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This oral history explores the life and Vietnam War service of Jeff Danziger, award winning cartoonist who currently resides in Brattleboro Vermont. Danziger, a New York native, attended the University of Denver before moving to Plainfield, Vermont. Danziger was drafted into the US Army in 1966, and tried to avoid deployment to Vietnam by attending language school and by becoming an officer. He served in Vietnam from 1970-1971, where he worked in various capacities for the First Cavalry Division and also served as an advisor to the South Vietnamese Army during the period of the “Vietnamization” of the war. In addition to discussing his wartime experiences in Vietnam, Danziger also reflects on postwar writings and films about the war, American attitudes towards veterans, and his return to Vietnam as a journalist years later.
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Steve Fowle begins with his family history. Coming from several generations of New Hampshire and Massachusetts residents, he reflects on his family’s deep New England roots and his father’s journey to achieving social mobility. He recounts dropping out of high school and enlisting as an Army Photographer, remembering basic training at Fort Jackson, Florida, and photography training at Ft. Monmouth, New Jersey. He recalls arriving in Long Binh in June 1967 and learning he would be a medical illustrator in the morgue for the 9th Medical Laboratory, 44th Medical Brigade in Saigon. He describes daily life in Saigon and taking photographs for pathologists. He reflects on Saigon and his memories from the Tet Offensive. He returned home in June 1968 and discusses reintegration into everyday life, including his travels out West. He talks about his entry into journalism and journey to becoming the lead editor for The New Hampshire Gazette.
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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.
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Interview with David “Jake” Guest, Class of 1966. Guest discusses his life growing up in Hanover, where he attended Hanover High School and then Dartmouth College. Encouraged by Dean Thaddeus Seymour to take a few years off from his studies, Guest joined the Army and was deployed in Germany. Guest reflects on his growing disillusionment with the military and eventual discharge, which propelled him to travel Europe and the Middle East. Guest then discusses his return to Dartmouth and his involvement in anti-war activism. Finally, Guest details his experience with the Wooden Shoe Commune and his contributions to the Upper Valley community through organic farming.
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Oral history interview with James Harlow, resident of the Upper Valley currently residing in Thetford, VT. He was drafted into the army, and was deployed in Vietnam from 1971 until medical issues sent him home in 1972. He briefly lived a regular civilian life, but re-enlisted into the military in 1973 – marking the beginning of a career that would last until 1992. Jim was a combat engineer and spent time as a minesweeper in a modified bulldozer after the prior operator was injured. In this interview he discusses his experiences in Vietnam, the Gulf War, and his perceptions of society, religion, and drugs during the Vietnam war era.
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Robert Munson, a Vietnam veteran, discusses his childhood moving around the United States with his military family. He then discusses his military service beginning with his training at Fort Belvoir in Virginia and his experience as an army engineer. He goes on to talk about his time in Vietnam, beginning with his chaotic introduction to the war in Saigon and Cam Ranh Bay. He goes on to talk about his experiences during the Tet Offensive, and how he earned his Purple Heart. After this, he goes on to speak about his experiences in the latter half of his tour, featuring interactions with his commanding officers and Marines in Hué. After Vietnam, Munson talks about his transition back into civilian life and his career and family relationships. At the end of the interview, he discusses his move to the Upper Valley of Vermont/New Hampshire, his current views on the war, and his interactions with younger veterans.
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This interview, conducted on October 27, 2020 with Mr. Michael Heaney for the Dartmouth Vietnam Project, begins with Heaney’s childhood. He discusses how his father’s service in WWII influenced him from a young age. While a fighter pilot in the pacific theater, his father kept a detailed combat diary, which Heaney recalled reading very closely in his early years. He discusses his activities in school, where he maintained multiple peer leadership positions. He goes on to describe his ROTC program at Middlebury College, which led him to enlist in the US Army. After joining the Army, Heaney participated in several training camps, including ROTC, basic infantry training, Ranger school, and jump school. He then discusses his arrival in Vietnam, the men with whom he became acquainted, and ultimately the ambush he experienced on May 16-17, 1966. Heaney discusses the hours-long firefight where he was wounded in the right calf. From this point in the interview, he transitions to discussing the experience of telling the traumatic story of the ambush during multiple interviews in which he has taken part over the ensuing decades. He recounts that upon returning home from the hospital, his parents asked to read his combat diary rather than discuss his experiences openly. The interview ends with Heaney’s reflections on the experience of being interviewed for the Ken Burns and Lynn Novick documentary series, The Vietnam War, and its role in establishing the collective memory of the Vietnam War.
