Vietnam Center & Sam Johnson Vietnam Archive News and Updates
Happy Birthday Marines!
Happy Birthday United States Marines!
On November 10th, 1775 the US Continental Congress created the Continental Marines to fight in the American Revolution and today the Marines celebrate their 234th birthday. Congratulations!
The Vietnam Archive wishes to honor all Marines on their special day today. Here are a few Marine related items from our collection. Semper Fidelis.

First wave-- Leatherneck helicopter of Marine Medium helicopter of Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 164 and infantryman of the 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, are the first elements into the zine, November 20 during Operation Mead River, about eight miles southwest of Danang. More than 75 helicopters of the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing lifted some 3,500 leathernecks into pre-designed zones in approximately two hours.

Operation Prairie III-- Marines of "A" Company, 1st Battalion, Ninth Marines, move through a stream in search of North Vietnamese soldiers during Operation Prairie III approximately three miles west of Cam Lo.

Marine Attack Squadron 311, Marine Air Group 12, Chu Lai, I Corps, Vietnam

Mine Sweep-- A Marine mine sweep team of "A" Company, 3rd Engineer Battalion, checks a road west of Ca Lu for enemy Mines or dud rounds. This sweep, like many others in the Northern I Corps, is conducted each morning before traffic is permitted to use the road.

A US Marine carries a seriously wounded Vietnamese child from the ruins of a home in Hue. The provincial capital city was the target of violent VC attacks following the start of the Tet (Lunar new year).

1st Marine Division patch

2nd Marine Division patch

1st Marine Division shorts
Labels: announcements,archival collections,audio/visual,events,exhibits,reference/outreach,vietnam archive
Happy Birthday U S Navy
Happy Birthday United States Navy
The United States Navy was created on October 13, 1775 during the American Revolution. Today the Navy celebrates its 234th birthday. In order to celebrate this wonderful occasion the Vietnam Archive would like to present a few Navy items from our collections.
Please enjoy the materials and help us to congratulate all of the Navy personnel past and present on their big day.
- Commander U.S. Naval Forces Vietnam, A U.S. Navy River Patrol Boat Cruises slowly down a canal in the Mekong Delta of S. Vietnam. The 31 Foot craft Patrol the Waterways of the Mekong Delta and rung Sat Special Zone to prevent the Viet Cong from moving supplies by water. The PBRs are propelled by water jets and can travel in water less than a foot deep.

Aircraft carrier: F-4 Phantom, A-7 Corsair II, A-6 Intruder, and others.

Four Navy F-4 Phantoms over a volcano.

United States Navy VF-32 Tomcat Fighter Squadron patch.

U.S. Navy summer flying coveralls with U.S. Naval Aviator identification patch that says CDR B.C. Rudy, Air Boss

U.S. Navy flight helmet with boom mike, and oxygen mask attached. Commander B.C. Rudy marked on back of helmet. Red carrying bag also included
Labels: archival collections,events,exhibits,general news,reference/outreach
Happy Birthday U S Air Force
Happy Birthday United States Air Force!!
On September 18, 1947 the US Air Force was officially created and today the Air Force turns 62. The Vietnam Center & Archive would like to wish the Air Force a very Happy Birthday, and to thank all the service men and women past and present for their service and sacrifice.
In honor of the Air Forces 62nd birthday, please enjoy a few Air Force items from the Vietnam Archive’s collections.
![va000931[2] First Air Force F-4 Navigator Completes 100 Missions Over North - Southeast Asia - Major Ronald C. Herrick (left), congratulates his back-seater, Captain Herbert Altman (center) upon completion of his 300th combat mission over the Southern Panhandle of North Vietnam. Altman was the first F-4 Navigator to have completed 100 combat missions over North Vietnam.](https://www.vietnam.ttu.edu/news/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/va0009312.jpg)
VA 000931 First Air Force F-4 Navigator Completes 100 Missions Over North - Southeast Asia - Major Ronald C. Herrick (left), congratulates his back-seater, Captain Herbert Altman (center) upon completion of his 300th combat mission over the Southern Panhandle of North Vietnam. Altman was the first F-4 Navigator to have completed 100 combat missions over North Vietnam. Douglas Pike Photograph Collection VA002240 South Vietnamese Air Force VNAF 254 Fighter Squadron, Nha Trang US Air Force advisors help train the Vietnamese airmen stationed at the Nha Trang Air Training Center. 1969 Douglas Pike Photograph Collection

VA002240 South Vietnamese Air Force VNAF 254 Fighter Squadron, Nha Trang US Air Force advisors help train the Vietnamese airmen stationed at the Nha Trang Air Training Center. 1969 Douglas Pike Photograph Collection

VA036303 US Air Force (Photo) 600th Photo Squadron AAVS (MAC) December 1967 four men standing by Caribou, one dressed as Santa Claus Dudley F. Waters Collection (C-7A Caribou Association)

