Interviews

  • Oral History Interview with Dud [F.] Hendrick ‘69

    Vietnam veteran and alumn Dud [F.] Hendrick ‘69 describes his experience in Vietnam and his perception of the socio-political climate of the time. Hendrick further discusses his stance on the conflict as well as his perception of the Vietnamese while on-ground.
  • Oral History Interview with Ward Hindman

    Hindman, Ward Interview Abstract 1. Early Childhood 2. Time at Dartmouth and Air Force ROTC 3. Post-Grad Air Force Training 4. Service in Vietnam 5. Post-War Military Life 6. Civilian Career and Retirement
  • Oral History Interview with Jeff Hinman

    Hinman, Jeffrey H. Dartmouth College Class of ’68. Oral history interview documenting his experiences growing up in Rome, New York, near Fort Stanwix; living among military personnel; the ROTC protests in Dartmouth; getting drafted into the US Army; his time at Fort Dix; rejecting military pressure to buy Savings Bonds; his service as an infantryman in the 3rd Brigade of the 82nd Airborne in Vietnam, then as an photographer/correspondent in the 25th Infantry Division; his receipt of a "Congressional Inquiry" regarding his suitability for infantry service; racial relations within his infantry company, and the predominantly African-American mortar platoon; interactions with local Vietnamese in villages; experiencing little war action but learning about U.S. soldiers hurting themselves through their own military mistakes; watching the interrogation and waterboarding of a NVA/VC soldier; being ordered to photograph dead enemy soldiers; service as an assistant battalion legal clerk at Fort Carson; coming home from the war and his experiences with the Veterans Reading Group.
  • Oral History Interview with Paul Hodes

    Paul Hodes, Class of 1972. Oral history interview documenting Paul Hodes’ activism in the popular movement against the Vietnam War, during his time at Dartmouth College. Hodes details the occupation of the administrative building, Parkhurst, by Dartmouth College student activists, and his role as bearing a bull horn to warn the occupants of the arriving police force. Hodes recalls the impact of the 1970 Kent State shootings, and his decision to participate in the March on Washington in the same year. Hodes also narrates his involvement with SDS (Students for a Democratic Society), his childhood in New York City, and his decision to run for Congress in New Hampshire in 2006.
  • Oral History Interview with David Hoeh

    David C. Hoeh, Associate Director of Public Affairs in the Public Affairs Center at Dartmouth College, lecturer in Social Science at Dartmouth College, coordinator of Dartmouth College/Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) program. Oral history interview documenting his memories of World War II (WWII) as a child in Newton, Massachusetts, and his involvement in the Democratic Party of New Hampshire, first in student government at the University of New Hampshire (UNH), then in state government from 1963 to 1967. Hoeh discusses his experience and involvement in the Vietnam War era and Lyndon B. Johnson (LBJ) era at Dartmouth College, as well as his service as Chairman of the New Hampshire [Eugene] McCarthy For President Committee. Hoeh graduated from UNH in the Class of 1960 and earned his Masters from Boston University and PhD from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
  • Oral History Interview with Peter Hofman

    Peter Hofman was born on November 12th, 1946 in Scarsdale, New York. Politically active at an early age, Peter worked for democratic candidate Adlai Stevenson, and was heavily influenced by the Ethical Culture movement. Peter has one younger brother, and his father was a member of the Dartmouth class of 1936. Mr. Hofman attended Dartmouth as a 3-2 student at Tuck Business School, graduating in 1969 (undergraduate Class of 1968). With a 1-A draft status, Mr. Hofman joined the Peace Corps MBA program in the summer of 1969. He trained in Escondido, California before going to Tacna, Peru in 1969. While there, Peter was assigned to work with the local branch of the government's economic development agency writing reports on a factory feasibility study. After this, Peter worked for the Peruvian Ministry of Agriculture on a direct farm-to-market pilot project and market research of agriculture. After a catastrophic earthquake in 1970, Peter worked alongside US Marines doing relief work for the thousands affected. Since returning home from the Peace Corps, Peter has worked in the public sector largely in environmental work.
  • Oral History Interview with Robert W. (Obie) Holmen

