Resource Guide Pages
Dustoff / Medevac Oral Histories
Oral Histories are a great way to observe an individual’s actual experiences and perceptions of the war. The interviews are conducted with people after the events have occurred, sometimes right after the event or many years later. Most of the oral histories below show a brief biography of the subject, interview length and a typed transcript. Click on the gramophone icon to listen to the interview on your computer or the PDF icon to read the transcript.
- Categories on this page:
Dustoff/Medevac - General
- Interview with Peter Faber
- Item #: OH0024
- Peter Faber Collection
- Length: 3:26:09 hr/min/sec
- (USA) Interview conducted by Stephen Maxner. (open complete record)
- Interview with Keith Erdman
- Item #: OH0085
- Keith Erdman Collection
- Length: 02:48:59 hr/min/sec
- (USMC) Keith Erdman served with the United States Marine Corps in Vietnam from 1968 to 1969. He initially served with C Company, 1st Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division in I CTZ in Da Nang and along the Laotian border. He later served as an Advisor to the Vietnamese Police Field Forc... (open complete record)
- Interview with John Haseman
- Item #: OH0105
- John Haseman Collection
- Length: 4:45:00 hr/min/sec
- (USA) John Haseman served with the U.S. Army in Vietnam as a Military Intelligence Officer and Advisor. (open complete record)
- Interview with Randall Kunkleman
- Item #: OH0108
- Randall Kunkleman Collection
- Length: 4:13:12 hr/min/sec
- (USA) Randall Kunkleman served with B Troop, 2/17th Cavalry in Vietnam as an Ordinance Specialist in 1969. (open complete record)
- Interview with Roman Martinez
- Item #: OH0113D
- Roman Martinez Collection
- (open complete record)
- Interview with David Shelly
- Item #: OH0120
- David A. Shelly Collection
- Length: 1:44:20 hr/min/sec
- (USA) David Shelly served with the United States Army in Vietnam from 1969 to 1970. He served as a rifleman, machine gunner, and squad leader with the 82nd Airborne Division and the 1st Cavalry Division. (open complete record)
- Interview with Steve Harding
- Item #: OH0133
- Steve Harding Collection
- Length: 00:44:18 hr/min/sec
- (USMC) Interview conducted by Jonathan Bernstein. (open complete record)
- Interview with Theodore Mataxis, Jr.
- Item #: OH0134
- Length: 1:03:22 hr/min/sec
- (open complete record)
- Interview with Phil Dorsey
- Item #: OH0169
- Phil Dorsey Collection
- Length: 01:38:87 hr/min/sec
- (USA) Phil Dorsey served with the U.S. Army in Vietnam from 1966 to 1967. He served as a Health Care Administrator with the 71st Evacuation Hospital in Pleiku. Interview conducted by Kim Sawyer. (open complete record)
- Interview with Russ McDonald
- Item #: OH0220
- Russ McDonald Collection
- Length: 26:44 hr/min/sec
- (USA) Mr. Russ McDonald seved as an Army Ranger. (open complete record)
- Interview with James E. Scales
- Item #: OH0221
- Mr. James E. Scales Collection
- Length: 3:18:19 hr/min/sec
- James E. Scales discusses his experiences with the 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam from May 1968-May 1969. (open complete record)
- Interview with Sumner Clayton
- Item #: OH0238
- Sumner Clayton Collection
- Length: 04:05:36 hr/min/sec
- (USN) Sumner M. Clayton III, originally from O'Donnell, Texas, served in the U.S. Navy from 1960 until 1980. He served in Vietnam from 1970 until 1971 as part of the Naval Advisory Group at Cua Viet assigned to Vietnamese Mine Interdiction Division 92 where they operated on the Cua Viet River. He... (open complete record)
- Interview with Bill McCollum
- Item #: OH0248
- Mr. Bill McCollum Collection
- Length: 02:29:16 hr/min/sec
