Full Oral History Collection
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Army
Former Army Captain Richard B. Adams discusses his adventures with the 101st Airborne Division during and after the Tet Offensive as a young field artillery lieutenant in Vietnam, 1967-1968. |
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Army
Medal of Honor recipient CSM Bennie Adkins tells of his extraordinary adventures as a Special Forces sergeant during three non-consecutive tours in Vietnam, beginning in 1963, returning in 1965-1966, and ending with MACV-SOG, 1970-1971. |
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Army
A participant in the Berry Plan, or "the Doctor's Draft," the Army commissioned Robert Agostinelli as a fully trained internist and he deployed to Vietnam as a captain with the 85th Evac Hospital in Phu Bai, in 1970. During his one-year tour in Vietnam, he treated well over 1,000 servicemen. |
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Army
Doris “Lucki” Allen served in the Army for 30 years, including three tours in Vietnam. She is the only black American military woman in the Intelligence Hall of Fame at Fort Huachuca, Arizona. |
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Air Force
Georgia Superior Court Judge John Allen recounts his experiences as an F-4 fighter pilot in Southeast Asia during two tours at the Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base in Thailand. |
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Army
Bud Alley was among the first combat troops shipped to Vietnam in 1965. Assigned to 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, his unit was caught off guard following the first major air assault battle undertaken by the U.S. Army. He adds a lieutenant's color to the fog of war at the Battle of LZ Albany.
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Marines
Lieutenant Colonel Althoff was a Marine aviator from 1952 to 1972. In his career he flew 26 different kinds of airplanes and helicopters. He describes his two tours in Vietnam, the Siege of Khe Sanh, the Tet Offensive, and the details behind each of three Silver Star Medals he earned. |
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Navy
Everett Alvarez participated in the Gulf of Tonkin incident and the North Vietnamese shot him down days later. He endured more than eight years of brutal captivity in North Vietnam. Hear him recount early perceptions of the war in 1963-64, his time as a POW, and his views on honor and freedom.
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Air Force
Retired Air Force Colonel Dick Anderegg goes into great detail about flying the F-4 Phantom in combat over Laos and North Vietnam, 1968-1969. His descriptions of the missions he flew, the tactics he employed, and the bonds he forged with squadron mates are candid and detailed. |
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Coast Guard
After ten months aboard his first ship, the Coast Guard Cutter Bibb, John Anderson volunteered for duty in Vietnam. Assigned to the 82-foot patrol boat USCGC Point Welcome, he describes his living conditions, duties, patrols, friendships, and his leaders. |
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Army
Retired Army Warrant Officer Frank Anton was a POW in Vietnam for five years. In this interview he describes the routine of his first ten months as a Huey slick and gunship pilot, his ordeal as a prisoner, and his homecoming.
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Marines
Retired Major Jose Anzaldua describes his experiences as an intelligence scout for the U.S. Marine Corps, as well as the challenges he faced as a prisoner of war from 1969 to 1973 at camps on the Vietnam-Laotian border and in Hanoi (Hanoi Hilton).
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Marines
Retired Marine Gunnery Sergeant Charles Apple recounts his experiences first with Company B, 1st Battalion, 5th Marines at Chu Lai, and then later with a CAP unit at Tam Ky in I Corps, 1967-1968. |
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Navy
Richard Armitage served three tours as an adviser to South Vietnamese Navy forces. He later joined the State Department and returned to Vietnam in 1975. He describes naval ambushes, his living conditions, and organizing the evacuation of more than 30,000 South Vietnamese refugees in April 1975. |
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Army
Robert Babcock shares his marvelous insights and describes his adventures as a young first lieutenant with B Company, 1st Battalion, 22d Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division at Tuy Hoa in II Corps, Vietnam, 1966-1967. |
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Air Force
Retired Air Force Chief Master Sergeant Bob Baldwin details his experiences as a flight engineer with the 37th ARRS stationed in Da Nang in 1967-1968, including the missions for which he earned the Distinguished Flying Cross with three Oak Leaf Clusters. |
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Army
Monroe Balton describes his adventures as the only African-American flying officer in A Battery of the storied 2nd Battalion, 20th Artillery, Aerial Rocket Artillery, 1st Cavalry Division in Vietnam, 1966-1967. |
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Army
Retired Major General Eldon Bargewell describes his two tours as a Special Forces operator with MACV-SOG in Vietnam, 1968-1969 and 1971-1972, including the actions which earned him the Distinguished Service Cross. |
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Army
Having been a nurse in Vietnam, 1971-1972, retired Lieutenant Colonel Barrett speaks candidly about Army nurse training, working in a combat hospital as a woman living amongst thousands of male Soldiers, and the social mores and ethical intricacies of that time and place. |
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Marines
Randy Beal tells his astonishing story of serving three tours in Vietnam between 1967 and 1971, two with the Marines and one with the Army, earning three Purple Hearts, and returning to a world that wasn’t sure how to handle him. |
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Army
Highly decorated, retired U.S. Army Lieutenant General Julius Becton provides fascinating insight into the United States Army both pre- and post-integration, and describes his remarkable military career, including his time as a cavalry squadron commander in Vietnam. |