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Bruce Boedtker was born 1950 in Glen Cove, Long Island, but spent much of his early life moving from place to place. Boedtker felt most at home on his grandparents’ farm in Springfield, Vermont, where he eventually lived full time and attended school. He volunteered for the Army after dropping out of high school and receiving a low lottery number in the draft. He served during a period of US troop withdrawal in the Vietnam War. Boedtker began his basic training on September 14, 1970 at Fort Dix, New Jersey, then completed Advanced Infantry Training at Fort Polk, Louisiana. Initially enlisted to serve in Vietnam, his orders changed, and he was deployed to Wildflecken, Germany. There he served as an Infantry Private with the 3rd Infantry Division as part of the US Army’s presence in the NATO alliance to defend the Czech border. During his service, Boedtker describes being bored and aimless, until his Company Commander offered him a job as his driver. Boedtker describes this opportunity as a major turning point in his life, as it gave him a greater sense of purpose through his responsibility of leading drills. His main connection to the Vietnam War was through the Vietnam veterans sent to Europe to finish out their tours and the stories they told. They often described the lack of discipline and strategy that caused the chaos and unrest in Vietnam. Boedtker was discharged on April 18th, 1972. He returned to Vermont, where he received a degree in engineering from the University of Vermont and eventually ran his own business. Today, he lives there with his family.
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Henry (‘Hank’) Billings was born in Boston, Massachusetts on August 21st, 1941. He has three siblings, two older sisters and one younger brother who served in the National Guard. After graduating high school, Hank attended Wentworth College, Northeastern University, and UMASS Amherst in ROTC to study economics and history. After graduating in 1964, Hank deferred service to hitchhike around Europe for a year before arriving at Fort Benning, GA in April of 1965 for Basic Infantry Training. He continued on to Fort Holabird, MD where he trained as an intelligence specialist, and joined the 519th Military Intelligence Battalion at Fort Bragg in North Carolina. Arriving in Saigon in December of 1965, Hank served in the research and analysis branch at Tan Son Nhut Air Base. While there, Hank worked as an expert on, and wrote reports about, B52 bombing efficacy, Cambodian incursions, and Viet Cong soldier morale. Returning from Saigon, Hank finished his duty as a first lieutenant at Fort Devens, MA. After service, Hank participated in antiwar protests, and attended UMass Amherst for graduate school in education, eventually becoming a teacher. Hank returned to Vietnam in 2001 for a country bicycling tour.
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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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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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Jim Smith was born on April 5th, 1946 in Norfolk, VA. Smith’s father graduated from the Naval Academy in 1940 and later worked in the rocket division at Chrysler. Growing up, Smith traveled around the country due to his parents’ work. Attending Dartmouth as a member of the class of 1968, Smith went to the “Confront the War Makers” march on Washington in November 1967. After graduation, Smith joined the Peace Corps briefly before being injured in Hawaii in a car crash and being medically discharged in August of 1968. On February 14th, 1969 Smith enlisted in the Army and went through basic training, infantry OCS, Airborne School, and Ranger School in Fort Benning, GA. Arriving in Vietnam in October 1970 and remaining there until October of 1971, Smith was an infantry rifle platoon leader in the First Cavalry Division operating in Binh Long, Phuoc Long, and Tay Ninh provinces along the Cambodian border northwest of Saigon. While there, Smith worked on interdiction of enemy forces along the Ho Chi Minh trail. After returning home, Smith became a lawyer and resides today in North Carolina.