- (USN) Bill McCollum, originally from New York City, New York served in the U.S. Navy from 1967 until 1969. He went to Vietnam in August 1968 and served as an engineman aboard an Armored Troop Carrier (ATC) with Task Force 117, River Assault Division 111 near Dong Tham in the Mekong Delta. There h... (open complete record)
- Interview with Don Cuneo
- Item #: OH0249
- Mr. Don Cuneo Collection
- Length: 05:35:41 hr/min/sec
- (USMC) Don Cuneo, originally from San Francisco, California served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1964 until 1967. Don went to Vietnam in 1966 and served with the 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines and 1st Battalion, 4th Marines as a Radio Operator and Forward Air Controller (FAC). As a Radio Operator and... (open complete record)
- Interview with Jackie Wright
- Item #: OH0252
- Jack Wright Collection
- Length: 04:24:36 hr/min/sec
- (USA) Jackie V. Wright, originally from Jefferson County, Oklahoma served in the U.S. Army from 1960 until 1980. After graduating from Midwestern State University in 1960, where he completed the Army ROTC program, he underwent training at Ft. Benning (GA), Ft. Rucker (AL), and Ft. Riley (KS) and d... (open complete record)
- Interview with Eddie Jones
- Item #: OH0258
- Eddie Jones Collection
- Eddie Jones served as an Artillery Officer with the United States Army in Vietnam from 1964 to 1965. He served as a District Advisor in the Mekong Delta region, IV Corps Tactical Zone. He worked with the Motivation, Indoctrination, and Training Teams (MIT Teams) and Popular Forces. Interview condu... (open complete record)
- Interview with Martin Montemore
- Item #: OH0309
- Mr. Martin Matthew Montemore Collection
- Length: 3:42:42 hr/min/sec
- (USAF) Martin M. Montemore, originally from St. Joseph, Missouri, served in the U.S. Air Force from 1967 until 1975. Martin went to Southeast Asia in 1969 as a C-130 pilot and was stationed at Ching Chuan Kang AB, Taiwan, with the 776th Tactical Airlift Squadron. From CCK, he flew multiple missio... (open complete record)
- Interview with William Holmes, Jr.
- Item #: OH0357
- William Holmes, Jr. Collection
- (USMC) William B. Holmes, Jr., originally from Greenville, Texas served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1961 until 1965. Bill grew up in Lubbock, Texas and graduated from Texas Tech University in 1962 where he was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, the U.S. Air Force ROTC program, and the U... (open complete record)
- Interview with Robert M. Rankin
- Item #: OH0370
- Dr. Robert Rankin Collection
- Length: 4:14:59 hr/min/sec
- (USN) Robert M. ('Mike') Rankin was born in 1937 in Arkansas. In 1959 he graduated from the University of Arkansas, where he was in ROTC, and he earned an MD from the University of Tennessee in 1963. Drafted under the Berry Plan, in 1964-65 Mike served with Destroyer Division 102 and then was the Se... (open complete record)
- Interview with Thomas J. Barnes
- Item #: OH0371
- Thomas J. Barnes Collection
- Length: 17:25:59 hr/min/sec
- (USA/Foreign Service) Thomas J. Barnes was born in St. Paul, MN in 1930. He earned a BA in 1950 and an MA in 1951, both from the University of Minnesota. Tom was commissioned in the US Army in 1951 and, as an interrogator, he was assigned first to the 500th MI Group in Japan and then to the 525th M... (open complete record)
- Interview with Rosemary Burke
- Item #: OH0382
- Kara Dixon Vuic Collection
- Length: 46:17 hr/min/sec
- Rosemary Burke discusses her experiences in Vietnam as a U.S. Army nurse. Burke served with the 71st Evacuation Hospital 1968-1969. (open complete record)
- Interview with Joseph J. Welsh
- Item #: OH0423
- Joseph Welsh Collection (Company E (LRP) and Company C (Ranger) Association, Inc.)
