T. Harry Williams Center for Oral History Collection

ABSTRACT

INTERVIEWEE NAME: Robert "Bob" Willburn # 4700.0992

IDENTIFICATION: Vietnam veteran

INTERVIEWER: Bailey Vinson

PROJECT: Americans in Vietnam

DATES: 2/6/77

FOCUS DATES: March 1970-March 1974

ABSTRACT:

Tape 1448

Born in Texarkana; occupations of parents; small town childhood; education; entering Air Force; boot camp was a farce; advanced training; trained to be security police; worked a year in New Mexico; AZR, training for security policemen; arrival in Cam Ranh Bay; describes normal day in Vietnam; description of base at Phu Cat; living under constant threat of attack; working with "bush teams"; weapons used; contact with Vietnamese civilians; contact with ARVNs; contact with the enemy; Montagnards; Vietnamese diet; learned a little Vietnamese; prostitution; VD; prevalence of marijuana and heroin; squadron divided into those who drank and those who used drugs, or "boozers" and "heads"; drugs interfering with execution of soldiers' duties; penalties for drug use; marijuana prices; learning taekwando in his leisure time; American Red Cross girls; attitude toward commanding officers; worked late night shifts; friendships with other soldiers; work schedule; racial friction; negative opinion of the Vietnamese; war effort was unsuccessful; how war changed him.

TAPES: 1

TOTAL PLAYING TIME:

# PAGES TRANSCRIPT: 13 pages

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