>>From the Library of Congress in Washington DC.  

>>I took my orders down to the processing station, handed them in, and said, "I'd like to go to Vietnam."  At that point there was a hush in the orderly room.  They said, "Young man sit down," and a Chaplin came out, a psychiatrist came out, we had 2 majors come out and took me aside; obviously they were concerned that I was running away from something.  I don't think you probably found that many guys who would come in with orders to Germany and say, "I want to go to Vietnam."  And we talked for about three hours about what the motives were.  So they said, "Alright, we'll take you off the manifest and you stay here."  And I hung around Fort Dix New Jersey for about two weeks until they could reissue orders.  And they sent me back home to Nebraska for about five days, and then we transitioned out through Oakland, Travis.  

>>Did you fly or boat to Vietnam?  

>>No we flew.  I think most everybody was flying at that point.  

>>You arrive in country in December 4th, 1967 I think according to your bio.  What was your initial impression as you got off the plane?  

>>I suppose like anyone, you are scared; is hot, its unfamiliar, it's oppressive.  There is great angst and uncertainty.  As we were walking down the steps moving, we got in there early in the morning, it was like 6 o'clock in the morning and even at 6 o'clock in the morning the heat was oppressive.  We were walking toward the processing area and a bunch of the grizzled old veterans that were walking back, that were going to get on the bird we were on and go back home, were shouting things at us, "Hey baby, Charlie is going to love you.  They're going to cut your ears off."  I mean saying every outrageous thing that you could imagine.  Of course we're all very stage solid, marching along and not trying to let any of this effect us.  Well of course, it did.  But you never remember that entry point.  You can see it probably as long as you live, what it looked like and what you did and what you heard.  The whole thing closing in on you in a way you never ever quite experienced anything.  

>>Did you question your decision to go there at that point?  

>>No I never did.  I don't think most of us...well most of us were sent there.  I mean most of us were draftees that fought over there.  You didn't have any choice, but I did and I never, ever questioned it.  Sure I was scared like everybody else but I saw it first of all as a sense of responsibility, purpose, patriotism.  I was glad I was there.  ^M00:02:55

>>This has been a presentation of the Library of Congress.  Visit us at loc.gov.  
^E00:03:02