"The worst that it gets, by the way, is when you say goodbye to them, to go back to a place like that. ...We owe an enormous debt to the spouses and the children of these men—men and women—who have gone off to war repeatedly."
Description of Interview:
Sullivan was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and grew up in nearby Quincy. The Army commissioned him a second lieutenant of Armor via ROTC at Norwich University in 1959. Before retiring as an Army general, Sullivan served as the 32nd Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army, as a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Following fourteen months in Korea (1961-1962), Sullivan volunteered to go to Vietnam as an adviser. He describes the early Military Advisers Training and Assistance course (MATA). His first impressions of Saigon, preceding its war-time defenses, were of a beautiful French-colonial city. In depth, he describes his living conditions as a civil defense adviser, and the Viet Cong focus in the South in 1962-’63. He describes being wounded in a firefight and his recovery. He was in Vietnam when President Diem was assassinated, and he describes his perspective and response to that event. He departed Vietnam after 18 months, 1962-1964, and he returned to Vietnam in 1969 as a replacement, assigned to the First Field Force. During the final third of this interview he passionately reflects on his support for the Army, its Soldiers, and their families, while also speaking of the influence that Vietnam played on him later in his career, and as the Chief of Staff of the United States Army (1991-1995).
Key Words: Norwich University; Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC); Thayer Academy; Military Advisors Training and Assistance course (MATA); Bạc Liêu; Rạch Giá; Phú Quốc; nuoc mam; Regional Forces/Popular Forces (PF/PF); Viet Cong; MEDCAPs; ARVN; Landing Craft, Vehicle, Personnel (LCVP) (Higgins boat); Piasecki H-21 Shawnee helicopter; spider hole; chaplain; de Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter; Operation RANCH HAND; Agent Orange; Indochina, Dien Bien Phu; telegram; Military Auxiliary Radio System (MARS).
Key Names: Sylvanus Thayer, Major General William Frederick “Bill” Streeter, U.S. Army (Ret.), COL Benjamin Hayes "Vandy" Vandervoort, Major General Charles J. Timmes, Brigadier General Joseph “Cider Joe” Stillwell, Brigadier General. Robert R. Rowland; Colonel Andrew P. “Andy” O'Meara, Jr. (USMA ’59); LTG William "Bill" Stanley Carpenter, Jr. (“the Lonesome End” USMA ’60); General Carl E. Vuono; MG Ernest N. “Ernie” Harmon; Command Sergeant Major Donald Horn; CSM Robert "Bob" Van Horn; General Donn A. Starry; Elvis Presley.
Unit:
RF/PF Advisor, MACV (1962-1963); Executive Assistant to the Assistant Chief of Staff, J-2 Division, MACV (1963-1964); Personnel Services Officer for I Field Force (1969-1970).
Specialty:
Armor officer and adviser
Service Location:
IV Corps: Bac Lieu; and II Corps: Nha Trang
Read the Complete Transcript of this Interview.