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Army
Pittsburgh Steelers legend Rocky Bleier recounts the story of his time with the 196th Infantry Brigade, Americal Division at Hiep Duc Valley in Vietnam, 1969, and the actions for which he was awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star with “V.” |
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Army
Dr. Casey Blitt talks about being drafted to serve at the 85th Evacuation Hospital in Phu Bai, Vietnam from 1970 to 1971. As the chief of anesthesia and operative services, Dr. Blitt describes the types of injuries treated in the hospital and the types of drugs administered to patients. |
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Army
Retired Army Lieutenant Colonel Bill Bock describes his experiences as an artillery officer and forward observer with the 3rd Battalion, 6th Artillery in the Central Highlands of Vietnam, 1967-1968. |
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Air Force
Timothy Boddie flew 201 combat missions in the F-4 Phantom II as an Air Force major, including 57 missions over North Vietnam. Commissioned via USAF ROTC, he had lots of flying experience before Vietnam. He describes several missions, being a fair scheduler, and his feelings on patriotism and duty. |
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Army
Then-Captain David Borgeson tells tales of his time as a Huey pilot and aircraft commander with the 1st Platoon, A Battery, 2nd Battalion, 20th Artillery, Aerial Rocket Artillery, 1st Cavalry Division in Vietnam, 1966-67, the storied ARA. |
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Navy
James Bouchard describes his Vietnam tour as a Navy corpsman with 2d Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division, getting wounded and medevacked to Japan, and returning to the 1st Medical Battalion in Da Nang for the rest of his tour, 1969-1970. |
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Army
Retired Army Lieutenant Colonel Joyce Bowles served as an orthopedic ward nurse in Vietnam, first on temporary duty with the 85th Evacuation Hospital at Qui Nhon and then with the 24th Evacuation Hospital at Long Binh, 1966-1967. |
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Army
Medal of Honor recipient Paul Bucha describes his adventures creating and commanding D Company, 3d Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, and the legendary battle at Phuoc Vinh, III Corps during his tour in Vietnam, 1967-1968. |
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Navy
Roger “Doc” Busch served as a Navy corpsman attached to Lima 3/3 Marines in northern I Corps, Vietnam, 1967-1968. He was good friends with Bart Haynes (KIA, 1967), drummer for the Castiles, Bruce Springsteen’s first band. |
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Navy
Navy A-6 Intruder pilot Dave Cable describes his adventures in the skies over North Vietnam; his successes, his losses, and his disappointment with certain rules of engagement. |
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Army
Granville Clayton “Jack” Canard, Jr. describes his adventures as an engineer company commander, then a brigade engineer, and finally division engineer working with division staff during his 18-month extended tour in Vietnam, 1969-1970. |
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Army
Retired Army Major Robert Caron tells the astonishing story of his service in Southeast Asia from 1965 to 1975, first as an Army pilot for three years, and then as an Air America pilot right up until the fall of Saigon. |
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Air Force
Retired Air Force major and Super Jolly Green Giant helicopter pilot Russ Cayler describes his time flying rescue missions primarily in Laos and North Vietnam with the 37th ARRS out of Udorn RTAFB in Thailand, 1967-1968. |
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Navy
John Chang describes his experiences as a Navy corpsman assigned to Charlie Company (aka, Suicide Charlie), 1/5 Marines, 1967-1968, including during one of the bloodiest battles in Vietnam (Operation UNION I) and the Battle of Hue City. |
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Army
Retired Army Colonel Steve Christian served as a transportation officer in the U.S. Army for 27 years, including two tours in Vietnam, first with the District Traffic Office in Qui Nhon in 1967 and then again with the Da Nang Support Command in 1970-1971. |
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Air Force
Retired Air Force Colonel John Clark offers insight into the history and capabilities of electronic warfare and surveillance & reconnaissance aircraft, which he learned flying EB-66, B52, and RC-135 missions in Southeast Asia, 1971-1974, including during the Bat-21 search and rescue missions. |
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Army
Michael Clark describes his difficult year as a combat medic (and motor pool mechanic) with the 101st Airborne Division, and then as an operating room technician at the 85th Evacuation Hospital in Phu Bai, 1969-1970. |
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Army
Retired Lieutenant Colonel Blair Craig describes his year-and-a-half with D Troop, 2/17 Cav, a special unit of the 101st Airborne Division that was used for a variety of hair-raising operations in northern I Corps in 1969 and 1970. |
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Air Force
Joan Craigwell discusses her service as an Air Force staff and flight nurse at the 12th USAF Evacuation Hospital in Cam Ranh Bay during her tour in Vietnam, 1967-1968, including her experience of the Tet Offensive. |
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Army
Retired Army Colonel Bruce Crandall describes his two tours in Vietnam as a pilot, including his actions for which he received the Medal of Honor at the Battle for LZ X-Ray in the Ia Drang Valley with the 1st Cavalry Division in November 1965.
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Air Force
Retired Air Force Major Joe Crecca describes flying backseat in F-4 Phantom supersonic fighter/bombers for 87 missions before being shot down and held as a prisoner of war for more than six years at the Hoa Lo Prison (Hanoi Hilton).
