Ronald Oakes collection
Corpsman attending to wounded soldier
Corpsman attending to wounded soldier who had tripped a booby-trapped hand grenade in the 3/27th Marine's area.
Booby-trapped U.S. 105 mm howitzer round that Oakes stepped on
Booby-trapped U.S. 105 mm howitzer round that Oakes stepped on. The round failed to detonate because the dirt around it gave way.
Patrol during Operation Allen Brook
Patrol during Operation Allen Brook. Right after Oakes took the picture, North Vietnamese machine guns began firing from the opposite bank.
Engineers placing C-4 around the bobby-trapped U.S. 105 mm howitzer round that Oakes stepped on
Engineers placing C-4 around the bobby-trapped U.S. 105 mm howitzer round that Oakes stepped on.
Live 81 mm round
White object in the center-right of the photo is a live 81 mm illumination round that went through Oakes' poncho and landed between his head and the Gunnery Sgt's head during a night firing in a rain storm.
122 mm rockets captured in the rocket belt south of Da Nang
Da Nang, Spring 1968. 122 mm rockets captured in the rocket belt south of Da Nang transported on a mule motorized cart to Camp Dong Son.
Platoon ordnance load for a single patrol
Platoon ordnance load for a single patrol. Consists of: machine gun ammo, hand grenades, M-16 ammo, M-79 ammo, smoke grenades, LAWs (Light Anti-Tank Weapons), and claymore mines.
LZ Gurkha artillery emplacement of 105 mm howitzers
LZ Gurkha artillery emplacement of 105 mm howitzers.
Rear area at LZ Stud, Vandergrift Combat Base
Rear area at LZ Stud, Vandergrift Combat Base. The jumping off point for the relief of Khe Sanh, October 1968.
Two U.S. Army dusters, 40mm tracked AA vehicles, south of Hue on Route 1
Two U.S. Army dusters, 40mm tracked AA vehicles, south of Hue on Route 1.
Oakes spent the last 30 days in county as the NCOIC in charge of the transit tent of B Co 1/4 Marines Dong Ha (rear area)
Oakes spent the last 30 days in county as the NCOIC in charge of the transit tent of B Co 1/4 Marines Dong Ha (rear area).
U.S.S. New Jersey passing by the U.S.S. Repose while Oakes is aboard the hospital ship USS Repose
U.S.S. New Jersey passing by the U.S.S. Repose while Oakes is aboard the hospital ship USS Repose.
Pedicab in the city of Da Nang
Pedicab in the city of Da Nang. Taken after Oakes had been released from the hospital and is on his way back to his unit.
Washing the red clay off the jeep in the rear area in the Quang Tri area with the help of the locals
Washing the red clay off the jeep in the rear area in the Quang Tri area with the help of the locals.
Route 1 south of Hue. Civilians building a fence around their village to keep the VC out
Route 1 south of Hue. Civilians building a fence around their village to keep the VC out.
Vietnamese farmer leading his water buffalo
Vietnamese farmer leading his water buffalo. Notice the deep red clay.
Rice paddies in the Da Nang area
Rice paddies in the Da Nang area. The water in the paddies was usually twenty-inchs to two feet deep and at canals, the water was usually four or five feet deep and full of leeches.
Oakes at Camp Hansen, Okinawa on his way home from Vietnam, April 1969
Oakes at Camp Hansen, Okinawa on his way home from Vietnam, April 1969.
Transite barracks at Da Nang airfield
Transite barracks at Da Nang airfield, April 1969. Taken when Oakes is about to leave the country.
Operation Allen Brook. F-4 Phantom releasing ordanace on an enemy position firing upon Oakes's unit
Operation Allen Brook. F-4 Phantom releasing ordanace on an enemy position firing upon Oakes' unit
Corpsman Kirkpatrick and Lt. O'Rourke of 3rd Platoon, B Company 1/27 May 1968 before Operation Allen Brook
Corpsman Kirkpatrick and Lt. O'Rourke of 3rd Platoon, B Company 1/27 May 1968 before Operation Allen Brook.
Oakes and LCPL Lamphere with the platoon radios just before Oakes began working with the company
Oakes and LCPL Lamphere with the platoon radios just before Oakes began working with the company. Lamphere was the man Oakes chose to replace him as platoon radioman. The day after this picture, Lamphere tripped a bobby-trapped hand grenade that took…
1st Marine Division band keeping the men occupied around April 27th just south of Hue
1st Marine Division band keeping the men occupied around April 27th just south of Hue. The men were waiting for a B-52 bombing mission to bomb a village the men had to go through. Two weeks before, the company had traveled through the village and…
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Title
Ronald Oakes collection
Creator
Oakes, Ronald
Description
Collection of photographs by Ronald Oakes, who served in the U.S. Marine Corps during the Vietnam War, and in the U.S. National Guard in the Iraq War.
Date
1968/2005
Rights
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a>
Subject
Iraq War, 2003-2011
Vietnam War, 1961-1975
Veterans
Photographs
Publisher
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Relation
Veterans History Project interviews, RHC-27
Identifier
RHC-80
Language
eng