VA002724 Nha Trang Air Training Center, South Vietnam 1969 Douglas Pike Photograph Collection

069museum3280 7th Air Force patch Richard (Dick) Detra Collection
- 1611museum2205 U. S. Air Force Commendation Medal awarded for participation in the Mayaguez Mission Robert A. Goode Collection (Thailand, Laos, Cambodia Brotherhood)
Film
Thai Radar Controller 21 May 1969 U. S.-Thailand Radar Control Assures Tight Air Defense Around Udorn. As pilots wait in the ready rooms, the controllers scan their radar scopes when an unidentified aircraft comes along. The USAF 621st Tactical Control Squadron then scramble their supersonic F-102’s to meet the air craft. 1:58 min/sec
Michael Sheets Collection
Oral History Interviews
(USAF, CIA) James King Overman enlisted in the US Air Force at age 18, and after training as a mechanic he qualified for pilot training. He flew B-26 aircraft on patrols of the 38th Parallel in Korea 1954-55 and spent six years as an instructor in the Training Command at Randolph AFB. During 1965-67 he was assigned to the 817 Troop Carrier Squadron, Naha AB, Okinawa, with TDY postings to Da Nang and Ubon, Thailand. He flew ‘Blind Bat’ missions as a night forward air controller over the DMZ and North Vietnam. During 1970-71, as part of the 16th SOS, he flew nighttime interdiction missions over Laos and South Vietnam in AC-130 gunships, as well as High Altitude Low Opening (HALO) flights and a bombing mission over Cambodia. At his retirement from active duty in 1972 Jim was one of the most highly decorated Native American pilots in US Air Force history. During the 1970s and 1980s Jim flew on a contract basis for the Central Intelligence Agency, including evacuation flights from Phnom Penh, Da Nang, and Saigon in 1975.
(USAF) (POW) Congressman Sam Johnson served two tours with the USAF in Vietnam. During his first tour (1965-1966) he served at MACV headquarters in Saigon in the Emergency Action Center. During his second tour (1966-1973) he served in Ubon, Thailand, flying an F-4 on trail interdiction and bombing missions in Laos and North Vietnam. Congressman Johnson was shot down while flying over North Vietnam 1966 and he spent nearly seven years as a Prisoner of War; three of those years were spent in solitary confinement. Congressman Johnson is also author of, “Captive Warriors”, which details his POW experience.
Labels: archival collections,events,exhibits,general news,reference/outreach
What does that little red sign mean?
Researchers familiar with our Virtual Vietnam Archive have probably seen their fair share of the “Ghostbusters” like sign above and many have probably wondered what that sign really means.
The red sign means that a document is not available online. Why is it not available some might ask? There are two reasons for seeing the dreaded red sign. One, the document is copyrighted. Due to the stipulations of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, copyrighted documents can be digitized as a form of preservation, but can not be redistributed in that format. This stipulation means that while we can scan the document to PDF or electronic form, we can not redistribute the electronic version over the internet or by burning it to a CD and giving it to someone else. Providing electronic versions of copyrighted documents to a third party constitutes a violation of the copyright law.
The second reason for seeing the little red sign is that the material in question has not been digitized yet. Many items are difficult and time consuming to digitize, video and microfilm are primary examples, or may be too fragile to digitize. Because these materials take so long to digitize, we create documents for them in the virtual archive so they are accessible via reference request.
The real issue out of all the red sign business is how do I get a copy of those materials? For paper documents you can request a copy be mailed to you. Send us a Reference Request from our web page with a list of the item numbers and item titles and we will make photocopies of the documents and mail them to your home. For videos and photographs we can make copies of the materials, but only if they are not copyrighted. If the videos and photos are copyrighted you will have to order copies of them from the copyright owner. Reproduction and postage fees do apply for reproduction requests. See our price list for the current charges.
Summer Reference Hours
Summer is an excellent time to travel, visit friends and perhaps do a little research at the Vietnam Archives on the Texas Tech University campus. We love to welcome researchers into our facility and truly enjoy seeing people using our collections for their projects. However, during the summer the reference room operates on a different schedule from the fall and spring semesters. The reference room is open Monday through Friday from 9 – 5, Saturday from 9 – 1 and is closed on major holidays. See the Southwest Collection Reference Room Hours page to keep updated on the reference room schedule and holidays to be sure you don’t plan your trip during a time when the facility is closed. And as always you can contact us at vietnamarchive@ttu.edu if you have any questions or need help with your research projects.
Vietnam Center & Sam Johnson Vietnam Archive
-
Address
Texas Tech University, Box 41041, Lubbock, TX 79409 -
Phone
(806)742-9010 -
Email
vnca@ttu.edu