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Oral History Interview with Peter C. Sorlien for the Dartmouth Vietnam Project. A member of the Dartmouth Class of 1971, Sorlien’s time at Dartmouth was heavily influenced by his involvement in antiwar activism against the Vietnam War. Arriving at Dartmouth in the fall of 1967, Peter enrolled in the College’s ROTC program, succeeding his brother, Cai Sorlien ‘67, who served in Vietnam in 1967-68. In his second term on campus in the winter of 1968, Peter became more skeptical of the War and began participating in the Antiwar Movement. On February 28, 1968, Peter protested on the Green in his ROTC uniform and was subsequently dismissed from the military program. Sorlien discusses what moved him to stand up against the war, coming back to a different Dartmouth after going abroad to France and Germany in 1970, and the lasting effects of the war on his outlook on life and institutions.
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Dennis Bidwell ’71. Oral History Interview for the Dartmouth Vietnam Project. Bidwell discusses his childhood in Denver during the 1950s and early 1960s. He then shares his Dartmouth experience through debauched dorm life, his emerging political awareness during a study abroad term in Bourges, France, his shift to majoring in government, his teaching as a Tucker Foundation intern in Jersey City, NJ, and his involvement in the antiwar movement, including with the Congressional lobbying group, Continuing Presence in Washington (CPW). He also describes watching the 1969 draft lottery, applying for Conscientious Objector (CO) status, and conflicts with his father over his CO application. Bidwell describes his post-graduation move to Boston, work in community organizing and education, and deferring his acceptance to NYU Law School in anticipation of alternative service. Bidwell describes his later career change to nonprofit funding and real estate philanthropy and his move to Northampton, MA. Finally, he offers final reflections on his activism and on healing familial rifts over the war.
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Sherwood Guernsey ‘68 describes his childhood growing up in rural Schoharie, New York in a conservative and Presbyterian family. He discusses his family members’ politics and their influence upon him. He then discusses his positive high school experiences. At Dartmouth, Guernsey became interested in Spanish, and discovered a politically insightful group of friends and classmates. He describes his experiences with campus activism and his views of the Dartmouth community’s general attitude towards the Vietnam War and ROTC. After graduating cum laude, Guernsey moved to northern New Hampshire to teach, facing pushback for his progressive racial views. He later joined the Peace Corps with his wife in Panama. Afterwards, he attended Wharton School of Business and Antioch Law School before becoming a Massachusetts State
Representative. Guernsey concludes the interview by discussing work as a Peace Corps officer and his interactions with the Class of ‘68 at their 50th reunion.
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Matthew J. Friedman. Class of 1961. Oral history interview with the Dartmouth Vietnam Project. Friedman describes his experience at Dartmouth highlighting that he was the first math-psychology major and how he was a good student. He discusses his strong feelings about not wanting to participate in the Vietnam War as he did not support the war. Friedman attended Yeshiva University graduate school for psychology. Friedman discusses how he feared being sent to Vietnam because of his expertise in pharmacology and how he would have to participate in chemical warfare. He went to Kentucky to the Addiction Research Center and describes meeting people who were opposed to the war and living an alternative lifestyle. He studied neuroplasticity and was later accepted to Mass General Hospital where he studied for two years. Friedman completed his third year as a resident at Dartmouth. Friedman describes what it was like to live in the Upper Valley as an organic farmer and antiwar advocate. Friedman did not want to leave the area after his studies were complete and accepted a position at the Veterans Affairs hospital and has worked there for 42 years. Friedman was on the cutting edge of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) research and was asked by Congress to participate in a PTSD research project in 1984. He describes how the term PTSD came into common usage and its evolution within the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Friedman explains how he became the Executive Director of the National Center for PTSD from 1989-2013. He concludes his interview by describing the future of PTSD research and care.