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Coast Guard
Retired Coast Guard Captain Jay Creech describes his two tours in Vietnam, the first on a cutter in 1969, and the second as an adviser and the last Coastie to depart Vietnam in 1973. |
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Marines
Retired Marine Colonel Allan Cruz discusses his 21 months in Vietnam, 1967-1970, first as a sergeant with Battery M, 4th Battalion, 12th Marine Regiment at Camp Carroll, then as operations chief with Battery K, 4th Battalion, 13th Marine Regiment in Cam Lo. |
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Air Force
Retired Air Force Colonel Fred Czerner shares his experiences flying more than 430 combat sorties over North Vietnam, Laos, and South Vietnam during his three tours in Southeast Asia, twice stationed in Thailand, and one tour flying "Stormy" Fast FAC missions out of Da Nang. |
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Marines
This interview highlights the experiences of a woman Marine in the early 1970s. She describes boot camp for WMs as a recruit and as a drill instructor. She was an air traffic controller at MCAS Cherry Point, and after the Marines, she rose up the ranks to deputy chief of police in Fairfax, Virginia. |
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Army
Retired First Sergeant James Diamond recalls his remarkable adventures in Vietnam, first as an adviser with the MAAG, 1963-1964, and then for a second tour with A Company, 4th Battalion, 12th Infantry, 199th Light Infantry Brigade at Camp Frenzell Jones, 1966-1967. |
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Army
Donald Dodson shares his nontraditional experiences, what he calls "the life of a REMF," as an oboist, clarinetist, and NCO with the Fourth Infantry Division Band at Camp Enari in the Central Highlands of Vietnam, 1969-1970. |
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Navy
Retired Navy Captain John Donahue recounts his experiences and adventures as a main propulsion assistant aboard USS Zelima (AF-49), 1963-1965, and aboard USS Hoel (DDG-13), 1966-1968, both of which served in the Gulf of Tonkin, but with very different missions. |
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Air Force
Jolly Green Giant pilot Marty Donohue discusses his experiences flying search and rescue missions behind enemy lines in North Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia, 1967-1968, and his return to lead the daring Son Tay Raid in 1970. |
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Marines
Retired Marine Corps Sergeant "Doc" Dougherty gives a lively account of the actions for which he received four Purple Heart medals and a Silver Star medal during his two tours in Vietnam, first with the 26th Marine Regiment in 1966, and then with the 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment in 1967-1968. |
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Coast Guard
Robert Douville describes his duties as a junior enlisted petty officer clerk and journalist, initially on the Squadron 1 staff living on a converted LST at Phu Quoc Island, and then living in a hotel while working for the Navy Advisory Group in Saigon during his Vietnam tour in 1966-1967. |
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Marines
David Draper shares his experiences in Vietnam, 1969-1970, first as a Marine grunt for six months, then with 3rd Force Recon, and finally with 1st Force Recon after extending for six months. |
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Navy
Stephen Dulin describes his exciting, interesting, and dangerous adventures as a Navy hospital corpsman assigned to a Marine reconnaissance platoon working out of Da Nang in Vietnam, 1968-1969. |
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Army
Retired Colonel Bob Edwards tells the story of the Battle of the Ia Drang, made famous by the book We Were Soldier’s Once … and Young, from his perspective as the commander of Charlie Company, 1/7 Cav at LZ X-Ray, November 14-15, 1965. |
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Marines
Karl Ege relates his experiences as a Marine Corps infantry officer and artillery forward observer with the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines out of Chu Lai in Vietnam, 1966-1967. |
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Army
Drake Erbe, commissioned through OCS at Fort Benning and promoted in the field, recounts his experiences as a platoon leader in the 196th Light Infantry Brigade, Americal Division in Vietnam, 1969-1970. |
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Army
John Esposito, a self-described Shake ‘n Bake sergeant with the famed 2/17 Cav, shares his combat experiences as a squad leader primarily in the A Shau Valley during his busy and extremely intense tour in Vietnam, 1969-1970. |
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Marines
After six months as an infantryman, Fairfax trained first as a draftsman and then as a combat artist. Deployed to Vietnam in 1968, he embedded with combat patrols, medevac teams, and others to literally sketch, draw, and paint American combat experiences in real time. |
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Army
Retired Army Lieutenant Colonel Tim Felker describes his fascinating adventures in Vietnam, first as a senior adviser to an ARVN division in Phan Thiet, 1967-1968, and then as the MACV J2 senior analyst for IV Corps at Tan Son Nhut Air Base, 1971-1972. |
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Navy
Senior Chief Bill Ferguson (1941-2018) served with two of the U.S. Navy’s river divisions in South Vietnam, 1969-1970. He describes his time in Vietnam as a first class petty officer and his duties as a PBR (patrol boat, river) boat officer. |
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Air Force
Former Air Force Pararescueman Wayne Fisk tells the astonishing story of his five tours in Southeast Asia between 1967 and 1975, including his involvement in both the Son Tay Raid and the Mayaguez incident. |
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Marines
John Flournoy describes his adventures as an A-4E Skyhawk fighter pilot — "it was like driving a small sports car" — with Marine Air Group 12 based at Chu Lai in Vietnam, 1966-1967. |
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Army
Retired Army Lieutenant Colonel George Forrest describes his service in Vietnam, first as commander of Company A, 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile), 1965-1966, and then with the 2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment (Mechanized), 1st Infantry Division, 1967-1968. |
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Navy
William Forsyth describes his adventures as an electrician’s mate aboard USS Ogden (LPD-5) during eight Westpac tours, stationed off Da Nang, Vietnam, 1967-1969. |
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Army
