472 24 26018 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/d85644b260903d96bd0840adb469b5d9.pdf 0a01ec6e87f0232990beb9db607fe168 PDF Text Text Courtesy photo/ princetonprphotos.com Embracing diverse graduates: Students sit in a lavender graduation held at Princeton University. Grand Valley will be holding their annual lavender graduation on Tuesday in Room 2215 of the Kirkhof Center. lavender Graduation ceremony to honor LGBT graduates, allies LGBT graduates. Since then, campuses across the nation GVL Staff Writer began to host their own Laveqder Graduations. While the Graduation is just around first Lavender Graduation at the corner for Grand Valley GVSU had only a handful of State ·university's class of · students, this year's ceremony 2011, but before students walk will be the largest one yet. "It's a wonderful event," across the stage in the Van Andel Arena, the LGBTResource said Colette Seguin BeighCenter will host its fifth-annu- ley, director of the LGBT al Lavender Graduation at 4 Resource Center. "It's very p.rn. Tuesday in Room 2215 festive and celebratory. President Haas will be delivering a of Kirkhof Center. · Lavender Graduation is greeting. Not only will we acan opportunity for the GVSU knowledge our graduates and community to acknowledge their accomplishments, but we and honor the lesbian, gay, bi- will also honor our recipients sexual, transgender and queer of LGBT scholarships." Scholarships will include stu(lents for their achievements and contributions to not the West Shore Aware Scholonly the community but also arship and the LGBT Scholarship. to the university. Wendy Wenner, dean of the The color lavender is Brooks College of Interdisci·meaningful to LGBT history and culture as it signifies the plinary Studies, will receive colors of triangles that the gay the Milton Ford Leadership community had to wear as , Award. This year for the very prisoners in Nazi concentra- first time, the LGBT Faculty tion ~amps. The LGBT civil and Staff association will be rigl)ts movement reclaimed presenting the PRISM Award. · The PRISM Award is only these symbols of hatred to creavailable to GVSU staff. ate -a color of pride. ''The award is specifically The Lavender Graduation tradition began in 1995 for faculty, staff or adminisat the ·University of Michi- · trators who have contributed gan to honor and appreci- their time, energy and resourcate the accomplishments of es to create improvements for By Kendal Pektas the LGBT communities," said Shawn Bible, vice president of the LGBT Faculty and Staff Association. "It is not meant to be for students." About 5 percent of the GVSU community identifies itself as LGBT. However, Lavender Graduation is not just for the gay community but for its allies as well. Many members of the Greek Allies and Advocates will also participate in the event. "It is really important to continue to educate the greater campus that we live in a society where an entire group of people do not have equality," Seguin Beighley said. "LGBT students are navigating through a society that doesn't accept them." The event is sponsored by the LGBT Resource Center, the Women's Center, the LGBT Faculty and Staff Association, Allies & Advocates, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Brooks College of Interdisciplinary Studies and the University Bookstore. Graduating students will receive rainbow tassels along with gift bags from the bookstore. kpektas@lanthorn.com � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource GVSU Sexuality and Gender Flyers Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource The Rainbow Resource Center Women and Gender Studies Department Women's Commission Gayle R. Davis Center for Women and Gender Equity Description An account of the resource Digitized posters, flyers, event notices, and other materials relating to gender expression and sexuality at Grand Valley State University, with materials spanning from 1974 to 2019. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1974/2019 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Digitized from collections at the Rainbow Resource Center (formerly the Milton E. Ford LGBT Resource Center), Women and Gender Studies Department, Women's Commission, and Gayle R. Davis Center for Women and Gender Equity. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copyright Subject The topic of the resource Gender identity Gender expression Sexual orientation Women's studies Queer theory Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-09 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-09_SGF_LGBTQ_2011-04-18_Lanthorn_Lavender-Graduation_Newspaper.pdf Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2011-04-18 Title A name given to the resource Lavender Graduation ceremony to honor LGBT graduates, allies Description An account of the resource Newspaper article by Kendal Pektas explaining the history of GVSU's Lavender Graduation. Subject The topic of the resource Community centers Sexual minorities Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived The Rainbow Resource Center Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource The Rainbow Resource Center https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/9d5f202e3eaf924a8817cba7b64d4053.jpg a67ad3338a79220eb660f80de91fef9f Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Douglas R. Gilbert Photographs Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Gilbert, Douglas R., 1942-2023 Description An account of the resource Photographs scanned from negatives and transparencies from the Douglas R. Gilbert papers (RHC-183). Douglas R. Gilbert (b. 1942) is an American photographer from Michigan. He was born in Holland, Michigan and is the son of Russell W. and Carmen (Andree) Gilbert. Gilbert earned a B.A. in social sciences and art at Michigan State University in 1964, an M.S. in photography from the Institute of Design at Illinois Institute of Technology in 1972, and a M.S.W. from Salem State College in 1993. He is married to Barbara (McDonald) Gilbert, and has three daughters, Robyn, Rachel, and Anne. Gilbert took a serious interest in photography at the age of fourteen. In 1963 he joined the staff of Look magazine in New York as the second youngest photojournalist in the magazine's history. As a Look photographer from 1964 to 1966, he photographed folk musician Bob Dylan, the Newport Folk Festival, Simon and Garfunkel, the New York City Financial District, the children and facilities at the Manhattan School for Seriously Disturbed Children. From 1967 to 1969, Gilbert did several shoots, including that of folk singer Janis Ian for Life magazine. After moving to Chicago, Illinois in 1969 to attend the Illinois Institute of Technology, Gilbert conducted notable photo shoots of business and political figure Lenore Romney, and pursued more personal and artistic photography, focusing on urban and rural landscapes in Illinois and Michigan. He then joined the faculty of Wheaton College, where he taught from 1972 to 1982. In 1993, Gilbert graduated from Salem State College, Massachusetts, with a Masters in Social Work, and later pursued a second career as a psychotherapist. Douglas Gilbert died in June 2023. Throughout his photography career, he pursued both freelance commercial work as well as artistic work. His art photography is characterized by its classic black-and-white format, and features people, places and objects shot great attention and sensitivity. Gilbert's works are held in the permanent collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, The Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, and the Grand Valley State University Art Galleries, as well as in numerous private and institutional collections. