Browsing Items · Appalachian State University Libraries Digital Collections

Interview with Lieutenant Lyndon Bartlett [October 13, 2012]

First Lieutenant Lyndon Bartlett went into the Air Force because he wanted to be a pilot like his father who worked for US Airways. Due to a physical defect, he couldn't continue flying planes, but he went into BSHRED cyber warfare which he describes as very leadership oriented. He plans to make a career in the military.

Tags: Air Force, BSHRED, Colorado Springs, cyber warfare, First Lieutenant

Interview with Ambrose Brennan, Major (Retired) [October 12, 2012]

Major Ambrose Brennan, born in 1939, entered the infantry after graduating from the US Military Academy. He didn't really consider any other branch, he just wanted to do what they did in the movies. The majority of his service was during the Cold War and he says the only "shooting war" he served in was Vietnam. He was awarded a myriad of medals, including a purple heart.

Tags: Cold War, infantry, major, purple heart, US Military Academy, Vietnam War

Interview with Drill Sergeant Matthew Bulla [October 6, 2012]

Drill Sergeant Matthew Bulla, born in 1986, entered the Marine Corps and served on a response team in Iraq. He speaks a lot about the civilians he met in Iraq and how they seemed to be "two or three thousand years behind us." He explains that the war is not like how it was reported, and that the US military did a lot of good there winning the hearts of civilians and rebuilding cities.

Tags: civilians, insurgents, Iraq, Marine Corps, Response Team

Interview with Steven H. Bush [October 5, 2011]

Steven Bush, raised partly in Germany and partly in the United States, grew up in a military family. In the early 1990s he enlisted as an m-day soldier, and then he decided to go for full active duty in the National Guard. He did his basic training in Fort Sill and was deployed three times to Desert Storm, Bosnia, and Iraq.

Tags: Bosnia, Desert Storm, Fort Sill, Germany, m-day soldier, National Guard, Operation Iraqi Freedom

Interview with Sergeant Tom Collins [October 14, 2012]

Sergeant Tom Collins, born in 1943 in Philadelphia, was drafted during the Vietnam War and went to Fort Bragg in North Carolina for his basic training. He entered the army and was trained as a military policeman. He served in Saigon on a patrol squad. He says to this day, even in civilian life, he doesn't trust people he doesn't know after his experience in the military and having to constantly be on the look-out.

Tags: army, draft, Fort Bragg, military police, Saigon, Vietnam War

Interview with Lieutenant Colonel David Cox [October 17, 2011]

Colonel Cox served in the US Army after going to college and went to advanced camp at Fort Bragg, North Carolina in order to become a commissioned officer. He served in the infantry branch and was deployed to Iraq twice, once in 2003 and another time in 2009.

Tags: advanced camp, BOLC, Colonel Cox, infantry, Iraq, US Army

Interview with Richard Gilbert [October 15, 2012]

Richard Gilbert served in the army for three years during the Vietnam War. He was a volunteer right out of high school, and figured the military was his only way to get to college. He was stationed in Pleiku, Vietnam and worked as a military police officer. He saw very little combat but his base was ambushed a couple of times. After the 3 years were up he majored in art at Applachian State and worked as a middle school art teacher.

Tags: army, Fort Gordon Georgia, Fort Meade, GI Bill, military police, Pleiku, Vietnam

Interview with Lieutenant Colonel Bryan D. Green, U.S. Army (retired) [September 22, 2011]

Lieutenant Colonel Green grew up in a military family in the 1960s in a small town, and saw his chance to make something of himself in the military. He didn't join right after high school, but went to basic training over the summer and started at ASU the following fall as a cadet in Military Science. He served most of his time during the Cold War. He now works for Bandys High School in the Junior ROTC program.

Tags: army, cadet, Cold War, Fort Knox, Lieutenant Colonel Green, military science, ROTC, Senior Army Instructor

Interview with Michelle Holmquist, 1st Sergeant, retired [October 12, 2012]

Michelle Holmquist, inspired by her brother, enlisted in the Marine Corps in the 1990s. She said basic training was a jolt because of the huge difference from civilian life, but she loved the experience. She served in the Persian Gulf War and was stationed in Kuwait and Southeast Asia as a gunnery sergeant.

