Oral History Interview with Susan (Sue) Tavela
Title
Oral History Interview with Susan (Sue) Tavela
Narrator (written)
Susan (Sue) Tavela
Narrator First Name
Susan (Sue)
Narrator Last Name
Tavela
Interviewer
Hannah Solomon
Abstract
Susan E. Tavela. Wife of John E. Tavela, Class of 1964. Oral history interview for the Dartmouth Vietnam Project. Tavela explains that she participated in the project because her husband is in a nursing home for dementia and is unable to tell his own story. She describes her childhood growing up across the country and how she met her husband. She describes herself as a civil rights activist and provides a few examples of how she and John participated in protests, marches, and political campaigns. She describes her marriage to John while he was attending Dartmouth. She explains how John was drafted after he completed his graduate studies at Johns Hopkins University. She describes John’s involvement in the Medical Service Corps. Tavela reads a number of excerpts from letters that John sent to her during his time during the Vietnam War. Tavela describes how she believes John’s dementia is a result of his participation in the war. She explains that John had a difficult time transitioning back from the Vietnam War. She shares that John was depressed after he returned home and discusses the impact it had on him personally and on their family.
Date of Interview
March 11, 2016
Subject
Dartmouth Family Member
Dartmouth History
Military Service (Army)
Political Participation
Protest/Antiwar Activism
Vietnam Veteran
Language
English
Rauner ID
DOH-496
Rights
Interview Audio Source (MP3)
//rcweb.dartmouth.edu/DDHI/histories/tavela_susan/tavela_susan.mp3
Interview Transcript Source (PDF)
//rcweb.dartmouth.edu/DDHI/histories/tavela_susan/tavela_susan_transcript_final.pdf
HTML
//rcweb.dartmouth.edu/DDHI/histories/tavela_susan/tavela_susan_transcript_final.html