Retired Army General John Foss shares leadership lessons he learned as an intel and operations officer with the 4th Division during Tet on his first tour in Vietnam, and then as a battalion commander in II Corps in 1969-1970 on his second tour. |
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Civilian
Veteran war correspondent Joe Galloway shares his insights into war, combat, politics, journalism, and reporting the truth as America’s eyes and ears through his experiences covering the Vietnam War during his four years in-country between 1965 and 1972. |
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Navy
Retired Navy CWO2 Jerry Gandy describes life and operations on patrol boats along the Cambodia-Vietnam border in the Mekong Delta, 1969-1970. Gandy participated in 178 patrols, mostly at night, earning two Bronze Star medals and two Purple Heart medals. |
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Marines
Ron Gatewood served two tours in Vietnam, first as a CH-46 helicopter pilot with Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 262 (HMM-262) in I Corps, 1967-1968, then as an A-4E Skyhawk pilot with Marine Attack Squadron 211 (VMA-211) in IV Corps, 1971-1972. |
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Army
Retired Brigadier General Lawrence Gillespie describes his two tours in Vietnam, first as a helicopter gunship pilot with the 501st Aviation Battalion in Bien Hoa, 1965-1966, and then as a pilot and liaison officer with the 199th Light Infantry Brigade at Long Binh, 1967-1968. |
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Navy
Gary Grahn enlisted in the Navy in 1967. After a 22-year career, he retired as a Chief Warrant Officer 2 in 1989. He describes his adventures aboard an Alpha boat during Operation GIANT SLINGSHOT in the Mekong Delta in Vietnam. |
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Marines
Retired Marine Corps Lieutenant General Chip Gregson describes his experiences as a young lieutenant leading a reconnaissance platoon around the jungle in Vietnam, 1969-1970. |
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Army
Robert Grossman shares his thoughts and adventures as a self-described grunt with Delta Troop, 2/17 Cav, a reaction force that was available for a wide variety of special missions across I Corps in Vietnam, 1970-1971. |
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Army
The Honorable Kevin Hanretta describes the 19 months he spent in Vietnam as an adviser, 1970-1972, first with a mobile assistance team, then with the South Vietnamese 32d Ranger Battalion. He credits his time in Vietnam as having a positive impact on his life, both personally and professionally. |
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Army
Wilfred Hanson recounts his experiences and adventures both as a reconnaissance platoon leader and a civil affairs staff officer with D Troop, 2d Battalion, 17th Cavalry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division (Airmobile) in Vietnam, 1969-1970. |
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Army
David Harker describes his experiences as an enlisted Army infantryman who was captured in 1968, held as a POW in a jungle camp in South Vietnam for four years, and was then marched for two months to the Hanoi Hilton where he was held until his release in 1973. |
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Army
A recipient of the U.S. Army’s Distinguished Service Cross, three Silver Star medals, and three Purple Heart medals, Colonel Bob Helvey says with conviction of his two tours in Vietnam, “I didn’t have any bad days. I really didn’t.” |
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Army
Jay Hendrix recalls some of his adventures serving with the 281st Assault Helicopter Company at Nha Trang in Vietnam, 1967-1968, first as a clerk typist for four months, and then as a Huey door gunner for the rest of his tour. |
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Army
Retired colonel and Silver Star recipient John Herren relates his remarkable experiences in Vietnam, first as a company commander with the 1st Cav in 1965-1966, including the battle at LZ X-ray in the Ia Drang Valley, and then at MACV Headquarters in Saigon, 1969-1970. |
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Navy
Raul Herrera speaks candidly about life as a Navy Swift Boat crewman during the Vietnam War in 1967-68, including an insightful description of Operation MARKET TIME, and the part his crew played in interdicting a North Vietnamese trawler hauling weapons and materiel to the Viet Cong. |
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Army
Maryanna Hiester recounts her adventures and the insights she gained as a young Army nurse and captain in Vietnam stationed at the 85th Evacuation Hospital in Phu Bai, 1970-1971. |
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Army
Retired Army General James Hill describes his adventures as a rifle platoon leader, recon platoon leader, and company commander with the 2d Battalion, 502d Infantry, 101st Airborne (Airmobile) in I Corps, Vietnam, 1969. |
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Army
Allen Hoe describes his remarkable experiences as a combat medic with the 2d Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, 196th Light Infantry Brigade, 23d Infantry Division (Americal) around Chu Lai during his service in Vietnam, 1967-1968. |
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Coast Guard
Retired Chief Petty Officer Tom Hogan describes his Coast Guard combat experiences on two separate 82-foot cutters with two different divisions in two different locations in Vietnam, 1968-1969. |
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Navy
The Navy commissioned Bobbi Hovis in 1947. As a flight nurse, she cared for Korean War wounded aboard aircraft bound for Japan and Hawaii. In 1963, at the age of 38, she volunteered to go to Vietnam during the U.S. advisory period. She was one of only seven Navy women nurses in Vietnam at the time. |
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Coast Guard
Jim Hull, a retired Coast Guard vice admiral, recounts his time and the lessons he learned as a young deck watch officer, ops officer, and CIC officer aboard the brand new cutter Rush along the coast of Vietnam in 1970-1971. |
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Marines
Thomas Isenburg enlisted in the Marines in 1964 and deployed to Vietnam in 1965 with the 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines (the "Raider Battalion") on USS Bexar. They conducted a series of DAGGER THRUST operations before moving to Phu Bai in I Corps in January 1966 to participate in Operation HARVEST MOON. |
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Army
Retired Army Colonel Boyd Jones recounts his experiences as an aerial observer and then as an engineer company commander during two tours in the Central Highlands of Vietnam in 1967-1968 and again in 1971. |
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Army
David Jones provides a riveting account of his experiences as an RTO with 1st Platoon, Delta Troop, 2/17 Cav (Airmobile) at Khe Sanh and Camp Eagle in the waning days of American troop involvement in the Vietnam War in 1971. |