- Length: 17:11:51 hr/min/sec
- (USA) Joseph John Welsh, Jr., was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He enlisted in the United States Army in 1966 and retired in 1996 with the rank of First Sergeant. Joey served in Vietnam with Headquarters, 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division, 1967-1968, and with Company E (Long Range Patrol),... (open complete record)
- Interview with Patrick Curry
- Item #: OH0434
- Patrick Curry Collection
- Length: 15:01:51 hr/min/sec
- (USA) Pat Curry, originally from Temple, Texas, served in the U.S. Army from 1966 until 1991 and retired a Lieutenant Colonel. Pat served in South Vietnam with the HHC 1/5 Cavalry, 1st Cav Division between November 1968 and April 1969 in Tay Ninh, at LZ Dolly, and other areas as a Logistics and Admi... (open complete record)
- Interview with Paula D. Wright
- Item #: OH0437
- Paula D. Wright Collection
- (USA) Paula D. Wright, who served as 'Paul D. Wright,' was born in 1950 in Lubbock TX. She graduated from Coronado High School in Lubbock in 1969, and volunteered for the US Army. After advanced training in helicopter maintenance at Ft Rucker AL, she arrived in Vietnam in January 1970. During her f... (open complete record)
- Interview With Timothy Vail
- Item #: OH0445
- Mr. Timothy (Tim) P. Vail Collection
- Length: 15:29:03 hr/min/sec
- (USA) Tim Vail was born in Altoona, PA, and grew up in Norfolk, VA. His father was a twenty-three year U.S. Navy veteran and was a submariner in World War II. Tim served in the U.S. Army from July 1968 until July 1970. He was drafted in July 1968, did his Basic Training at Ft. Benning, GA, and hi... (open complete record)
- Interview with Robert Kreger
- Item #: OH0448
- Dr. Robert D. Kreger Collection
- Length: 12:48:36 hr/min/sec
- Robert Kreger discusses his experiences with the Special Forces in Vietnam, as well as his time as a rifle company commander with the 23rd Americal Division. (open complete record)
- Interview with Robert Ordonez
- Item #: OH0521
- Robert Ordonez Collection
- Length: 4:03:09 hr/min/sec
- Dr. Robert Ordonez discusses his experiences as a Navy Corpsman in Vietnam. (open complete record)
- Interview with John Buesseler
- Item #: OH0016
- John Buesseler Collection
- (USA) Interview conducted by Stephen Maxner. (open complete record)
- Interview with Larry Fraser
- Item #: OH0027
- Larry Fraser Collection (Air America Association)
- Length: 04:18:22 hr/min/sec
- (USMC, Air America, Arizona Helicopters, Bird Air) Larry Fraser served as a pilot in the United States Marine Corps in Vietnam from 1965 to 1966. He served with HMM 362 in Chu Lai. After leaving the USMC in 1967, Mr. Fraser served with Air America in Udorn Thailand from 1968 to 1973. He later flew f... (open complete record)
- Interview with John Nelson
- Item #: OH0073
- John Nelson Collection
- Length: 02:18:16 hr/min/sec
- (USAF) Captain Nelson served in Vietnam from 1968-1970 in the 314th TAC and the 345th TAC based out of Saigon, Tuy Hoa and Cam Rhan Bay. As a C-130 pilot, Captain Boling flew numerous missions to and from every airbase in South Vietnam. (This interview was made possible through grants from the Helen... (open complete record)
- Interview with Robert Smithee
- Item #: OH0080
- Robert Smithee Collection
- Length: 3:43:59 hr/min/sec
- (USA) Robert Smithee served in Vietnam from 1969-1970 in the 4th Medical Battalion at Dau Tieng, the 58th Medical Battalion at Long Bien , and 3rd Brigade of the 4th Infantry Division. Mr. Smithee was a member of a Medevac crew, assisted in surgery, accompanied infantry units on combat missions and ... (open complete record)
- Interview with David Martin
- Item #: OH0109
- David C. Martin Collection (B Troop, 2/17th Cavalry Association)
- Length: 3:18:07 hr/min/sec
- (USA) Dave Martin served with B Troop, 2/17th Cavalry in Vietnam in 1969 as a Crew Chief and also served with the 158th Aviation Battalion in maintenance and the 159th Aviation Battalion as the Battalion Commander's Crew Chief. Interview conducted by Stephen Maxner and Kim Sawyer. (open complete record)
- Interview with Marius Burke
- Item #: OH0127
- Marius Burke Collection
- Length: 03:48:30 hr/min/sec
- (USMC, Air America) Marius Burke served as a helicopter pilot with the United States Marine Corps from 1958-1963. He then joined Air America and served as a helicopter pilot in Southeast Asia until 1975. Marius was present during the last hours of the war and participated in the evacuation of Saigon... (open complete record)
- Interview with James Laible
- Item #: OH0144
- James Laible Collection
- Length: 04:36:28 hr/min/sec
