Vietnam War Interview Forum

Guest

>1.     What is your name? What unit were you assigned to? What was you rank? Where did you serve? What years did you serve?

Dave Wright, Army 1st Division, 1/26th Regiment, Co. A and Recon., Sargent, between Saigon and Cambodia, 11/68-11/69.

>2.     Where you drafted or did you volunteer? How old were you at the time?

I was 22 and decided to volunteer for the draft.  It kept my active duty obligation down to two years and I wanted to get it over with.

>3.     What were your thoughts of the war before you enlisted?

I watched the news every night and thought the Communists were pretty brutal and extremely aggressive.  The Cold War had been going on for years and we were afraid Communists were trying to take over as much of the world as they could.

>4.     What were some of your thoughts of feelings when you first arrived in Vietnam?

It was hot, smelled musty and the civilians acted as if there was no war going on.

>5.     What were some of your jobs/duties that you had in Vietnam?

I was in a combat infantry unit and we actively saught to kill and destroy the enemy.  About every third day I would lead the column, my position was called a point man.

>6.     Did you get along with the members of your unit? Your commanding officer?

We had to get along to survive.  We had to depend on one another.

>7.     Can you tell me any interesting or memorable stories that have stuck with you?

Most of my stories involve a grreat deal of violence and loss of good friends.  If you really want to know what it was like, my wife convinced me to write them down.  She got them published under the titls, "Not Enough Tears" on Barne's & Noble or Amazon book websites.

>8.     What were your thoughts and feelings on your way home from the war?

I was more than releaved to leave Vietnam.  Two other friends from basic and AIT came home with me on the same plane.  I worried how to handle all the memories of terror and death in a "normal" society.

>9.     Did you write any letters during the war? To whom?

I wrote to my fiancee and family.

>10.     Did you keep a diary during the war? Did you carry any good luck charms?

No diary, no good luck charms.  I tried my best to trust in God in whatever happened.  I was still terrified the whole time.

>11.     What were your living conditions during the war?

We walked, ate and slept in the jungle most of the time.  There were no tents, mattresses, mess hall, bunkers, rain or shine.  We ate C rations, didn't talk above a whisper and slept on the ground in a light nylon poncho liner.  There were billions of mosquitos, leaches, fire ants, ten inch long centipedes, malaria, jungle rot and those other people out in the jungle who were trying to kill us.

>12.     Is there anything you would change or any regrets about your time?

Regrets change nothing and lead to depression - I don't go there anymore.

>13.     How did you service affect your family?

They tried to make everything as normal as they could for me.  No matter how hard they or I tried, I never felt like I fit back into normal society again.  After thirty years, PTSD and diabetes drove me to the VA for physical help.  All the memories I tried to bury drove to find a relationship with Jesus Christ for spiritual healing.

>14.     Are you still in contact with any of the people you served with?

Only a few.  Getting together always means reliving some of those terrible memories.

>15.     What were your thoughts of the use of napalm, Agent Orange? Were you worried about the effects in might have had on your own health?

When bullets were flying I didn't worry about any long issues.  My focus was on surviving the next moment or two.  I had to survive 365 days before I could go home - then I could worry about napalm and Agent Orange.  


>Thank you for your time and for serving our country.