"It was pretend before, but now it's real"
Dartmouth Class of 1964: Experiences Serving in Vietnam
Introduction & Exhibit Guide
This portion of the exhibit honors those who served in Vietnam, a life-defining experience for many members of the Dartmouth Class of 1964. Following the stories of most of our 18 interviewees, this page explores questions such as, "What were your first impressions of Vietnam?", "What memorable assignments did you receive?", and "What was your relationship with your unit like?" First, this StoryMap features an interactive map where you can see the primary stations of our interviewees in Vietnam, hear each interviewee's voice as they discuss a memorable aspect of their service, and access each narrator's full interview via a link that directs you to the Dartmouth Vietnam Project website.
Vietnam Assignment Locations
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1
Timothy Brooks
362nd Signal Company, Tan Son Nhut Air Base
"Now, the first impression was It’s hot and it’s humid in this place. God, is it humid! Everything is sopping."
2
Dave Kruger
Liason officer, 1st Cavalry Division, Saigon
"I’m hanging straight down from the side of the helicopter on the machine gun."
3
Neal Stanley
Military advisor to Vietnamese combat unit
"I remember I walked into the village and was met by two dogs coming down, and they had human bones, parts, in their mouths as they were coming out of this village."
4
Jim Laughlin
POW interrogator and aerial reconnaissance officer, Military Intelligence, Bien Hoa
"And somehow, while I was drinking coffee, it penetrated they were talking about my commanding officer’s plane."
5
Francis (Bud) McGrath
"So we slept in our full combat gear: flak vest, helmet, everything."
6
Peter Luitwieler
Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV), Long Binh
"We had generators, and they had been sabotaged. And then the incoming mortars started, and then machine gun fire and rockets."
7
Ivars Bemberis
41st Civil Affairs Company
"And you had to worry about not getting shot by someone who's trying to be mean to you."
8
Hugh Savage
Platoon Commander, 70th Engineering Battalion, Quy Nhon
"That night, the 101st got nervous and started firing off flares and mortars and machine guns..."
9
Lee Chilcote
2nd Battalion, 9th Marines
"And that started my relationship with the troops because they figured, “Here comes the lieutenant. He’s gonna get us all killed."
10
Rand Beers
3rd Marine Regiment, Da Nang
"We didn’t know how big the unit was. We just knew that it was a lot of fire."
11
Mike Parker
Staff officer, mine countermeasures and swimmer defense
"Nervousness really wouldn’t do much good one way or the other, so I didn’t waste a lot of time on it."
12
Bill Riggs
Training Aids Division, Army Intelligence School, Maryland
"I was able to get a job as an illustrator in the Training Aids Division of the school, so I didn’t have to go to Vietnam..."
Vietnam: Photo Archive
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