- (USA) James Laible served with the US Army in Vietnam as a Medical Service Corps officer from 1967 to 1968. He served principally with the 4th Infantry Division. (open complete record)
- Interview with David Hause
- Item #: OH0176
- David Hause Collection
- Length: 03:20:50 hr/min/sec
- (USA) David Hause served with the U.S. Army in Vietnam from 1970 to 1971. He served as a door gunner, Crew Chief, and Aircraft Mechanic with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division. During Operation Lam Son 719, his unit kept Highway 9 open to Khe Sanh and took ov... (open complete record)
- Interview with Robert Eaton
- Item #: OH0201
- Mr. Bob Eaton Collection
- Length: 05:05:53 hr/min/sec
- (USA) Interview conducted by Stephen Maxner. (open complete record)
- Interview with Ernie Sylvester
- Item #: OH0240
- Ernie Sylvester Collection
- Length: 06:43:32 hr/min/sec
- (USA) Ernest J. Sylvester, originally from New Orleans, Louisiana served in the U.S. Army Medical Service Corps from 1963 until 1985. Ernie went to Vietnam in March 1964 and served as a Medical Evacuation Pilot with the 57th Medical Detachment (RA) at Soc Trang. After rotating back to the U.S. in... (open complete record)
- Interview with John Arick
- Item #: OH0268
- John C. Arick Collection
- Length: 8:05:09 hr/min/sec
- (USMC) John C. Arick, originally from Washington, D.C., served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1962 until 1992 and retired a Brigadier General. He is a 1962 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis. John served two tours in Southeast Asia. During the first, from 1966 to 1967, he was station... (open complete record)
- Interview with Ron Ballweg
- Item #: OH0296
- Mr. John Ron Ballweg Collection
- (USA) John Ron Ballweg, originally from Baltimore, Maryland served in the U.S. Army from 1964 until 1968 and in the Army National Guard from 1970 until 1989. Ron served one tour in Vietnam between August 1966 and August 1967 with the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment ('Blackhorse') based at Xuan Loc a... (open complete record)
- Interview with Steven D. Vermillion
- Item #: OH0406
- Mr. Steven D. Vermillion Collection
- Length: 4:18:14 hr/min/sec
- Steve Vermillion was a United State Army Dustoff helicopter commander in Vietnam in 1969. He flew 1450 missions with 1127 combat hours. His many awards during the Vietnam War included Air Medals, the Silver Star, and the Distinguished Flying Cross. Vermillion retired from the Army in 1993 as a Lieut... (open complete record)
- Interview with John W. Hammett
- Item #: OH0721
- Mr. John W. Hammett Collection
- Length: 02:29:59 hr/min/sec
- In this interview John Hammett describes his experiences in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. During World War II, Hammett served as a fighter/recon pilot in Italy. During the Korean War, Hammett flew helicopter medevac missions. Finally, during the Vietnam war Hammett served as the operations offi... (open complete record)
- Interview with Sidney B. Baird, Jr.
- Item #: OH0728
- Mr. Sidney "Junior" B. Baird Jr. Collection
- Length: 00:52:17 hr/min/sec
- Sidney Baird, Jr., discusses his experiences in Vietnam in 1967-1968. Baird served with the U.S. Marine Corps on CH-46 helicopters in HMM 165, flying Medevac missions and serving as an aviation electronics technician, machine gunner, and crew chief. (open complete record)
- Interview with Thomas Striegler
- Item #: OH0009
- Thomas Striegler Collection
- Length: 2:62:19 hr/min/sec
- (USA) Tom Striegler served with the United States Army in Vietnam from 1967 to 1968. He served as a Forward Observer with Battery A, 2nd Battalion, 4th Field Artillery, Executive Officer with B Battery, 2nd Battalion, 4th Field Artillery, Fire Direction Officer with B Battery, 7th Battalion, 8th Fie... (open complete record)
- Interview with Marshall Paul
- Item #: OH0045
- Marshall Paul Collection
- Length: 05:29:09 hr/min/sec
- (USA) Sergeant Paul discusses his earlier life experiences before he joined the Army in 1967. He served in Vietnam from January 1968 to April 1970. He comments on his feelings towards the people in the anti-war movement, including Bobby Seale and Jane Fonda, before turning to the induction process a... (open complete record)
- Interview with John Givhan
- Item #: OH0059
- John Givhan Collection
- Length: 02:36:05 hr/min/sec
- (USA) John Givhan served as a helicopter pilot with the United States Army in Vietnam from 1963 to 1964. He served with the 120th Aviation Company in Saigon. (open complete record)
- Interview with James 'Butch' Morris
- Item #: OH0082
- James Butch Emmit Morris Collection
- Length: 02:57:30 hr/min/sec