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J. Donald Cohon. Class of 1965. Oral history interview with the Dartmouth Vietnam Project. Cohon describes his childhood in Hartford, CT, and later being sent to the Taft School. He shares his challenges as a Jewish student at an Episcopalian boarding school. Cohon also describes the challenges he experienced growing up with an alcoholic father. He describes his Dartmouth experience to be that of the “traditional Dartmouth man.” Cohon describes his many activities as a Dartmouth student. He was an English major, was president of the fraternity Chi Phi (later named Chi Heorot), was a member of the Dragon Society, and played lacrosse under coach Aiden H. “Whitey” Burnham. Cohon describes his experience teaching English to students in White River Junction as a practicum for his English major. Cohon discusses applying to the Peace Corps and the International Voluntary Services (IVS). He chose to go to Vietnam to teach English with IVS. Cohon describes becoming very interested in learning Vietnamese and was placed in a town called Vũng Tàu. Cohon shares that after Vietnam he moved to the High Hope Farm in Plainfield, NH. He explains how he lived there for a few months and then received his draft notice. Cohon discusses enlisting in the U.S. Army Security Agency where he learned Mandarin and was then sent to Taiwan. He shares that after the Army he attended University of Southern California for his graduate and Ph.D. work in clinical psychology. His post-doc work was completed at California Pacific Medical Center where he began his Vietnamese speaking psychology work. Cohon discusses the various work he has done in his career to support Vietnamese refugees and other refugees with settlement.
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Anthony (Tony) Thompson, Dartmouth Class of 1964, enlisted in the US Army in 1963 after taking a hiatus from college on the recommendation of his dean. He went to Vietnam to support US military advisory operations there during 1963-1964. He spent six months rotating in and out of A Loui and Tabat in the A Shau valley. During the latter part of his deployment he was attached to the decorated ARVN 1st regiment, which operated near the demilitarized zone between North and South Vietnam. He witnessed the destruction of that unit in a battle in March of 1964. He earned a bronze star and the South Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry. In the interview, Thompson discusses the executions of civilians and prisoners that he witnessed in Vietnam. He also talks about criticism he faced from antiwar students after he returned to Dartmouth, and how this prompted him to move off campus. He eventually left the United States and spent several years in the more congenial environment of Australia, before returning to Vermont to work in business in the 1990s. Finally, Thompson discusses his current perspectives on the war and his disagreements with those who say that it was not worth fighting.
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Ivars Bemberis. Class of 1964. Oral history interview for the Dartmouth Vietnam Project. Born in Latvia, Bemberis discusses his childhood in German displaced persons’ camps as a result of World War II. He describes his journey to the United States and the influence of his mother and father on his world outlook. At Dartmouth, Bemberis reflects on his college years through the lens of being a student on scholarship. He explains his transition from undergraduate to graduate school to officer basic training at Fort Belvoir. Bemberis describes civil affairs school and his deployment to the 41st Civil Affairs Company in 1967. He details his assignment to Edap Enang Resettlement Camp, and reflects on the connection between his experience as a displaced person and his refugee work. Then, Bemberis shares his experience returning home to his wife and young son. Finally, Bemberis shares how his Vietnam service continues to facilitate his ability to forge connections.
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Dartmouth alumnus David Aylward, Class of 1971, describes his childhood as the son of a Foreign Service officer with postings in Japan, Burma (now Myanmar), Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Washington, D.C. The interview includes his impressions of the Vietnam War as a child and young adult, his introduction to political activism as a high school student, and his involvement in antiwar protests and political organizing as a student at Dartmouth College, as well as his stint as Editor-in-Chief of The Dartmouth during 1970-1971. After graduation, Aylward worked for the presidential campaign of George McGovern and served as a junior staffer in McGovern’s Senate office before receiving a law degree from George Washington University Law School. He went on to pursue a career in law, entrepreneurship, and healthcare consulting and joined the faculty of the University of Colorado School of Medicine.
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Vietnam veteran and Dartmouth alumn William Yaggy ‘67
describes his experiences serving in Vietnam and his perception of the socio-political climate of the time. Yaggy further discusses his stance on the conflict, as well as his perception of the Vietnamese while on-ground.
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Vietnam veteran and Dartmouth alumn Robert Worthington ‘61 describes his experiences serving in Vietnam and his perception of the socio-political climate of the time. Worthington further discusses his stance on the conflict, as well as his perception of the Vietnamese while on-ground.
