History Commons^™

Charles Runnels, Interviewed By Gary Waters, Part 1, Charles Runnels

MF087 Vietnam Veterans Oral History

Charles Runnels, interviewed by Gary Waters in Abbot, Maine on June 22, 1999. Runnels discusses growing up in Bethel, Maine and attending Gould Academy; being recruited to play football at UMaine but losing the offer due to a low SAT score; graduating on June 13, 1965, and going on active duty with the Marine Corps on August 30, 1965. He relates his experience meeting his new drill sergeant and wondering “when the bad stuff starts;” and taking comfort in the rule that “even if they do kill you they aren’t allowed to eat you…;” graduating as an infantry rifleman; and …

Charles Runnels, Interviewed By Gary Waters, Part 2, Charles Runnels

MF087 Vietnam Veterans Oral History

Charles Runnels, interviewed by Gary Waters in Abbot, Maine on June 22, 1999. Runnels discusses growing up in Bethel, Maine and attending Gould Academy; being recruited to play football at UMaine but losing the offer due to a low SAT score; graduating on June 13, 1965, and going on active duty with the Marine Corps on August 30, 1965. He relates his experience meeting his new drill sergeant and wondering “when the bad stuff starts;” and taking comfort in the rule that “even if they do kill you they aren’t allowed to eat you…;” graduating as an infantry rifleman; and …

Charles Runnels, Interviewed By Gary Waters, Part 3, Charles Runnels

MF087 Vietnam Veterans Oral History

Charles Runnels, interviewed by Gary Waters in Abbot, Maine on June 22, 1999. Runnels discusses growing up in Bethel, Maine and attending Gould Academy; being recruited to play football at UMaine but losing the offer due to a low SAT score; graduating on June 13, 1965, and going on active duty with the Marine Corps on August 30, 1965. He relates his experience meeting his new drill sergeant and wondering “when the bad stuff starts;” and taking comfort in the rule that “even if they do kill you they aren’t allowed to eat you…;” graduating as an infantry rifleman; and …

Maj. Gen. John W. “Bill” Libby (Ret.), Interviewed By Laura Tucker, Part 1, John W. Libby

MF087 Vietnam Veterans Oral History

Major General John W. “Bill” Libby (Ret.), interviewed by Laura Tucker, in Waterville, Maine on May 27, 1999. Libby speaks about graduating from ROTC at UMaine; field artillery training; volunteering for Vietnam; his view of protesters; being excited when he received his orders; attending “charm school” before deploying; shipping out; his two vivid memories of stepping off the plane in Vietnam; requesting to join the 1st Cavalry Division; being assigned to an artillery division; life on base in An Khe; serving as a liaison officer to an infantry battalion and as a battery commander; the Fishhook area north of Saigon; …

Maj. Gen. John W. “Bill” Libby (Ret.), Interviewed By Laura Tucker, Part 2, John W. Libby

MF087 Vietnam Veterans Oral History

Major General John W. “Bill” Libby (Ret.), interviewed by Laura Tucker, in Waterville, Maine on May 27, 1999. Libby speaks about graduating from ROTC at UMaine; field artillery training; volunteering for Vietnam; his view of protesters; being excited when he received his orders; attending “charm school” before deploying; shipping out; his two vivid memories of stepping off the plane in Vietnam; requesting to join the 1st Cavalry Division; being assigned to an artillery division; life on base in An Khe; serving as a liaison officer to an infantry battalion and as a battery commander; the Fishhook area north of Saigon; …

Maj. Gen. John W. “Bill” Libby (Ret.), Interviewed By Laura Tucker, Part 3, John W. Libby

MF087 Vietnam Veterans Oral History

Major General John W. “Bill” Libby (Ret.), interviewed by Laura Tucker, in Waterville, Maine on May 27, 1999. Libby speaks about graduating from ROTC at UMaine; field artillery training; volunteering for Vietnam; his view of protesters; being excited when he received his orders; attending “charm school” before deploying; shipping out; his two vivid memories of stepping off the plane in Vietnam; requesting to join the 1st Cavalry Division; being assigned to an artillery division; life on base in An Khe; serving as a liaison officer to an infantry battalion and as a battery commander; the Fishhook area north of Saigon; …