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Air Force
Retired Air Force Colonel Neal Jones describes being shot down during his third tour and being held as a prisoner of war for more than six years at the Hanoi Hilton. |
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Army
Roger Jordheim speaks candidly about the year he served in Duc Pho as an Army first lieutenant and adviser in the Phoenix Program, 1970-1971. He describes a variety of the more than 100 missions in which he participated. |
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Army
Thomas Kaulukukui reflects on his experiences and impressions from his time as a platoon sergeant in A Company, 3rd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade in the red dirt and rice paddies of II Corps in Vietnam, 1969-1970. |
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Army
Retired Army Lieutenant General Keith Kellogg discusses his experiences as a young second lieutenant Ranger recon platoon leader during the Tet Offensive, as an aide-de-camp, and as a pathfinder on his first tour in Vietnam, and then with the Special Forces on his second tour. |
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Army
Retired Army Lieutenant General Keith Kellogg discusses his experiences as a young second lieutenant Ranger recon platoon leader during the Tet Offensive, as an aide-de-camp, and as a pathfinder on his first tour in Vietnam, and then with the Special Forces on his second tour. |
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Army
John King candidly describes his year in Vietnam, from his first role as a radio operator working with a mortar plotting board, to his final days as mortar platoon sergeant, 1967-1968. He credits a guardian angel as he recounts four fateful experiences from his tour of duty. |
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Army
Posted in the middle of the Mekong Delta, Koziell served a year near Can Tho as part of a six-man advisory team in the Phoenix Program. He says dysentery was unavoidable, speaks candidly about corruption and social tensions, and he details several patrols in which he participated. |
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Army
Paul Kremer describes his experiences and adventures as a young “Shake ‘n Bake” sergeant with Delta Troop, 2nd Battalion, 17th Cavalry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division (Airmobile) in the wilds of I Corps in Vietnam, 1969-1970. |
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Army
Retired Army General Frederick Kroesen recalls his adventures in Vietnam, first as commander of the 196th Infantry Brigade in Quang Tin Province, 1968-1969, then as J3, MACV headquarters in Saigon, commander of the 23d (Americal) Division, and deputy commander of XXIV Corps in 1971. |
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Army
James Kuroiwa, a childhood friend of the Honorable Eric Shinseki (former U.S. Army Chief of Staff and U.S. Secretary of Veteran’s Affairs), recounts his life and times with E Company, 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division (Airmobile) in Vietnam, February to November 1969. |
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Army
Dr. Kushner describes Vietnam, his initial duties, and 5 ½ years of captivity. Ironically, an instructor at his 2-day escape & evasion school jokingly said, “You guys are doctors. ... If you’re captured you will not be POWs, you’ll be ‘detained personnel.'” |
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Army
Retired U.S. Army Colonel B. Richard Laaken discusses his time in Vietnam (1967-1968) as a plans and operations officer with the 25th Infantry Division Medical Battalion at Cu Chi. |
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Navy
Navy corpsman Steven Lakernick tells his remarkable story of serving three tours in Vietnam with Marine Corps Force Recon units in Vietnam, 1966-1967, 1968-69, and 1970-1971. |
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Army
Retired Army Colonel Denny Lane tells the fascinating story of his years in the Far East, including his two tours in Vietnam, first as a Special Forces captain in 1967, and then as an adviser to the Thai Black Panthers at Bearcat, 1969-1970. |
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Navy
Retired Navy Commander James Lasswell, describes his adventures during four tours in Vietnam, first on USS Hoel, 1963-1964, then USS Frank Knox, 1966-1967, then Naval Support Activity, Saigon, 1970-1971, and finally USS Safeguard, 1973, for Operation FINAL SWEEP. |
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Army
First Lieutenant Albert Lawrence, an Army "Mustang" (enlisted man who became an officer), recalls how he went from being scared like everyone in his first firefight to resigning to fate and embracing fearlessness. |
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Army
Retired Army Lieutenant General John LeMoyne describes his experiences in Vietnam, 1969-1970, first as assistant adviser to a South Vietnamese Airborne battalion, and then as a company commander with the 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry, 25th Infantry Division. |
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Navy
Jeffrey Levine shares the story of his “abbreviated” tour as a Navy corpsman with E Company, 2/7 Marines in Vietnam, 1967, which ended abruptly when he was grievously wounded just 39 days after arriving in-country. |
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Army
Pima warrior and Special Forces medical specialist Lancelot Lewis describes his experiences with MACV-SOG teams operating secretly in Cambodia from their base camp at Ban Me Thuot in the Central Highlands of II Corps in South Vietnam, from January to November 1969. |
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Marines
Retired Marine Major General Larry Livingston discusses his two tours in Vietnam, first as an enlisted Force Recon Marine in I Corps, 1967-1968, and later, as an officer, as adviser to the Vietnamese Marine Corps’ 1st Battalion at the DMZ, including the actions for which he received the Navy Cross. |
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Coast Guard
Retired Coast Guard Lieutenant Commander James Loomis describes his experiences as a Coast Guard helicopter rescue pilot flying with the U.S. Air Force 37th ARRS, the storied Jolly Green Giants, out of Da Nang during his tour in Vietnam, 1969 and 1970. |
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Army
Bill Lord discusses with remarkable clarity his experiences in the U.S. Army as he sought to participate in “the largest single event of my generation,” pull his weight as a citizen and Soldier, and find out what he was made of by volunteering to go to Vietnam, 1967-1968. |
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Navy
John Loudermilk, a Navy corpsman assigned to the 1st Platoon, Charlie Company in the famed 1/5 Marines in Vietnam, 1967-1968, describes his extraordinary “all green” experiences, including the Battle of Hue City during the Tet Offensive. |