    Dartmouth alumnus Robert W. "Obie" Holmen, Class of '72, served in Vietnam between 1968 and 1970. In this oral history interview, he describes his early childhood in rural Minnesota and his journey to Dartmouth, initially as part of the Class of '70. In light of personal challenges, he took a leave of absence from Dartmouth and enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1968. First assigned as an infantryman in Charlie Company, 3rd battalion, 8th infantry, Obie was re-assigned into the Long-Range Reconnaissance Patrol (LRRP) unit in the 75th Infantry Battalion Rangers. Finishing his service in December 1970, he returned to Dartmouth in January 1971 and graduated as part of the Class of ‘72 with a degree in History. He went on to receive a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Minnesota, pursued a career in law, engaged in theological studies, and became a freelance writer.
  • Oral History Interview with Henry Homeyer

    Abstract coming soon
  • Oral History Interview with Andrew J. Hotaling

    Andrew J. Hotaling, Class of 1965. Oral history interview documenting his experience at Dartmouth College, including membership in Alpha Chi Alpha (AXA), and his service as a naval air fighter during the Vietnam War. Hotaling describes his deployment between November 1971 and 1973, during which he was based at Yankee Station working to bomb the Ho Chi Minh trail. He discusses training in the Flight Indoctrination Program (FIP) in the Naval Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (NROTC). Hotaling details post-war experiences, including studying to become a doctor, and returning to Vietnam to visit the Hanoi Hilton and meet with Douglas B. “Pete” Peterson, the American Ambassador to Vietnam.
  • Oral History Interview with Hale Irwin

    Abstract coming soon
  • Oral History Interview with John Isaacs

    John D. Isaacs. Dartmouth Class of 1967. Oral history interview documenting his work with the United States Foreign Service during the Vietnam War. Isaacs describes his undergraduate years at Dartmouth College, including a brief enrollment with the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC), and his experience as a graduate student at Johns Hopkins University’s Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, including involvement in the antiwar movement. He recounts his deployment to Vietnam in 1970 and his assignment working with refugees in Binh Tuy Province, Bien Hoa, and Saigon through CORDS (Civil Operations and Revolutionary Development Support). Isaacs describes his later work in Washington, D.C., including his contributions to help pass the War Powers Resolution of 1973, and his work with the Indochina Resource Center. Isaacs discusses U.S. foreign policy and the country’s role in contemporary conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan, and with the Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL).
  • Oral History Interview with William Jevne

    William “Bill” Jevne. Class of 1966 and Tuck 1967. Oral history of his time spent at Dartmouth College, his experience in Vietnam, and the lasting impact the war had on him. Jevne describes making the varsity hockey team his sophomore year under coach Edward “Eddie” Jeremiah, Class of 1930. Jevne describes his experience on the hockey team as very enjoyable. He discusses wearing the freshman beanies. Jevne joined Theta Pi, later named Beta Alpha Omega, his sophomore year. Jevne discusses his participation in the Two-three program with Tuck and what it was like as a young Tuck student. Upon graduation, he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps and attended Officer Candidate School in Quantico, Virginia. He describes his relationship with and subsequent death of William “Bill” S. Smoyer, Class of 1967. After learning about Smoyer’s death shortly after arriving in Vietnam, Jevne explains how his mindset shifted regarding the war. Jevne details various difficult incidents and losses of members of his unit throughout his time in Vietnam. He highlights how these events lead to his PTSD [Post Traumatic Stress Disorder] which he struggled with throughout his life. Jevne discusses how Agent Orange caused his prostate cancer.
  • Oral History Interview with David Johnston

    David C Johnston, Dartmouth Class of 1966. Johnston shares home of his family: his parents background and his various siblings. He considered attending a military academy, but eventually settled on Dartmouth and was recruited for football, but quit shortly after joining. He also joined a fraternity, and majored in Government. He founded the Negro College Exchange Fund at Tucker Foundation (now The Tucker Center). Joined the U.S. Air Force ROTC [Reserve Officers Training Corps]. Attended University of Madison Wisconsin at Madison for a Masters in Urban Planning. He was part of the Dow Chemical riot of 1966. Discusses the trend of war in U.S. history, and international politics. He then describes his later life: meeting his wife and working for the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Johnston describes his retirement and creation of his own organization, the Center for Higher Education Retention Excellence. He also teaches college at Eastern Connecticut State University.
  • Oral History Interview with Bruce Jolly