Christopher “Chris” M. Beam, Interviewed By Doug Rawlings, Christopher M. Beam

MF087 Vietnam Veterans Oral History

Christopher “Chris” M. Beam, interviewed by Doug Rawlings, August 29, 2000. Beam reviews his early life, attending Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts, being invested in the “domino effect,” being disturbed about his fellow students seeking a way out of service, his gendered perspective of serving in the military, enlisting with the U.S. Marines feeling it was a prestigious branch of the military, feeling it was his patriotic duty to serve, signing up for three years of active duty and three year in an active reserve, his mother’s opposition to him entering the military, experiencing a change in heart as his …

Ron Frechette, Interviewed By Gary Waters, Part 1, Ronald Paul Frechette

MF087 Vietnam Veterans Oral History

Ronald Paul Frechette, interviewed by Gary Waters in Jay, Maine on June 15, 1999. Frechette discusses his time training as a combat engineer at Camp Lejeune and jungle training in California, growing up fast in the Marines, being gung ho about going to Vietnam because he wanted to be patriotic, being assigned to the 1st Shore Party, 1st Marines, never forgetting the smell of Vietnam and odors that trigger memories, being at Hill 55 and Dodge City, seeing his first KIAs and WIAs, being unprepared and frightened, Vietnamese burial customs, slang terms used by soldiers. He talks about returning to …

Ron Frechette, Interviewed By Gary Waters, Part 2, Ronald Paul Frechette

MF087 Vietnam Veterans Oral History

Ronald Paul Frechette, interviewed by Gary Waters in Jay, Maine on June 15, 1999. Frechette discusses his time training as a combat engineer at Camp Lejeune and jungle training in California, growing up fast in the Marines, being gung ho about going to Vietnam because he wanted to be patriotic, being assigned to the 1st Shore Party, 1st Marines, never forgetting the smell of Vietnam and odors that trigger memories, being at Hill 55 and Dodge City, seeing his first KIAs and WIAs, being unprepared and frightened, Vietnamese burial customs, slang terms used by soldiers. He talks about returning to …

Ron Frechette, Interviewed By Gary Waters, Part 3, Ronald Paul Frechette

MF087 Vietnam Veterans Oral History

Ronald Paul Frechette, interviewed by Gary Waters in Jay, Maine on June 15, 1999. Frechette discusses his time training as a combat engineer at Camp Lejeune and jungle training in California, growing up fast in the Marines, being gung ho about going to Vietnam because he wanted to be patriotic, being assigned to the 1st Shore Party, 1st Marines, never forgetting the smell of Vietnam and odors that trigger memories, being at Hill 55 and Dodge City, seeing his first KIAs and WIAs, being unprepared and frightened, Vietnamese burial customs, slang terms used by soldiers. He talks about returning to …

Frank Soares Iii, Interviewed By Kellie Pelletier, Part 1, Francis C. Soares Iii

MF087 Vietnam Veterans Oral History

Francis C. “Frank” Soares III, interviewed by Kellie Pelletier on June 22, 1999, in Augusta, Maine. Soares speaks about his early life; joining the U.S. Army in 1965; attending boot camp at Fort Dix; applying for Officer Candidate School and being accepted while in infantry training; wanting to go into Special Forces and ending up in helicopter training before having his orders changed to report back to Fort Knox, Kentucky to form the new 7th Squadron of the 1st Cavalry Regiment; becoming a cavalry scout using LOHs, light observation helicopters (OH6A); deploying to Vietnam as a squadron; the experience flying …

Frank Soares Iii, Interviewed By Kellie Pelletier, Part 2, Francis C. Soares Iii

MF087 Vietnam Veterans Oral History

Francis C. “Frank” Soares III, interviewed by Kellie Pelletier on June 22, 1999, in Augusta, Maine. Soares speaks about his early life; joining the U.S. Army in 1965; attending boot camp at Fort Dix; applying for Officer Candidate School and being accepted while in infantry training; wanting to go into Special Forces and ending up in helicopter training before having his orders changed to report back to Fort Knox, Kentucky to form the new 7th Squadron of the 1st Cavalry Regiment; becoming a cavalry scout using LOHs, light observation helicopters (OH6A); deploying to Vietnam as a squadron; the experience flying …