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Dartmouth alumnus Andrew Paul, Class of 1960, describes growing up as the child of Hungarian immigrants in New York City at the beginning of WWII; his transition to Dartmouth; and his experiences during the Cold War and after both as a soldier and a civilian. He discusses his involvement with the Army ROTC program at Dartmouth and his commissioning upon graduation as an officer in Army Intelligence. He served first as an instructor at the Army Intelligence School at Fort Holabird, Maryland, and then three years on active reserve in the 2nd Special Forces Group (Airborne), a unit with a then Cold War mission. After finishing parachute training, Paul served first as a Team leader and later as Company Intelligence Officer. During this time, Paul also completed a Masters Degree in foreign service from Georgetown University. He also served on the security team on the presidential campaign of then candidate Senator Barry Goldwater. After leaving Special Forces at the end of 1965, Paul began a civilian career in marketing, public affairs, and lobbying. He was also a political consultant to a major supplier to the U.S. Armed Forces. A substantial portion of this interview covers Paul's impressions of the Vietnam war and its political aspects both from a military and civilian aspect.
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Oral history interview with Dartmouth alumnus Russell Andrews '68, MED ‘78, who served in the Peace Corps in Micronesia after graduation. He later received a doctorate in human development from Harvard University before returning to Dartmouth to attend medical school. Afterwards, Andrews served for two years (1979-1981) as a US Army Flight Surgeon in South Korea and Natick, MA. He completed his neurosurgery residency at Stanford University and went on to a career in neurosurgery that included private practice and faculty positions at several universities. He also acted as a medical advisor for the NASA Ames Research Center for 25 years. In this interview Andrews discusses his experience as a college student and young adult during the Vietnam War and his perceptions of the political climate at the time.
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Cross, Lon Interview Abstract:
1. Growing Up in Independence, MO
2. Time at Dartmouth
3. Joining the Army and Basic Training
4. Choosing to be a Ranger
5. Serving in Korea
6. Later Posts, Teaching, and Retirement
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Lenehan, Michael Interview Abstract
1. Early Childhood
2. Time at Dartmouth
3. Basic Army Training and AIT
4. Artillery Service in I Corps
5. Post-War Life and Final Thoughts
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Peter H. Zastrow. Class of 1961. Oral history interview for the Dartmouth Vietnam Project. Zastrow documents his time in the Army during the Vietnam War. He describes his childhood moving across the United States. Zastrow discusses his time as an undergraduate student at Dartmouth, and his involvement in the Glee Club and the Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC). Zastrow shares how he received a deferment from the Army to attend graduate school, studying English at Indiana University. He describes being sent to Fort Leavenworth in Kansas after graduate school to write and proof-read field manuals for the Vietnam War. Zastrow shares how he was sent to Vietnam to write stories about the 1st Cavalry (Airmobile) Division to be publishes in Army newsletters. After the Vietnam War, Zastrow describes how he participated in anti-war activities with Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW).
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Curtis R. Welling. Class of 1971. Oral history interview documenting his childhood, career at Dartmouth, six years spent in the National Guard, his return to campus as a student at the Tuck School of Business, and as a Senior Fellow at the Tuck School of Business from 2013-2017. Welling lived in French Hall his freshman year and played on the freshman football team. Welling joined the college radio station, WDCR, as a sports broadcaster. While most of his time with WDCR was spent on sports, he was sent to broadcast the Parkhurst takeover in 1969. He joined Phi Delta Alpha and was an English major and a government minor. Welling describes the cultural climate in the United States and at Dartmouth leading up to the Vietnam War, postwar, and contemporary political and economic challenges. Welling describes not wanting to go to Vietnam and had anticipated being exempt because of respiratory allergies but was not given the exemption and therefore joined the National Guard.