Tags: gunnery seargeant, Kuwait, Marine Corps, Michelle Homlquist, Persian Gulf, Southeast Asia

Interview with Corporal Lloyd L. Hoover, Jr [October 8, 2012]

Corporal Lloyd Hoover was drafted in the early 1950s and served in the Army Finance Department managing millions of dollars. He served during the Korean War, what he calls the Korean Conflict, and saw his military years as a good and formative experience.

Tags: 1951, Army Finance Department, Artillery Battalion, Corporal Lloyd Hoover, draft, Fort Hood

Interview with Patrick McGarrell, Airman 2nd Class [October 12, 2012]

Patrick McGarrel, born in 1936, went to basic training twice: first for the Naval Reserve and second for the Air Force. After that he went to a language school which he said had "a 97, 98 percent washout rate" and flunked out. He ended up serving at an Air Base in Iceland for a year.

Tags: Air Base Defense, Air Force, Iceland, Korean War, language school, Naval Reserve

Interview with Samuel McNeill [October 14, 2012]

Corporal Samuel McNeill, born in 1931, was drafted in the Korean War. He served in the US army and mainly worked in the textiles industry. He traveled often on leave, and got to see Japan and Seoul, Korea.

Tags: army, corporal, draft, Korea, Seoul, textiles

Interview with Kenneth Robert Miller [October 14, 2012]

Kenneth Miller, born in 1940, enlisted in the army in 1958 because he did not want to go straight to college after high school. However, he still wanted those in-between years to be productive. He was stationed in Gelnhausen, Germany for two years during the Cold War. He never saw combat, but worked as a tank driver.

Tags: 1958, 3rd Armor Division, Cold War, Fort Hood, Gelnhausen Germany, specialist, tank driver, US Army

Interview with Melvin Mullis [October 14, 2012

Melvin Mullis served as a 3rd class petty officer in the Navy during WWII. He served aboard the USS Yaupon where he worked on damage control for the ship. He did not see any combat and returned to the States on Christmas Eve after two months aboard the ship. He said he couldn't communicate with his family at all because "mail doesn't run in the center of the ocean."

Tags: 1944-46, 3rd class petty officer, Bainbridge, damage control, draft, Navy, USS Yaupon, WWII

Interview with Erik Nicolaysen [October 14, 2012]

Eric Nicolaysen enlisted in the US Army reserves in 1956, served in the Cold War, and spent some time in Korea. He did not see any combat during his time in the military.

Tags: 1956-58, 51st signal battalion, Cold War, Eric Nicolaysen, General Motors, Korea, radio teletype, reserves, US Army

Interview with Doug Patton [October 15, 2012

Doug Patton joined the military after September 11th and entered basic training at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. After basic, he went to Advanced Individual Training (AIT) and shortly after was deployed to Kuwait. He says there wasn't much fighting there, only "random firefights."

Tags: Afghanistan, AIT, Fort Sill Oklahoma, Kuwait, September 11th

Interview with Franklin Omsted Pitzer [November 2, 2012]

Franklin Pitzer made a career in the army and served for over 20 years. He trained at Fort Riley as a part of the 10th Mountain Division and was first deployed to Hamburg. He had many jobs in the army, such as motor sergeant and warrant officer.

Tags: 10th Mountain Division, Fort Riley, Franklin Pitzer, Hamburg, Motor Sergeant, US Army, Vietnam, Warrant Officer

Interview with Larry Richardson [October 11, 2012]

Larry Richardson served in the Navy 1968-74 aboard the USS Keppler. He was an E5 2nd class when he left the army and was a working as a boiler technician, making the steam that would allow the engine to run. His ship came and left out of Pearl Harbor.

Tags: 1968-74, boiler technician, E5, Larry Richardson, Navy, Pearl Harbor, USS Keppler, Viet Cong, Vietnam

Interview with Eliot White [October 14, 2012]

Eliot White, born in Russia but adopted by American parents, entered the US Navy before starting college. After basic training he went to ITA School and participated in Operation Naval Intelligence working in Washington DC. He was eventually deployed to Bahrain and saw combat a couple of times. He describes his combat experience as "very hectic" and music was the only thing that could calm him after his difficult experiences.

Tags: Bahrain, E5, Eliot White, Iraq War, ITA School, Operation Naval Intelligence, Russia, US Navy, Washington DC

Interview with Dean Williams, 10 March 2010

Dean Williams describes his service in the Air Force as a Russian linguist working in Turkey. He was drafted after he finished his undergraduate degree, studied Russian in Monterey, California for a year, and was then shipped overseas. He describes his work as "boring" but living in the small town of Karamursel was eye-opening and a very positive experience.

