In early February of 1968, at the beginning of the Tet Offensive, Private First Class Gregory V. Short arrived in Vietnam as an eighteen-year-old U.S. Marine. Amid all of the confusion and destruction, he began his tour of duty as an 81mm mortarman with the 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, which was stationed at Con Thien near the DMZ. While living in horrendous conditions reminiscent of the trenches in World War I, his unit was cut off and constantly being bombarded by the North Vietnamese heavy artillery, rockets, and mortars. Soon thereafter Short left his mortar crew and became an 81mm’s Forward Observer for Hotel Company. Working with the U.S. Army’s 1st Air Cavalry Division and other units, he helped relieve the siege at Khe Sanh by reopening Route 9. Short participated in several different operations close to the Laotian border, where contact with the enemy was often heavy and always chaotic. On May 19, Ho Chi Minh’s birthday, the NVA attempted to overrun the combat base in the early morning hours. Tragically, during a two-month period, one of the companies (Foxtrot Company) within his battalion would sustain more than 70 percent casualties. By September Short was transferred to the …

As an intelligence officer during the Vietnam War, Fred L. Edwards, Jr., was instructed to visit every major ground unit in the country to search for intelligence sources—long range patrols, boats, electronic surveillance, and agent operations. “Edwards found time to keep a journal, an extremely well-written, sharply observed report of his adventures. Along with contemporary postscripts and a helpful historical chronology, that journal is a significant improvement on most Vietnam memoirs. It is the record of a Marine’s on-the-job education.”—Proceedings

Interview with Dick Hooper, veteran army nurse from Mount Zion, Illinois. The interview recounts his experiences as a nurse and anesthetist in Vietnam, 1969-70. His civilian and military educations are covered, as well as his experiences with the 18th Surgical Hospital at Camp Evans, Quang Tri City, battle casualties, social life, and relations with the Vietnamese. Also included are his personal thoughts about U.S. involvement in Vietnam.

Interview with Tillman E. Barrington, a veteran army nurse from Portales, New Mexico. This interview is about his experiences as a nurse in Vietnam, 1969-70. Topics regarding his life include: nursing school at Lubbock Methodist Hospital, 1955; enlistment in the Army, 1969, and anesthesia training at Fitzsimons General Hospital, Denver, Colorado; assignment to Vietnam, 1969; 95th Evacuation Hospital, Da Nang; medical cases and responsibilities; functions as special services officer; treating North Vietnamese wounded; after-effects of Vietnam.

Interview with Maj. Gen. Marion E. Carl, a Marine Corps WWII fighter ace and test pilot from Hubbard, Oregon. Carl discusses his education, joining the Marines, flight training, deployment aboard the USS Saratoga at the start of the war, first air-to-air combat, service at Midway and Guadalcanal, return to the States as a squadron commander, flying a promotional circuit and getting married, return to the South Pacific, Rabaul, end of combat flying and work as a test pilot at Patuxent River NAS, jets vs. props, flight injuries, return to fighter units, and service in Taiwan and Vietnam.