T. Harry Williams Center for Oral History Collection

ABSTRACT

INTERVIEWEE NAME: Howard McMorris # 4700.0964

IDENTIFICATION: Vietnam veteran

INTERVIEWER: Mike Humphreys

PROJECT: Americans in Vietnam

DATES: 4/20/75

FOCUS DATES: Mar. 24, 1968-Mar. 24, 1970

ABSTRACT:

Tape 1409

Drafted in 1968; was in Vietnam 1969, stationed in Pleiku; felt a lot like being home, but different landscape; Vietnamese and Viet Cong are the same people with different governments; his job was to persuade VC to be on South Vietnamese/American side; worked with interpreters; successes; shipped back to rear; didn't use torture, but tried to brainwash captured VC; squad of VC would leave guy behind to slow down American troops; VC guy who was tied up in tree, shooting at them; lots of interpreters get killed by captured VC; worked as RTO, radio receiver; real war versus not really the war; spare time activities in Pleiku; size of Pleiku; thinks US should pack it up and come home; found propaganda leaflets telling US to go home; monsoon season; duties of radio operator; having to change codes twice per day; Vietnamese were also listening in to radio communications; made friends there from all over the world, everyone wanted to go home; war has intensified since he was there, Vietnamese are leaving; expects Ford will draft people, send troops back; money spent on evacuating people; working as radio operator; duties of assistant gunner, who receives data and gives it to gunner; worked as gunner at Fort Hood, Texas after returning from Vietnam; taught radio operation; attack on C Company; illumination; operating radio while under attack; trapping the enemy; weaponry involved in attack; boot camp at Fort Polk, LA; shooting mortars; sounds of outgoing versus sounds of incoming; built bunker around gun, squad of 13 lived in bunker; loudspeaker in battalion; his battalion had four guns; clean gun out every morning, then go inside and wait for something to shoot at; got case of bad rounds; would like to return to Vietnam as a civilian tourist; considers visiting other Asian destinations, perhaps Bangkok; went to Hong Kong for five days on R&R; went on R&R with other guys from his company; recreation, bars, but not up to US standards; didn't see any parks; local people making money off soldiers; black market goods; Vietnamese singers performed at the NCO club; saw movies there; enjoyed parts of his Vietnam tour; had a girl who took care of his linen, but couldn't trust her; babysan, young lady who's not married; after you're married, called mamasan or papasan; couldn't sleep with mamasan, off limits; papasan can do anything, mamasan doesn't ask questions, but she's faithful to him.


TAPES: 1

TOTAL PLAYING TIME: 45 minutes

# PAGES TRANSCRIPT: 2 page index

RESTRICTIONS: none