- (USMC) Butch Morris served in Vietnam from 1969-1970 in the 7th, 27th and 28th Marines as a rifleman, point-man and squad leader. He participated in operations based out of the Khe Son Valley and Fire Support Base Ross, including OPERATION PICKENS FOREST. (This interview was made possible through ... (open complete record)
- Interview with Phillip Price
- Item #: OH0118
- Phil Price Collection
- (USA) Interview conducted by Stephen Maxner. (open complete record)
- Interview with Darryl Nelson
- Item #: OH0125
- Darryl Nelson Collection
- Length: 2:59:38 hr/min/sec
- (USA) Darryl Nelson was born on November 1, 1940 and died on March 25, 2012. Nelson enlisted with the United States Army in 1966 and retired in 1985, serving in Vietnam from 1966 to 1967 and from 1970 to 1972. During his first tour of duty he served as a MP with the 1st Military Police Company and ... (open complete record)
- Interview with Gonzalo Baltazar
- Item #: OH0152
- Gonzalo Baltazar Collection
- Length: 02:10:52 hr/min/sec
- (USA) Gonzalo Baltazar served as an infantryman with B Troop, 2/17th Cavalry in Vietnam from February 1969 to February 1970. He participated in operations in Hue, Quang tri, Chu Lai, Tam Ky, and Hill 376 (Lamar Plain). Interview conducted by Stephen Maxner. (open complete record)
- Interview with Philip Watson
- Item #: OH0165
- Philip S. Watson Collection
- Length: 03:35:12 hr/min/sec
- (USN) Philip Watson served with the US Navy in Vietnam from September 1968 to May 1969 when he was wounded and medically evacuated. He served as a radio operator with the Naval Support Activity Detachment at Da Nang and Sa Huynh. Interview conducted by Stephen Maxner. (open complete record)
- Interview with Gary Franklin
- Item #: OH0194
- Gary Franklin Collection (Americal Division Veterans Association)
- Length: 01:50:50 hr/min/sec
- (USA) Gary Franklin served as a rifleman, RTO, squad leader and acting platoon leader with the 198th Light Infantry Brigade as part of the Americal (23rd Infantry) Division in Quang Ngai province, I CTZ, from June 1968-June 6, 1969. Interview conducted by Jonathan Bernstein. (open complete record)
- Interview with Robert Scott Dawson
- Item #: OH0211
- Robert Scott Dawson Collection
- Length: 05:06:48 hr/min/sec
- (USMC) Scott Dawson served with the U.S. Marine Corps in Vietnam from 1967 to 1969. He served as a rifleman with A Company, 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment in Quang Tri and Hue. Interview conducted by Stephen Maxner. (open complete record)
- Interview with Bill Paris
- Item #: OH0312
- Mr. Bill E. Paris Collection
- Length: 10:32:20 hr/min/sec
- Bill Paris discusses his experiences with the 11th Brigade, 101st Airborne Division, from 1967-1968. Paris returned as an OH-58 Scout pilot in his second tour from 1969-1970. (Portions of the audio of this interview are missing.) (open complete record)
- Interview with Charles Dodge
- Item #: OH0315
- Mr. Charles Ty Dodge Collection
- (USA) Charles T. 'Ty' Dodge, originally from Temple, Texas served in the U.S. Army from 1968 until 1971. Ty went to South Vietnam in June 1969 as a member of I Troop, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment. In country, he commanded 3rd Platoon as a 1st Lieutenant in III Corps around the Parrot's Beak and ... (open complete record)
- Interview with Patrick King
- Item #: OH0042
- Pat King Collection
- Length: 00:58:29 hr/min/sec
- (USMC) Patrick King served two tours in Vietnam with the U.S. Marine Corps after earning both Army Air Wings and Navy Air Wings. On his first tour, from July 1970 to February 1971, he flew helicopters with the HML-167 squadron in I Corps. During his second tour in 1973, he flew American POWs out of... (open complete record)
- Interview with Paul Garrity
- Item #: OH0140
- Paul Garrity Collection
- Length: 01:03:01 hr/min/sec
- (open complete record)
- Interview with Jim Moran
- Item #: OH0219
- James Moran Collection
- Length: 02:19:39 hr/min/sec
- (USA) Jim Moran was an AH-1 Cobra pilot with C Battery, 2/20th Aerial Rocket Artillery, 1st Cavalry Division in Quan Loi, Vietnam 1970-71. Interview conducted by Jonathan Bernstein. (open complete record)
- Interview with John Hubenthal
- Item #: OH0504
- John Hubenthal Collection
- Length: 8:31:57 hr/min/sec
- Dr. John Hubenthal discusses his experineces as a Conscientious Objector, serving as an Army medic in Vietnam. (open complete record)
Dustoff/Medevac Pilot & Crew
Soldier who was Injured and Medevac'd
Pilots Who Flew Support Missions for Dustoff/Medevac
Doctor or Nurse Treating Dustoff Patients
Vietnam Center & Sam Johnson Vietnam Archive
-
Address
Texas Tech University, Box 41041, Lubbock, TX 79409 -
Phone
(806)742-9010 -
Email
vnca@ttu.edu