Tags: Air Force, basic training, Cyprus, Dean Williams, Erskine College, Karamursel, linguistics, Monterey California, Russian, sergeant, Turkey

Interview with Charles Watkins, 28 April 2011

Charles Watkins talks about his service as a typist in Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam. He spent a year overseas, and finished his 3-year service contract conducting mental health tests in the US.

Tags: 1969, AFQT, Appalachian, Cam Ranh Bay, Charles Watkins, Churchill Graham, deferment, Fort Bragg, Fort Jackson, Mars Hill, private, typist, Vietnam

Interview with Richard L. Thomas, undated

Richard L. Thomas enlisted in the US Navy in 1953 and served in the Korean War. He was trained to work in the Combat Info Center where a lot of the work was focused on avoiding submarines.

Tags: 1953, Combat Info Center (CIC), Cuba, Guantanamo Bay, Korean War, Lieutenant, patriotism, Richard L. Thomas, submarine, US Navy

Interview with Gene Thomas, 12 October 2012

Gene Thomas of Avery County gives his somewhat glorified account of his service in WWII and the Korean War. He fought all over Europe against the Germans, and preferred it to the Korean War. He was shot in the head in the Korean War and has been part of the DAV ever since.

Tags: Avery County, basic training, C47, concentration camp, DAV, Fort Bragg, France, Gene Thomas, Korean War, mortar, parachute regiment, Roosevelt, St. Mere Iglis, WWII

Interview with Don Sutherland, 8 March 2010

Don Sutherland describes his experiences with the B17 Flying Fortress in a museum in Palm Springs. Thought to be indestructible in 1935, it played a large part in defeating the German fighter pilots.

Tags: B17 Flying Fortress, ball turret, Don Sutherland, flak, gunnery school, Palm Springs Museum Airport, tracer bullet

Interview with Jacob Smith, 10 October 2012

Jacob Smith, born in 1987, talks about his work with Operation Iraqi Freedom. He fought against Al Qaeda and explains that it wasn't as bad as the news makes it out to be.

Tags: 25th infantry, Al Qaeda, bayonet, cadet, Jacob Smith, Milennial Generation, Operation Iraqi Freedom, ROTC, striker brigade

Interview with Ken Shabhaz, 13 March 2011

Ken Shabhaz recounts his service in the Air Force as a base supply officer in Montgomery, Alabama. He served for a few years in the Vietnam War and then went back to school for Economics. He never was stationed outside the United States but was moved around to several different cities.

Tags: Air Force, base supply officer, Ken Boyack, Ken Shabhaz, Lieutenant, Montgomery, National Guard, POW, US Navy

Interview with Michael Nelson, 10 March 2011

Michael Nelson served in the Marine Corps as a part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He describes his experience in Iraq as quite boring, and his basic training as much more lively. His greatest challenges have been adjusting back to civilian life.

Tags: Al-Anbar, Camp Lejeune, gas station, GI Bill, hagie store, Lance Corporal, Marine Corps, Michael Nelson, Operation Iraqi Freedom, Parris Island

Interview with Michael McMahan, 11 March 2011

Michael McMahan is interviewed about his service in the US Navy aboard the USS Ranger. He spent the majority of his time as a mess cook at the bottom of a ship, and was never stationed in Vietnam.

Tags: aviation ordinance, Black Mountain, Cameron Bay, cruise, Enterprise, GI Bill, Michael McMahan, US Navy, USS Ranger, Vietnam

Interview with Tommy McCalvin, 19 February 2011

Tommy McCalvin enlisted in the US Navy in 1988 and fought in the 17-day Gulf War aboard the USS Missouri. He was trained as a diesel mechanic and his job was to blow up sea mines. He left the military after four years and recommends that anyone who is interested in joining, go for two years at first.

Tags: ASVAB Test, David H. Hill, diesel mechanic, Gulf War, San Diego, seamines, Singapore, Tommy McCalvin, US Navy, USS Missouri, USS New Jersey, VFW

Interview with James A. Love, 11 March 2011

James A. Love describes his service in northern Vietnam (Nang) as a part of the Marine Corps.