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Army
Medal of Honor recipient Allen Lynch describes his adventures as a specialist four and then sergeant with Company D, 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) in the Bong Son Plain, II Corps, Vietnam, 1967-1968. |
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Army
Canadian-born John MacInnis provides an informative and entertaining account of his experiences as an air traffic controller with the 365th Airfield Support Detachment, 165th Combat Aviation Group, 1st Aviation Brigade at Long Thanh North in Vietnam, 1969-1970. |
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Army
Retired U.S. Army Major Ronald E. “Ron” Markiewicz describes the actions for which he was awarded the Silver Star and the Distinguished Flying Cross 39 years after his helicopter was shot down during Lam Son 719. |
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Army
Retired Army Lieutenant Colonel Doug Markley describes his adventures as an enlisted infantryman in Vietnam in 1969, first with the 5th Battalion, 60th Infantry Regiment, 9th Infantry Division at Bearcat and Dong Tam, and then with II Field Force just north of Saigon. |
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Army
Frank Marriott describes his adventures leading a platoon as a freshly-minted second lieutenant at LZ West with Charlie Company, 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry, 196th Light Infantry Brigade, Americal Division, 1969-1970. |
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Marines
Retired Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel Jerry Martin gives a fascinating and inspiring account of his time as a young lieutenant with Company F, 2d Battalion, 3d Marine Regiment, 3d Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force in Vietnam, 1968-1969. |
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Air Force
Gordon Mathieson describes his experiences as a Chinese language translator doing top secret radio intercept for the US Air Force Security Service while TDY in Vietnam from Taiwan, 1964/1965. |
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Army
General McCaffrey describes life, battles, and living conditions as both an adviser to the South Vietnamese Airborne Division and an infantry company commander. His affection for the local people and his admiration for the Soldiers that served in his command emanate repeatedly in this interview. |
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Navy
U.S. Navy A-6 Intruder pilot Captain Eugene “Red” McDaniel, of Attack Squadron 35 on the USS Enterprise (CVN-65) tells the riveting story of being shot down over North Vietnam and spending six years as a prisoner of war at the Zoo, the Zoo Annex, and the Hanoi Hilton from 1967-1973. |
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Marines
Retired Marine Colonel John McKay recounts his adventures in Vietnam, first with a Combined Action Platoon and then on a Swift boat—while still a Naval Academy midshipman in the summer of 1967—and then as an infantry officer with Company H, 2d Battalion, 5th Marines, 1968-1969. |
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Marines
Colonel McRoberts was a Marine fighter pilot. He flew the F8U-2NE Crusader in more than 100 combat missions over Vietnam. He also flew the C-117D Skytrain. He says his worst days in Vietnam were those when they worked around the clock and pilots were flying tired. |
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Army
Helicopter pilot Charles Merkel describes his adventures with the storied "Casper" Platoon of the 173rd Airborne Brigade in 1968 and 1969 in Vietnam. |
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Army
Drafted in 1969, Jimmy Morrison spent a year as an infantry rifleman with the Americal Division patrolling in I Corps. He speaks about friendships and camaraderie, patrolling, the loss of friends, and care packages from a very strong support network in North Carolina. |
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Army
Retired Army Major General James H. Mukoyama, Jr., shares the story of his Vietnam experience as a company commander with the 9th Division in the Mekong Delta, and later as G-3 plans adviser for the ARVN II Corps in the Central Highlands, 1969-1970. |
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Marines
John Mullan, former Marine staff sergeant, tells the story of his tour in Vietnam with Charlie Company, 1/5 Marines during the Tet Offensive and the horrific wounds he sustained in Hue, February 1968. |
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Navy
Michael Mullen, former chief of naval operations and former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, describes his time as a young ensign and lieutenant JG on Yankee Station with USS Collett, 1969-1970. |
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Army
Retired Lieutenant Colonel Don Munson describes his extraordinary experiences with the 7th Cavalry in Vietnam, 1967-1968, including the action that earned him a Silver Star medal, the mortar that got him a medevac, and the fact that he never lost a man while a company commander. |
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Navy
Timothy Murphy describes his three WestPac deployments as an operations specialist (electronic warfare) aboard USS Southerland (DD-743), a World War II-era Gearing-class destroyer, including his time on Yankee Station in the Gulf of Tonkin, 1969-1970. |
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Marines
U.S. Marine Corps draftee Michael Musso describes his adventures as an avionics repairman and helicopter door gunner during his one-year tour with Marine Air Group 16, 1st Marine Air Wing in I Corps in Vietnam, 1967-1968. |
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Army
Retired Army Colonel Tony Nadal recounts his remarkable experiences first commanding a Special Forces A Detachment at Nam Dong, 1963-1964, then a second tour with A Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) at An Khe, 1965-1966, including the battle at LZ X-ray. |
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Marines
Retired Marine brigadier general and Navy Cross recipient Michael Neil shares his adventures in Vietnam, 1967-1968, first as a platoon commander with D Company, 1/7 Marines near Da Nang for six months, and then as an aerial observer in the back seat of an O-1 Bird Dog. |
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Marines
Retired Marine Corps Major Bruce Norton tells the engaging story of his two tours in Vietnam, 1969-1971, as a Force Recon corpsman, first with the 3rd Force Recon Battalion and later with the 1st Force Recon Battalion. |
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Marines
Retired Marine Corps Colonel John Okerman describes his time as an artillery officer in Vietnam, 1968-1969. Ultimately, he spent 30 years with the Marines. He is proud of his service, and those with whom he served.
