Oral History Interview with William (Bill) Donahue
Title
Oral History Interview with William (Bill) Donahue
Narrator (written)
William (Bill) Donahue
Narrator First Name
William
Narrator Last Name
Donahue
Interviewer
Dani Halperin
Abstract
Oral History Interview with William Donahue, who served in the Vietnam War. He first recounts his upbringing in Washington, D.C., and his higher education at Colby College. Donahue shares his path to enlisting in the Marine Corps after being denied a student deferment for law school. He describes the various training camps he attended before arriving in Vietnam, where he began as an infantry officer in 1967. Just as the Tet Offensive began in 1968, he was transferred to the Military Police Corps but soon returned to his infantry position. He describes his experiences on and off the battlefield and the relations between the men in his battalion, especially concerning race. Post-Vietnam, he continued his service as an instructor at Camp Lejeune, a training camp in North Carolina, and ended his active duty as a soldier in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Donahue closes out the oral history by detailing life after the war and how his perspective on the war has changed over time. Currently, he is writing a memoir about his war experiences.
Date of Interview
February 11, 2025
Subject
Military Service (Marines)
Vietnam Veteran
Upper Valley Resident
Language
English
Rights
Interview Audio Source (MP3)
//rcweb.dartmouth.edu/DDHI/histories/donahue_william/donahue_william.mp3
Interview Transcript Source (PDF)
//rcweb.dartmouth.edu/DDHI/histories/donahue_william/donahue_william_transcript_final.pdf
HTML
//rcweb.dartmouth.edu/DDHI/histories/donahue_william/donahue_william_transcript_final.html