Tags: James A. Love, letters, Marine Corps, monsoon, Nang, VFW, Vietnam

Interview with Frank E. Koehl, 14 March 2011

Frank E. Koehl served in the US Navy during the Korean War, but never had to leave the Naval Training Station in Chicago. He was a teacher there and served on the Underwater Demolition Team.

Tags: Chicago, Frank E. Koehl, Korean War, Naval Training Station, Underwater Demolition Team, US Navy

Interview with Joe Bill Jessup, 11 March 2011

Joe Bill Jessup talks about working as a gunner's mate on the USS Helena during the Korean War. He was stationed in Yokosuka, Japan.

Tags: gunner's mate, Joe Bill Jessup, Surry County, US Navy, USS Helena, USS Tuscan, Yokosuka Japan

Interview with Allen Huss, 23 September 2012

Allen Huss enlisted in the US Navy in the 1970s and worked as a radioman. He traveled many places by sea, mostly along the Mediterranean Sea, and explains his experience of the Yom Kippur War.

Tags: 1970, Allen Huss, American Legion, Hanoi, Mediterranean Sea, Navy, radioman, Vietnam, Yom Kippur War

Interview with David Scott Hubner, 15 October 2012

Colonel David Hubner describes his service in the military which spanned multiple decades. He began in Germany, was deployed a couple of times to Iraq, and moved around the United States to various training camps. He retired after his sons graduated from high school and his body began to show physical signs of wear and tear. He explains that serving one's community is necessary and being a part of the military allowed him to gain a solid perspective.

Tags: ASU, colonel, Fort Knox, Germany, Gulf War, Jalibah Iraq, ROTC, senior leader

Interview with Lloyd Hoover, 8 October 2012

Corporal Lloyd Hoover was drafted in the early 1950s and served in the Army Finance Department managing millions of dollars. He served during the Korean War, what he calls the Korean Conflict, and saw his military years as a good and formative experience.

Tags: Army Finance Department, Artillery Battalion, Corporal Lloyd Hoover, Fort Hood, Korean Conflict

Interview with Nathan Hester, 13 March 2011

Nathan Hester joined the military to serve his country and fight in the War on Terrorism. He was a cavalry scout serving in the National Guard and was deployed for ten months in Iraq. His primary job there was counter IED missions.

Tags: Cavalry Scout, IED, Maumudiyah Iraq, National Guard, War on Terrorism

Interview with Robert Helton, 2 October 2012

Rob Helton gives a detailed account of his experience in the military for 6 years 2003-2009. He was deployed to Baghdad and describes it as an interesting place, a mix between the ancient and the modern. He shares stories about his time abroad, his basic training in Fort Knox, and his experience returning to civilian life in 2010.

Tags: army, ASU, Baghdad Iraq, baptism by fire, Fort Knox, Major Quessey, Sargeant Phelps

Interview with Haston Gray Haymore, 14 March 2011

Haston Gray Haymore is a veteran of the Vietnam War. He was deployed for one year and forty four days to Benewah, Vietnam, and worked alongside the South Vietnamese soldiers. He describes them as "good people" but very different from the Americans. Haymore states strongly his opinion that America should not have entered this war, that it was a useless endeavor and many lives were fruitlessly lost.

Tags: army, Benewah Vietnam, Fort Bragg, Haston Gray Haymore, honorable discharge, Viet-Cong

Interview with Frank Guy, 8 March 2010

Frank Guy was drafted during the Vietnam War and served 8 and a half months. He was in direct combat and had a couple of near-death experiences. He got out of his service surprisingly early, and he was relieved and had no desire to stay in the military or make a career out of it. Despite that, he values his time in the military and says he would not trade the experience for anything. He wishes the Vietnam veterans had been welcomed more warmly when the returned to the States.

Tags: Air Force, Benwah, Fort Jackson, mortar, Vietnam

Interview with Richard Gilbert, 15 October 2012

Richard Gilbert served in the army for three years during the Vietnam War. He was a volunteer right out of high school, and figured the military was his only way to get to college. He was stationed in Pleiku, Vietnam and worked as a military police officer. He saw very little combat but his base was ambushed a couple of times. After the 3 years were up he majored in art at Appalachian State and worked as a middle school art teacher.

Tags: army, Fort Gordon Georgia, Fort Meade, GI Bill, military police, Pleiku, Vietnam

Interview with James Farley, 9 March 2011

James Farley served as a Medical SFC in the army for several years. He is a veteran of the Gulf War and Operation Iraqi Freedom. He began in the Marine Corps, but decided he wanted to become a combat medic and did his medical training at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. He continued to serve the army in the States until his retirement.