Frank Soares Iii, Interviewed By Kellie Pelletier, Part 3, Francis C. Soares Iii

MF087 Vietnam Veterans Oral History

Francis C. “Frank” Soares III, interviewed by Kellie Pelletier on June 22, 1999, in Augusta, Maine. Soares speaks about his early life; joining the U.S. Army in 1965; attending boot camp at Fort Dix; applying for Officer Candidate School and being accepted while in infantry training; wanting to go into Special Forces and ending up in helicopter training before having his orders changed to report back to Fort Knox, Kentucky to form the new 7th Squadron of the 1st Cavalry Regiment; becoming a cavalry scout using LOHs, light observation helicopters (OH6A); deploying to Vietnam as a squadron; the experience flying …

Mary Jane Miller, Interviewed By Elizabeth Bunten, Mary Jane Chase Miller

MF144 Women in the Military

Mary Jane Miller, interviewed by Elizabeth Bunten, May 9, 2003. Miller, age 80, talks about her family; enlisting in the Navy (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) in World War II; her family and friends’ reaction to her enlistment; her basic training experience; the relationship between male officers and female enlisted; her not going overseas during the war; whether she would do it all again; changes in opportunities for women in the military; leaving the Navy after the war; delivering a top secret message; and working under women officers. Text: 8 pp. transcript. Recording: No recording.

Barbara Beal, Interviewed By Amy L. Stevens, Barbara Ann Kasnic Beal

MF144 Women in the Military

Barbara Beal, interviewed by Amy L. Stevens, May 1, 2003, in Maine Coast Memorial Hospital in Ellsworth, Maine. Beal, age 56, talks about her service as an Army nurse in the Vietnam War; her family and friends’ reaction to her deployment; her anxiety prior to deployment; her training experiences; her preconceptions of the war vs. the reality; her emotional experience of the war; her typical day at the medevac hospital; the dangers of the job; her leisure time; socialization between men and women; her most important relationships during the war; her reception upon returning as a veteran; whether the war …

Barbara Beal, Interviewed By Laura Wheaton, Part 1, Barbara Beal

MF144 Women in the Military

Barbara Beal, interviewed by Laura Wheaton, November 14, 2001, in her home in Ellsworth, Maine. Beal talks about joining the Army Nurses Corps in 1970; being stationed in Hawaii; being sent to Vietnam where she served until 1972; her rank of Lieutenant. Text: 15 pp. transcript. Time: 01:06:45.

Listen:

Part 1: mfc_na3203_c2304_01
Part 2: mfc_na3203_c2304_02

Barbara Beal, Interviewed By Laura Wheaton, Part 2, Barbara Beal

MF144 Women in the Military

Barbara Beal, interviewed by Laura Wheaton, November 14, 2001, in her home in Ellsworth, Maine. Beal talks about joining the Army Nurses Corps in 1970; being stationed in Hawaii; being sent to Vietnam where she served until 1972; her rank of Lieutenant. Text: 15 pp. transcript. Time: 01:06:45.

Listen:

Part 1: mfc_na3203_c2304_01
Part 2: mfc_na3203_c2304_02

Hank Fuller, Interviewed By Craig Day, Part 4, Henry Fuller

MF087 Vietnam Veterans Oral History

Henry “Hank” Fuller, interviewed by Craig Day at Lisbon Falls, Maine, June 10, 1999. Fuller discusses his youth in Connecticut and moving to Maine, growing up feeling patriotic and anticipating the day he would join the service, feeling “duped by the system” after serving in Vietnam, now questions authority, the divisiveness of the war, attending college for the deferment, graduating and qualifying for a commission in the Marines. He talks about his experience in Basic School, the assassinations of Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King while in Basic School, being assigned to the Third Marine Division infantry located in the …

