Vietnam War Interview Forum

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>1.)     What is your name, assigned unit and rank, where you were located and spent serving, and what years did you serve?

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

>2.)     What were your views on the war prior to it and what motivated you to enlist?  How old were you at the time?

The Cold War had been going on for years and we were afaid of the aggressive unchecked expansion of Communism.  Nightly news indicated the Communists were brutal and demanding the South Vietnamese capitulate or be killed.  I was 22 at the time.

>3.)     What were your duties during the war?  How were the conditions during the war?  How did these duties and conditions affect you after the war?

I had the job of leading the column through the jungle and rice paddies every third day we were out in the jungle.  Our enemy knew and lived in the jungle while we were completely unfamiliar with the territory and their tactics.  They could pop up any time day or night, hit us and run before we could organize ourselves.  Walking point was one of the most terrifying positions in an infantry company.  I'm sure it was a big factor in my seveir symptoms of PTSD after coming home.

>4.)     How did your perspective on people and life in general change as the war progressed?  Did you struggle with transitioning back to normal life in America, and if so, what was it like?

All I learned growing up had little value in Vietnam.  Life wasn't precious and sacred, or even fair.  I could be wasted easily.  The good things we learned to survive in Vietnam was worthless back home.  Learning to suffer together while supporting one another and self sacrifice were completely unnecessary in the persuit of the Amverican Dream where it was every man for himself.  

I wsa disillustioned and angry that life was not how it should be.  The war brought out the best and wrost in me also.  It was very confusingl.

>5.)     How did your service affect life plans that were arranged prior to the war?

I achieved my plans.  Finished college, married my fiancee, got a good job, built a new home and went to church every week.  It all seemed shallow and empty somehow, kids were still fighting for their lives 10,000 miles away with little concern and no sacrifive from our "normal" society.

>6.)     How would you compare the camaraderie of the men in your unit to your normal friends?  How do they differ from one another?

We laughed and cried, lived and died together 24/7 in Vietnam.  We had to depend on one another for our lives.  That can't happen here at home.  

>7.)     How did the American people react you to when you returned?  How do people treat you nowadays and what are your feelings on that?

Vietnam was a national embarrassment and soldiers were physical reminders of all that went wrong.  Most ignred us, some blamed us for fighting an unjust war, others blamed us for not fighting hard enough to win.

The war is more politically acceptable today and I really appreciate that.

>8.)     How often do you think about the war?  Are there certain things in everyday life that bring you back to the war?  What is the story behind them?

Everyday.  The sound of a Heuy thumping the air brings me back to those times we depended on them to a jungle extraction and return to the safety of a fire base.

>9.)     What has been the best medium you have used for coping after the war?

Writing my stories down has been the best theropy.  My wife had them published under the title, "Not Enough Tears" available from Barns & Noble or Amazon book websites.

>10.)     How do you think the war has changed you and how do you see yourself if you had not been in the war in terms of vocation, family, social status, quality of life, happiness, political and religious views?

I have a much bigger picture of life than I would have without going to war.  All the terror and death plus the self centeredness of "normal" society drove me to find a relationship with the God who portected me so many times in Vietnam.  People are so limited and so prone to be selfish without a relationship to the one who is right and good.

>Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions.  I hope that by talking about the war, any internal struggles of yours are eased.  Thank you for serving America and God bless you.
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