    Bruce D. Jolly, Class of 1965. Oral history interview documenting his service in the United States (US) Army during the Vietnam War. Jolly describes joining the Ordnance Corps in January 1968, achieving the rank of First Lieutenant, serving in Bien Hoa at the Long Binh Depot, and working as Chief of Computer Operations. Discusses living in Vietnam, the interactions between US officers and Vietnamese citizens, and the US societal perceptions shifting during his time in college, graduate school, and after the war. As a student at Dartmouth College, member of Dartmouth Society of Engineers, Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity, Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC). Attended Darned School of Business at University of Virginia and worked at IBM prior to serving in Vietnam.
  • Oral History Interview with Calvin Jones

    Calvin C. Jones Jr., Class of 1973. Oral history interview documenting his service in the United States (US) Army during the Vietnam War. Jones describes his upbringing as son of radio operator in the Navy Reserves who served in World War Two [WWII] and Korea. He details his history at Dartmouth College, attending on a Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC) scholarship, entering in 1965, receiving suspension in 1966, and returning to Dartmouth in 1971. Jones discusses his induction into the Army in October 1966; basic training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina; training in enlisted ranks as combat engineer at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri; and service at Bien Hoa Air Base, Vietnam, in the 1st Cavalry Division (1st Cav, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade), where he was promoted from 1st Lieutenant to Captain. After returning to US, Jones taught at the engineering school at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri and continued his studies. Jones shares anecdotes of his time in Vietnam, as well as his perspective on the current government and party system, and the early 21st century wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
  • Oral History Interview with Stephen E. Katz ‘56

    Vietnam veteran and alumn Stephen E. Katz ‘56 describes his experience in Vietnam and his perception of the socio-political climate of the time. Katz further discusses his stance on the conflict as well as his perception of the Vietnamese while on-ground.
  • Oral History Interview with John Keane

    Keane, John Interview Abstract 1. Childhood and Political Awareness in Huntington, NY 2. Time at Dartmouth 3. Peace Corps Experience in Colombia 4. Time in Vietnam with the Foreign Service 5. Post-War Career and Final Thoughts
  • Oral History Interview with Alan Keiller

    Alan C. Keiller. Dartmouth Class of 1966 and Tuck School of Business Class of 1967. Oral history interview for the Dartmouth Vietnam Project. Keiller discusses being one of three boys in his family who attended Dartmouth. Keiller describes his participation in the Navy Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (NROTC) while at Dartmouth. He discusses his participation in freshman football. Keiller describes the summer trainings for the NROTC spent in Norfolk, Virginia at the Norfolk Naval Station and Naval Amphibious Base in Little Creek, Virginia. He shares his experience as a student in the 3-2 program at Tuck. Keiller describes getting married upon graduation and being sent to nuclear power school for six months. He describes many technical challenges and advantages of nuclear reactors that powered the Naval ships he worked on. He tells stories about his time on the USS Truxtun. He discusses the difference between the men who operate the nuclear reactors and the enlisted men. Keiller shares stories about his time as an instructor for the Navy in Saratoga Springs, New York. He discusses Admiral Hyman G. Rickover, known as the “father of the nuclear Navy.”
  • Oral History Interview with Allen Keiswetter