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Marshall F. Wallach. Class of 1965. Oral history interview for the Dartmouth Vietnam Project. Wallach describes his childhood growing up in a military family. He discusses the impact 36 moves in 30 years had on him. He shares how moving made him able to adapt to new situations and have a broader perspective on the world but also made it difficult to make lasting friendships from childhood. Wallach discusses his experience attending The Hill School, a boys residential school in Pennsylvania. He describes his transition to Dartmouth and discusses his involvement in the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, Kappa Sigma Fraternity [now Chi Gamma Epsilon], the Tennis team, Dartmouth Mountaineering Club, the Interfraternity Council Judicial Committee, and Cask and Gauntlet. Wallach explains how he graduated as a distinguished military graduate and was able to decide between three years of service in a regular commission or two years of service as a reserve officer. He explains why he selected the reserve officer commission and was sent to Fort Knox in Kentucky for Army Officer Basic School.
He explains how he decided to defer from business school and volunteered for an additional year in Vietnam. Wallach discusses his position as the executive officer for the 2nd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment. He describes the unique situation that his entire unit was sent as a group to Pleiku in Vietnam in August of 1967. Wallach describes his time in Vietnam as being mostly hot, dirty, dusty, rainy, and filled with long stretches of boredom. Wallach discusses the second part of his tour as the squadron intelligence officer for the squadron commander’s staff responsible for intelligence, located at Kon Tum, Vietnam. He shares his experience flying dawn patrols and a story when he was shot down. He also describes his other task of leading long-range patrols. In addition, he describes how he was moved from Pleiku to Kon Tum, the night before the Tet Offensive. Wallach shares that it did not take him long to realize he had made a mistake to volunteer to go to Vietnam and chose to discontinue his service after one additional year. Wallach discusses his return from Vietnam and transition to the Harvard Business School. He describes the climate on campus during his graduate studies.
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Daniel J. Walden, Class of 1965. Oral history interview documenting his service in the United States Army during the Vietnam War. Walden describes his time as a student at Dartmouth College, including his involvement with the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) mountain and winter warfare unit. He discusses his Army training at Fort Gordon, Fort Sill, and Fort Benning jump school; his assignment as a signal officer in the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg and his participation in the suppression of the 1967 Detroit riot; and his assignment to the 101st Airborne Divison in Vietnam, including his service during the Tet Offensive and a severe typhoon. Walden shares his experience with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and alcoholism after the war, and his perspectives on Dartmouth, his education, and his military service.
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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.
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G. Theodore Talbot Jr., Class of 1965. Oral history interview for the Dartmouth Vietnam Project. Talbot describes growing up in New Jersey and his experience attending Peddie School for his junior and senior years of high school. He describes himself as being a good student and finished third in his graduating class from high school. Talbot discusses his arrival to Dartmouth, his participation in the Outing Club, joining Phi Kappa Psi, and joining the Army ROTC [Reserve Officers’ Training Corps]. He discusses his social life as mostly revolving around Outing Club activities. Talbot describes his time after Dartmouth as a graduate student at Princeton prior to receiving his orders for Vietnam. Talbot discusses his transition from school into the Army in January of 1969. He shares that most of his work was administrative/project management desk work. Talbot describes his time in an ARPA [Advanced Research Projects Agency] field unit in Vietnam. He shares his perspective on the Army’s phrase, “win their hearts and their minds will follow” as having not been successful. Talbot describes being pro-war prior to arriving in Vietnam and very quickly became disillusioned which lead to a sense of mistrust in governments. He recounts his time after the Vietnam War and his career in market research and how he returned to a career in counseling.
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David M. Stearns, Class of 1968. Oral history interview documenting his service in the United States Army during the Vietnam War. Stearns describes his experiences as a student at Dartmouth College, including his observations of the anti-war movement on campus. He discusses the military service draft and his decision to enlist in the Army. Stearns recalls training at Fort Ord; working at the Fort Hood computer center; being stationed in Long Binh, Vietnam; and maintaining a relationship with his wife and newborn child during his service. Stearns also shares his opinions on the war, the socioeconomic elements of the draft, current politics, and the treatment of veterans.