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Navy
Retired Navy Captain Fred Olds describes the year he spent in Vietnam as a 30-year-old lieutenant assigned as an adviser, intelligence officer, oceanographer, and defoliation coordinator living in Can Tho and working across the Mekong Delta, 1966-1967. |
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Army
Retired Lieutenant Colonel Robert Omasta provides fascinating insight into aerial imagery collection and interpretation, which he did for MACV during his tour in Vietnam, 1967-1968. |
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Army
Retired Army Sergeant Thomas Owens describes his experiences as an 18-year-old ground surveillance radar expert assigned to HHC, 1/61 5th Mechanized Infantry Division stationed near the DMZ in I Corps, 1970-1971, including the U.S. campaign in Laos and Operation LAM SON 719. |
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Navy
Retired Navy corpsman Don Parish shares his adventures in Vietnam, first with Hotel Company, 2d Battalion, 4th Marines at Dong Ha, then with 1st Medical Company in Da Nang, 1967-1968, including the action for which he earned the Silver Star Medal. |
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Coast Guard
Master Chief Stephen H. Petersen describes his adventures in the U.S. Coast Guard, especially during the waning days of the Vietnam War, right up to the signing of the Paris Peace Accords. |
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Army
Rufus Phillips describes his fascinating multi-year, multi-faceted involvement in Vietnam working for the Army, the CIA, and USAID as a military adviser, psywar officer, counterinsurgency expert, rural pacification executive, and political consultant between 1954 and 1968. |
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Army
Former Secretary of State and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Colin L. Powell describes stark differences between his two tours in Vietnam. First as an adviser in 1963 believing in the fight against communism, and then 1968-69 as a major on a division staff shuffling metrics. |
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Marines
Donald Premel, a Marine Force Recon sergeant in Vietnam, 1969-1970, tells riveting tales of special operations in I Corps and along the Ho Chi Minh Trail. |
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Navy
Retired Navy Reserve Captain Charles Prouty tells the riveting story of his two tours in Vietnam, first as a SEAL team platoon commander in 1969, and then with an Underwater Demolition Team training South Vietnamese SEALs in 1972. |
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Army
Then-Lieutenant Colonel Ralph Puckett volunteered for Vietnam. He arrived there in 1967 to command the 2nd Battalion of the 502nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division. Puckett’s story is full of extraordinary lessons on leadership. |
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Army
Canadian Rob Purvis recalls his time participating in infantry operations and as an intelligence specialist with the United States Army’s K Company, 75th Infantry Regiment (Ranger), 4th Infantry Division in the An Khe district of Vietnam, 1969-1970. |
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Navy
Retired Navy Captain Dutch Rauch offers a spirited account of his time flying A-4 Skyhawks from USS Oriskany (CVA-34) during his first deployment to Vietnam in 1967, and then returning for a second deployment, flying A-7 Corsair IIs from USS Enterprise (CVN-65), 1974-1975. |
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Navy
Retired Navy Captain Sharon Reinke describes some of the highlights of her time serving as the first woman officer assigned to a Navy fighter squadron beginning in 1966. |
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Navy
Vice Admiral David Robinson recounts his time as commanding officer of two U.S. Navy patrol gunboats in the Mekong Delta, 1969-1971. He describes the gunboat’s design, crew, and their daily routine on Vietnam’s rivers and coast, including two firefights in which he fought. |
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Army
Retired Army Captain Gary Michael Rose, then a Special Forces medic, describes a covert mission codenamed Operation TAILWIND that became a four-day running gun battle in Laos during his tour in Vietnam, 1970-1971. He ultimately received the Medal of Honor for his heroism. |
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Army
Stanley and Carol Rosenberg discuss their experiences at the 85th Evacuation Hospital in Phu Bai, Vietnam, 1970-1971; Stanley as a trauma doctor doing mostly anesthesia and Carol as a nurse doing mostly medicine. They met there and later married. |
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Army
Veteran Army Nurse Corps Captain Donna Rowe describes her experiences as a married nurse in Saigon, 1968-1969. |
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Marines
James Sandoz describes his adventures as a U.S. Marine in Vietnam, 1967-1969, initially directing naval gunfire with the 1st ANGLICO in II Corps and then as a radioman and occasional tail-end Charlie with the 3rd Force Reconnaissance Company in I Corps. |
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Navy
Retired Navy Commander Charles Sapp describes some harrowing exploits during three tours as a helicopter pilot in Vietnam, first on the USS Independence, then on the USS Richmond K. Turner, both in 1965, and finally with the famous HA(L)-3 Seawolves in the Mekong Delta, 1967-1968. |
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Army
Retired Army Sergeant First Class Ernie Savage recalls his incredible adventures with B Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry (Airmobile) at An Khe in Vietnam, 1965-1966, including taking charge of the Lost Platoon during the Battle of Ia Drang. |
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Army
Bill Schroder was 21 years old when he landed in South Vietnam in 1969. He spent nearly a year there as a CH-47 Chinook pilot. Mr. Schroder describes his unit's unique missions; supporting allies rather than Americans and extinguishing fires with water buckets are two examples.