Tags: army, Desert Storm, Fort Sam Houston, Gulf War, Medical SFC, Operation Iraqi Freedom, US Marine Corps

Interview with Daniel P. Elliott, undated

Daniel Elliott is a WWII veteran who served for almost 3 years as a combat engineer. He says his biggest accomplishment was helping to build a pontoon bridge over the Rhine River so that American troops and vehicles could pass safely. He was released from duty a bit earlier after the Japanese were bombed and the war ended. He went on to study mechanical engineering and worked as a surveyor.

Tags: army, Battle of the Bulge, Camp Shelby, combat engineer, Daniel Elliott, Nazi, Rhine River pontoon bridge, WWII

Interview with Stel Dubbiosi, 6 February 2011

Stel Dubbiosi originally wanted to go into the Air Force, but became a Radar Air Control Operation Specialist in the Navy. He never saw combat and served during the Cold War. He was stationed in Keflavik Iceland for a year.

Tags: Keflavik Iceland, Orlando, Radar Air Control Operation Specialist, Stel Dubbiosi

Interview with Seth Crawley, 3 March 2011

SPC Seth Crawley is a specialist in the National Guard and was stationed in Baghdad as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He was there for about a year fighting the terrorism of Al Qaeda. He explains that it has been hard adjusting back to regular life, especially on his digestive system and mental health.

Tags: Al Queda, Baghdad, National Guard, Operation Iraqi Freedom, SPC Seth Crawley

Interview with Randall "R.J." Bowers, 13 March 2011

Randall Bowers joined the military when he was 17 and still in high school shortly after the Iraq War began. He went to basic training at Fort Leonard Wood Missouri and then Afghanistan where he searched for and dismantle IEDs. He later went on to become a drill sergeant and plans to return to the army after he finishes school.

Tags: Afghanistan, Army Staff Sergeant, Fort Leonard Wood Missouri, IED, MRE, Route Clearance Package

Interview with Nathan Bigger, 11 March 2011

Nathan Bigger served in the US Navy during the Cold War Era. He went to Mate A-School in New Hampshire and then spent 6 years patrolling underwater aboard the submarine Stonewall Jackson. He explains that many people had no idea what was going on during the Cold War, and at times even the people serving the military were not sure what they were doing, or what their contribution was. He decided to leave the navy in order to have a family because he saw how hard it was for his crew-mates to leave their wives and children for months at a time.

Tags: Cold War Era, Mate A-School, Nathan Bigger, Stonewall Jackson, submarine, US Navy

Interview with Nicholas D. Bailey, 8 March 2012

Nick Bailey enlisted in the Marine Corps directly after high school and went to basic training at Parris Island, South Carolina. He worked as a logician for 8 years and was able to travel to every continent save Antarctica. The closest thing he saw to combat was in Haiti, where they had to walk around armed because many Haitians did not want them there. He came back to the States and enrolled at ASU after his service and says the military was a very good choice for him because it gave him direction in his life.

Tags: GI Bill, Haiti, logistics, Marine Corps, MRE, Nick Bailey, Parris Island

Interview with Clyde Badger, 7 October 2012

Clyde Badger was an Army Staff Sergeant and worked as a combat engineer during the Guadalcanal Campaign. He built bridges and roads, and said that he didn't really have much specific job training. He did most of his learning on the job and most of it was simple manual labor.

Tags: Army Staff Sergeant, Clyde Badger, combat engineer, Guadalcanal, Hawaii

Interview with Russell Olson, 15 October 2011

Russell Olson Jr., born August 3, 1947, served as a field artillery officer in the U.S. Army for 30 years, including service in Vietnam. In this interview he discusses the draft for the Vietnam war and his personal experience, including living with the Montagnards in the highlands of Vietnam.

Tags: colonel, Field Artillery Officer, Russell V. Olson Jr., Saigon, US Army, Vietnameseization

Interview with Adam Jorgenson, 13 October 2011

Adam Jorgenson, born June 26, 1981, served as an Army Specialist in the Iraq War, South Baghdad. In this interview, he discusses a routine day of visiting communities, searching for weapon caches, and what soldiers did in their free time.

Tags: army specialist, Fort Campbell Kentucky, infantry scout, RSTA Unit, South Baghdad

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