Hank Fuller, Interviewed By Craig Day, Part 2, Henry Fuller

MF087 Vietnam Veterans Oral History

Henry “Hank” Fuller, interviewed by Craig Day at Lisbon Falls, Maine, June 10, 1999. Fuller discusses his youth in Connecticut and moving to Maine, growing up feeling patriotic and anticipating the day he would join the service, feeling “duped by the system” after serving in Vietnam, now questions authority, the divisiveness of the war, attending college for the deferment, graduating and qualifying for a commission in the Marines. He talks about his experience in Basic School, the assassinations of Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King while in Basic School, being assigned to the Third Marine Division infantry located in the …

Hank Fuller, Interviewed By Craig Day, Part 3, Henry Fuller

MF087 Vietnam Veterans Oral History

Henry “Hank” Fuller, interviewed by Craig Day at Lisbon Falls, Maine, June 10, 1999. Fuller discusses his youth in Connecticut and moving to Maine, growing up feeling patriotic and anticipating the day he would join the service, feeling “duped by the system” after serving in Vietnam, now questions authority, the divisiveness of the war, attending college for the deferment, graduating and qualifying for a commission in the Marines. He talks about his experience in Basic School, the assassinations of Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King while in Basic School, being assigned to the Third Marine Division infantry located in the …

Hank Fuller, Interviewed By Craig Day, Part 1, Henry Fuller

MF087 Vietnam Veterans Oral History

Henry “Hank” Fuller, interviewed by Craig Day at Lisbon Falls, Maine, June 10, 1999. Fuller discusses his youth in Connecticut and moving to Maine, growing up feeling patriotic and anticipating the day he would join the service, feeling “duped by the system” after serving in Vietnam, now questions authority, the divisiveness of the war, attending college for the deferment, graduating and qualifying for a commission in the Marines. He talks about his experience in Basic School, the assassinations of Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King while in Basic School, being assigned to the Third Marine Division infantry located in the …

Dave Elliott, Interviewed By Kellie Pelletier, Part 3, David Elliott

MF087 Vietnam Veterans Oral History

Dave Elliott, interviewed by Kellie Pelletier at Minot, Maine, June 29, 1999. Elliott discusses being drafted in 1968, the same day as two of his high school classmates, receiving jungle warfare training for the infantry, being assigned to a recon platoon with the America Division, Echo Company, 4th Battalion, 21st Infantry, 11th Infantry Brigade; his first impressions landing in Vietnam, landing Duc Pho village, spending his first night on bunker duty, WWII C-rations and cannibalizing Claymore mines to retrieve material to heat water for instant coffee, going to Vietnam weighing 189 pounds and returning weighing 133 pounds, the lack of …

Dave Elliott, Interviewed By Kellie Pelletier, Part 2, David Elliott

MF087 Vietnam Veterans Oral History

Dave Elliott, interviewed by Kellie Pelletier at Minot, Maine, June 29, 1999. Elliott discusses being drafted in 1968, the same day as two of his high school classmates, receiving jungle warfare training for the infantry, being assigned to a recon platoon with the America Division, Echo Company, 4th Battalion, 21st Infantry, 11th Infantry Brigade; his first impressions landing in Vietnam, landing Duc Pho village, spending his first night on bunker duty, WWII C-rations and cannibalizing Claymore mines to retrieve material to heat water for instant coffee, going to Vietnam weighing 189 pounds and returning weighing 133 pounds, the lack of …

Leo Bertram Bell, Interviewed By Stephen D. Rees, Jr., Part 3, Leo Bertram Bell

MF087 Vietnam Veterans Oral History

Leo Bertram Bell, interviewed by Stephen Rees at the Muskie Archives, Bates College, Lewiston, Maine on July 29, 1999. Bell is one of the 28 Vietnam Veterans interviewed as part of the original grant project. Bell, born in Lewiston, Maine, speaks about his early life living in the Home for Boys following his parents' divorce; doing poorly in school; his belief that if he served in the Army, "all these girls would fall over us;" enlisting at age 17; his training; being the youngest in his unit and being stationed in Georgia when his unit was deployed; landing in Vietnam …

