03T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)