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Army
The 7th Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Eric Shinseki, tells the fascinating story of his two tours in Vietnam, first as an artillery forward observer in 1965, then with the Phu Bai base defense command, 1969-1970, and finally as a cavalry troop commander in 1970. |
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Army
Retired Army Lieutenant Colonel George Shoener remembers his year as a company commander accomplishing incredible engineering feats with A Company, 7th Engineer Battalion, 1st Brigade, 5th Infantry Division (Mechanized) in Vietnam, 1970-1971. |
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Army
Retired Army Lieutenant General Roger Shultz shares a few of his discoveries about combat and leadership from his tour leading both a rifle platoon and a recon platoon as a lieutenant with the 2/22nd Infantry in the Tay Ninh province of Vietnam in 1969. |
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Navy
For 26 months David Smale was a door gunner with the Seawolves, a Navy Huey attack helicopter squadron protecting Navy SEALs and Mobile Riverine Forces in the Mekong Delta, 1969-1971. He details his time in Vietnam, his friendships, and the effect his time in combat had on the rest of his life. |
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Army
Richard Sonstelie describes his adventures as a captain with the Army Corps of Engineers in Cu Chi and Dau Tieng in Vietnam, 1968-1969, including the actions that earned him a Bronze Star Medal with the V device for particular heroism. |
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Army
Historian Lewis Sorley shares his insights and remarkable experiences as a major in Vietnam, first as a planner with the I Field Force G3 office in Nha Trang, and then as executive officer of 1st Battalion, 69th Armor, 25th Infantry Division near Pleiku in the Central Highlands, 1966-1967. |
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Army
James M. “Mike” Sprayberry describes the actions as a first lieutenant that earned him the Medal of Honor for extraordinary heroism in April of 1968 on Tiger Mountain in the A Shau Valley of Vietnam. |
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Marines
Retired Marine Major General Orlo Steele describes his adventures in Vietnam, 1967-1968, first as CO of Headquarters Company, Headquarters Battalion, 1st Marine Division at Hill 327, then as XO of the 2/5 Marines at Phu Bai. |
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Army
Thomas Stoddert describes his adventures with D Troop, 2nd Squadron, 17th Cavalry, 101st Airborne Division at Camp Eagle in I Corps, 1970, including his time at Fire Support Base Ripcord and a particularly gruesome mission involving a Marine reconnaissance team. |
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Navy
With humor, poignancy, and disarming self-awareness retired Navy Captain Dick “the Beak” Stratton shares his incredible story as an A-4E Skyhawk pilot who spent more than six years as a prisoner of war in the Hoa Lo “Hanoi Hilton” prison. |
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Army
Jerry Suitor recalls his amazing experiences, both "good times … and bad times,” as a dog handler with the 38th Scout Dog Platoon, 25th Infantry Division headquarters in Cu Chi during his tour in Vietnam, 1967-1968. |
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Army
General Gordon Russell Sullivan was the 32nd Army Chief of Staff. He saw action in Vietnam in three billets: As an adviser (1962-63), executive assistant to MACV’s J-2 assistant chief of staff (1963-64), and as the G-1 personnel services officer for I Field Force. |
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Army
Retired First Sergeant Bill Swift recounts his adventures with the 557th Infantry Platoon Combat Tracker Team, 101st Infantry Division in Vietnam, 1969-1970, and his very different second tour with the 1st Aviation Brigade in Can Tho, Vietnam, 1972-1973. |
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Army
Former Staff Sergeant Brian Tate offers some fascinating insights and observations from his experiences as a platoon sergeant with the 1st Infantry Division, and later with the headquarters company of the 173rd Airborne during his tour in Vietnam, 1969-1970. |
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Army
Retired Sergeant Major Dennis Thompson describes his extraordinary experiences in Vietnam first with a Special Forces A Team (1965-1966), then with Mike Force (1967-1968), and finally as a POW in North Vietnam after being captured four times, but only escaping three (1968-1973). |
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Army
Retired Army Lieutenant General Richard Trefry discusses his remarkable experiences in Southeast Asia, first commanding 2d Battalion, 94th Field Artillery in Vietnam, 1966-1967, and then as Deputy Commander, Joint U.S. Military Advisory Group Thailand (secretly running the war in Laos), 1973-1975. |
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Marines
Retired Marine Lieutenant General Paul Van Riper describes his experiences through two tours in Vietnam, first as an adviser to the 3rd Battalion of the Vietnamese Marine Corps in 1965-1966, and then as a US Marine rifle company commander. |
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Air Force
Brigadier General Vaught served in Europe, the Pacific, and Southeast Asia. Her first Vietnam War service came in 1966, as the first woman the Air Force deployed with a Strategic Air Command bomb wing. She was again assigned to Vietnam in 1968, serving as a management analyst for MACV in Saigon. |
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Army
Retired Army Colonel Tom Vossler provides an account of his service as an infantry platoon leader and later company executive officer with B Company, 2d Battalion, 47th Infantry, 3d Brigade, 9th Infantry Division in IV Corps, Vietnam, 1969-1970. |
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Navy
Retired Navy Captain Allen Weseleskey spent 14 months in Vietnam flying helicopters with the Seawolves in support of Navy and Mobile Riverine Forces across South Vietnam’s Mekong Delta, 1967-1968. The Navy awarded him the Navy Cross in lieu of a court martial. |
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Marines
John Wheeler shares his experiences as an enlisted Marine assigned to Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division in the dangerous wilds of Arizona Territory and Go Noi Island in Vietnam, 1968-1969. |
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Army
Retired Colonel Lyman White provides fascinating insights into the changes in the Vietnam war between his first tour as an adviser with the ARVN 33rd Rangers, 1964-1965, and his second tour in operations with the 1/52 Infantry, 198th LIB, Americal Division, 1970-1971. |
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Air Force
David Williams describes his time as an Air Force linguist flying missions over Vietnam, keeping tabs on Chinese MiG fighter traffic and Chinese SAM sites that were targeting B-52s. |
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Army
Retired Lieutenant General Sam Wilson, who coined the term COIN and was father of the Army FAO program, shares his unique insights from his years in Vietnam, 1964-1967, first with USAID, and later as United States mission coordinator at the US Embassy in Saigon. |
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Navy
David Woodrell, a Navy A-6 Intruder pilot from 1970 to 1975, flew 250 combat missions over North Vietnam and Laos from the USS Kitty Hawk during two back-to-back cruises in 1971 and 1972. He also earned the title "Kitty Hawk Triple Centurion" for executing more than 300 carrier landings onboard. |
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Marines
With the Marine Corps in Vietnam, Richard M. Wright, Jr., later retired from the USCG. He recalls his assignment with 1st ANGLICO as air liaison officer to the ROK Marine Blue Dragon Brigade, and as a volunteer helicopter pilot for the Army in his spare time in I Corps, Vietnam, 1971-1972. |