Dave Elliott, Interviewed By Kellie Pelletier, Part 1, David Elliott

MF087 Vietnam Veterans Oral History

Dave Elliott, interviewed by Kellie Pelletier at Minot, Maine, June 29, 1999. Elliott discusses being drafted in 1968, the same day as two of his high school classmates, receiving jungle warfare training for the infantry, being assigned to a recon platoon with the America Division, Echo Company, 4th Battalion, 21st Infantry, 11th Infantry Brigade; his first impressions landing in Vietnam, landing Duc Pho village, spending his first night on bunker duty, WWII C-rations and cannibalizing Claymore mines to retrieve material to heat water for instant coffee, going to Vietnam weighing 189 pounds and returning weighing 133 pounds, the lack of …

Leo Bertram Bell, Interviewed By Stephen D. Rees, Jr., Part 2, Leo Bertram Bell

MF087 Vietnam Veterans Oral History

Leo Bertram Bell, interviewed by Stephen Rees at the Muskie Archives, Bates College, Lewiston, Maine on July 29, 1999. Bell is one of the 28 Vietnam Veterans interviewed as part of the original grant project. Bell, born in Lewiston, Maine, speaks about his early life living in the Home for Boys following his parents' divorce; doing poorly in school; his belief that if he served in the Army, "all these girls would fall over us;" enlisting at age 17; his training; being the youngest in his unit and being stationed in Georgia when his unit was deployed; landing in Vietnam …

Bert Brewster, Interviewed By Stephen D. Rees, Jr., Part 2, Elbert R. Brewster

MF087 Vietnam Veterans Oral History

Rev. Mr. Elbert R. “Bert” Brewster, interviewed by Stephen Rees in Waterville, Maine, July 7, 1999. Brewster discusses his youth and being born a month following his father's death; his brother who was 16-years older, going into World War II; admiring his brother's service but still attempting to waylay being drafted himself; gimmicks used by young men to escape the draft including gaining weight and reporting while badly hung over in order to appear unhealthy; going into the service with a group of men from around New England; reporting to Fort Dix; becoming ill with pneumonia during basic training; handling …

Leo Bertram Bell, Interviewed By Stephen D. Rees, Jr., Part 1, Leo Bertram Bell

MF087 Vietnam Veterans Oral History

Leo Bertram Bell, interviewed by Stephen Rees at the Muskie Archives, Bates College, Lewiston, Maine on July 29, 1999. Bell is one of the 28 Vietnam Veterans interviewed as part of the original grant project. Bell, born in Lewiston, Maine, speaks about his early life living in the Home for Boys following his parents' divorce; doing poorly in school; his belief that if he served in the Army, "all these girls would fall over us;" enlisting at age 17; his training; being the youngest in his unit and being stationed in Georgia when his unit was deployed; landing in Vietnam …

Bert Brewster, Interviewed By Stephen D. Rees, Jr., Part 1, Elbert R. Brewster

MF087 Vietnam Veterans Oral History

Rev. Mr. Elbert R. “Bert” Brewster, interviewed by Stephen Rees in Waterville, Maine, July 7, 1999. Brewster discusses his youth and being born a month following his father's death; his brother who was 16-years older, going into World War II; admiring his brother's service but still attempting to waylay being drafted himself; gimmicks used by young men to escape the draft including gaining weight and reporting while badly hung over in order to appear unhealthy; going into the service with a group of men from around New England; reporting to Fort Dix; becoming ill with pneumonia during basic training; handling …

Maj. Gen. John W. Libby (Ret.), Interviewed By Laura Tucker, Part 1, John W. Libby

MF087 Vietnam Veterans Oral History

Maj. Gen. John W. Libby (Ret.), interviewed by Laura Tucker, in Waterville, Maine on May 27, 1999. Libby speaks about graduating from ROTC at UMaine; field artillery training; volunteering for Vietnam; his view of protesters; being excited when he received his orders; attending "charm school" before deploying; shipping out; his two vivid memories of stepping off the plane in Vietnam; requesting to join the 1st Cavalry Division; being assigned to an artillery division; life on base in An Khe; serving as a liaison officer to an infantry battalion and as a battery commander; the Fishhook area north of Saigon; fear …