    Allen L. Keiswetter. Class of 1966. Oral history interview with the Dartmouth Vietnam Project. Keiswetter describes growing up in various towns in Kansas and Oklahoma and his transition to Dartmouth. He shares that athletics were not of particular interest and that he was more focused on academics as a child and in college. His interest in politics began during John F. Kennedy’s election. Keiswetter retells the story of his first encounter with his freshman year roommate, Landon [B.] Jeffers, Class of 1966. Keiswetter describes his freshman English class with Professor [Arthur] Dewing, as being very influential. He describes being exposed to Robert Frost, who gave his last lecture to Keiswetter’s class before his death. Keiswetter discusses his work as a student with Robert J. “Bob” Dole & Nelson A. Rockefeller. While at Dartmouth he describes himself as being a “Green Weenie” rather than a “Big Greenie”, more studious versus more athletic. He discusses his year spent at the European Studies Center in Bologna, Italy after graduation. From there, Keiswetter describes his transition into the Foreign Service Civilian Operations and Rural Development Support (CORDS) program and his time spent in Vietnam through that program. He shares his experience in Vietnam and explains how different his time was versus those who were serving in the military. He describes being able to move freely without much disruption or fear. Keiswetter describes himself as a Europeanist even though the bulk of his career focused on the Middle East. Keiswetter describes his career as a scholar at the Middle East Institute, a professor at the National War College, the National Defense Intelligence College, and at the University of Maryland.
  • Oral History Interview with Glen Kendall

    Glen R. Kendall, Dartmouth College Class of 1964, Tuck School of Business Class of 1971. Oral history interview documenting his service in the United States (US) Army during the Vietnam War. Kendall discusses his experience at Dartmouth studying economics and participating in Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC). He describes his time in an Infantry Officer Basic Course (IOBC) at Fort Benning, Georgia, and his assignment to an infantry position in Europe, as Captain of the Airborne Mechanized Infantry Brigade in Mainz, Germany. In Vietnam, he was in the 196th Light Infantry Brigade in Chu Lai. He then became battalion staff (battalion logistics officer) near Tam Ky. Kendall returned to the US after sustaining injuries in a firefight and was subsequently awarded a Purple Heart. He discusses his opinion of war, the Iraq War, and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
  • Oral History Interview with James T. Kloppenberg ’73

    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.
  • Oral History Interview with David Kruger

    David H. Kruger, Dartmouth Class of 1964. Oral history interview documenting his experience as a Dartmouth College student and his military service during the Vietnam War. Kruger attended Phillips Exeter Academy for high school, and spent four years at Dartmouth in the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC). He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Army and trained in Infantry School at Fort Benning, Georgia. Kruger entered into the Military Intelligence branch (MI) and worked in the United States for the first two years safeguarding information. He then spent one year in An Khê, Vietnam, collecting, synthesizing, and delivering information as the liaison officer to the commanding general of the 1st Cavalry Division (1st Cav). Kruger left Vietnam in January of 1967. He was registered as a disabled veteran at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, and then spent a fourth year in the army at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. Kruger left the army and went into the private insurance sector, working for the same company for 30 years and retiring at age 55. He discusses his travels, his return (multiple times) to Vietnam, and his retirement. He published a family history, winning the Donald Lines Jacobus Award (National prize for genealogy), and joined the boards of Wentworth Institute of Technology and New England Historic Genealogical Society. He has since published other family histories. Kruger also discusses his geopolitical views of current events, and of the Vietnam War.
  • Oral History Interview with Ron Laliberte

    Vietnam veteran Ron Laliberte describes his experience in Vietnam and his perception of the socio-political climate of the time. Laliberte further discusses his stance on the conflict as well as his perception of the Vietnamese while on-ground.
  • Oral History Interview with Stephen Landa ‘67

    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.
  • Oral History Interview with James Laughlin

    James Laughlin III, Class of 1964. Oral history interview documenting his service in the United States (US) Army during the Vietnam War. Laughlin recalls his experience in Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) at Dartmouth College; his commission as a second lieutenant in the United States Army Reserve; and his active duty service at the Officers Infantry School in Fort Benning, Georgia as a combat intelligence officer in the Military Intelligence Corps of the U.S. Army. He describes taking an intelligence crash course at Fort Holabird and arriving in Vietnam to serve in the II Field Force, near Bien Hoa Air Base. Laughlin discusses his experience during the Tet Offensive and his later assignment to the Military Assistance Command in the Mekong Delta. He recalls missions completed, including aerial reconnaissance operations in the IV Corps. Laughlin shares his views of the Vietnam War, his thoughts on government and the role of the soldier in that war as compared to more current wars (Afghanistan and Iraq). He also describes the effect of Agent Orange on him, and the treatment of veterans with other war-related disabilities by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.