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Vietnam veteran and Dartmouth alumn Phillip White ‘67
describes his experiences serving in Vietnam and his perception of the socio-political climate of the time. White further discusses his stance on the conflict, as well as his perception of the Vietnamese while on-ground.
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Vietnam veteran and Dartmouth alumn John White ‘61
describes his experiences serving in Vietnam and his perception of the socio-political climate of the time. White further discusses his stance on the conflict, as well as his perception of the Vietnamese while on-ground.
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Vietnam veteran and Dartmouth alumn Peter Werner ‘68 describes his experiences serving in Vietnam and his perception of the socio-political climate of the time. Werner further discusses his stance on the conflict, as well as his perception of the Vietnamese while on-ground.
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Vietnam veteran and Dartmouth alumn Robert E. Thebodo describes his experiences serving in Vietnam and his perception of the socio-political climate of the time. Thebodo further discusses his stance on the conflict, as well as his perception of the Vietnamese while on-ground.
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Vietnam veteran and Dartmouth alumn John M. Talmadge ’69 describes his experiences serving in Vietnam and his perception of the socio-political climate of the time. Talmadge further discusses his stance on the conflict, as well as his perception of the Vietnamese while on-ground.
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Neal Stanley ‘64 describes his traditional childhood growing up in New Jersey. He goes on to talk about his experiences in ROTC at Dartmouth College, and then discusses becoming a second lieutenant and attending airborne training. He describes his experiences as a communications platoon officer in Nuremberg, Germany, and talks about how he dealt with the complexities of discrimination and conflict among other soldiers he was stationed with. He then discusses his attempt to resign his
post, and his eventual assignment to Vietnam just after the Tet Offensive. Stanley then recalls several anecdotes, detailing his interactions with other officers and with Vietnamese culture and people, as well as his experience with clandestine operations in Cambodia. He then discusses his difficulties transitioning back into civilian life. He concludes by talking about his current perspective on the war, his post-military career path, and the importance of Dartmouth in his life experiences.
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Vietnam veteran and Dartmouth alumna Nancy Smoyer ‘65 describes her experience as a Special Services agent Vietnam and her perception of the socio-political climate of the time. Smoyer further discusses her stance on the conflict, as well as her perception of the Vietnamese while on-ground.
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Vietnam veteran and Dartmouth alumn Jim Smith '68 describes his experience in Vietnam and his perception of the socio-political climate of the time. Smith further discusses his stance on the conflict as well as his perception of the Vietnamese while on-ground.
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Dartmouth Professor Brenda Silver discusses her experiences with the Vietnam War, as well as her perception of the conflict from academic and individual perspectives.
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Vietnam veteran and Dartmouth alumn Burton C. Quist ‘68 describes his experience in Vietnam and his perception of the socio-political climate of the time. Quist further discusses his stance on the conflict as well as his perception of the Vietnamese while on-ground.
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Vietnam veteran and Dartmouth alumn David E. Prewitt ‘61 describes his experience in Vietnam and his perception of the socio-political climate of the time. Prewitt further discusses his stance on the conflict as well as his perception of the Vietnamese while on-ground.
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Vietnam veteran and Dartmouth alumn James Payne ‘68
describes his experience in Vietnam and his perception of the socio-political climate of the time. Payne further discusses his stance on the conflict as well as his perception of the Vietnamese while on-ground.
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Dartmouth Professor Marysa Navarro discusses her experiences with the Vietnam War, as well as her perception of the conflict from academic and individual perspectives.
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Vietnam veteran and Dartmouth alumn Stephen Landa ‘67 describes his experience in Vietnam and his perception of the socio-political climate of the time. Landa further discusses his stance on the conflict as well as his perception of the Vietnamese while on-ground.
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James T. Kloppenberg ’73 discusses his experience as a Dartmouth Professor during the Vietnam War era, as well as his perception of the socio-political climate of the time. In this interview, Kloppenberg also explores how America's post-World War II belief in its global dominance and the purging of experts during the McCarthy era contributed to a simplified understanding of the struggle against global communism and a lack of understanding of the situation in Asia, especially in Vietnam.