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1960-2011 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="%E2%80%9Dhttps%3A//gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/783%E2%80%9D">Douglas R. Gilbert Papers (RHC-183)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copyright Subject The topic of the resource Photographs Photography -- United States Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-183 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Image Type The nature or genre of the resource image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-183_D166-0026 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Gilbert, Douglas R. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1963-05-18 Title A name given to the resource Law Office of Mark Twain's Father, Hannibal, Missouri Description An account of the resource Black and white photograph of the law office of Mark Twain's father, John Marshall Clemens, who served as Justice of the Peace during the 1840's in the small village of Hannibal, Missouri. Scanned from the negative. Subject The topic of the resource Hannibal (Mo.) Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum Twain, Mark, 1835-1910 Clemens, Samuel Langhorne, 1835-1910 Law offices Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/783">Douglas R. Gilbert papers (RHC-183)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1960s Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/c98933f723ea95a20d7764944cc97348.jpg dba462f86d1a55a91e8853dab205e14c Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Douglas R. Gilbert Photographs Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Gilbert, Douglas R., 1942-2023 Description An account of the resource Photographs scanned from negatives and transparencies from the Douglas R. Gilbert papers (RHC-183). Douglas R. Gilbert (b. 1942) is an American photographer from Michigan. He was born in Holland, Michigan and is the son of Russell W. and Carmen (Andree) Gilbert. Gilbert earned a B.A. in social sciences and art at Michigan State University in 1964, an M.S. in photography from the Institute of Design at Illinois Institute of Technology in 1972, and a M.S.W. from Salem State College in 1993. He is married to Barbara (McDonald) Gilbert, and has three daughters, Robyn, Rachel, and Anne. Gilbert took a serious interest in photography at the age of fourteen. In 1963 he joined the staff of Look magazine in New York as the second youngest photojournalist in the magazine's history. As a Look photographer from 1964 to 1966, he photographed folk musician Bob Dylan, the Newport Folk Festival, Simon and Garfunkel, the New York City Financial District, the children and facilities at the Manhattan School for Seriously Disturbed Children. From 1967 to 1969, Gilbert did several shoots, including that of folk singer Janis Ian for Life magazine. After moving to Chicago, Illinois in 1969 to attend the Illinois Institute of Technology, Gilbert conducted notable photo shoots of business and political figure Lenore Romney, and pursued more personal and artistic photography, focusing on urban and rural landscapes in Illinois and Michigan. He then joined the faculty of Wheaton College, where he taught from 1972 to 1982. In 1993, Gilbert graduated from Salem State College, Massachusetts, with a Masters in Social Work, and later pursued a second career as a psychotherapist. Douglas Gilbert died in June 2023. Throughout his photography career, he pursued both freelance commercial work as well as artistic work. His art photography is characterized by its classic black-and-white format, and features people, places and objects shot great attention and sensitivity. Gilbert's works are held in the permanent collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, The Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, and the Grand Valley State University Art Galleries, as well as in numerous private and institutional collections. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1960-2011 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="%E2%80%9Dhttps%3A//gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/783%E2%80%9D">Douglas R. Gilbert Papers (RHC-183)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copyright Subject The topic of the resource Photographs Photography -- United States Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-183 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Image Type The nature or genre of the resource image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-183_D166-0044 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Gilbert, Douglas R. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1963-05-18 Title A name given to the resource Law Office of Mark Twain's Father, Hannibal, Missouri Description An account of the resource Black and white photograph of the law office of Mark Twain's father, John Marshall Clemens, who served as Justice of the Peace during the 1840's in the small village of Hannibal, Missouri. Scanned from the negative. Subject The topic of the resource Hannibal (Mo.) Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum Twain, Mark, 1835-1910 Clemens, Samuel Langhorne, 1835-1910 Law offices Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/783">Douglas R. Gilbert papers (RHC-183)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1960s Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/368516a9ec50d07c86667225c7efbc22.pdf a8f472dfae7898993e100cdce240aefb PDF Text Text Young   L ords   In  Lincoln  Park   Interviewee:  Lawrence  Reyes   Interviewers:  Jose  Jimenez   Location:  Grand  Valley  State  University  Special  Collections   Date:  10/4/2016   Runtime:  00:45:41         Biography  and  Description   Oral  history  of  Lawrence  Reyes,  interviewed  by  Jose  “Cha-­‐Cha”  Jimenez  on  October  04,  2016  about  the   Young  Lords  in  Lincoln  Park.   Lawrence  was  born  on  July  7,  1958    at  St.  Vincent  Hospital  in  New  York  City’s  Village  area.  The   family  soon  moved  to  El  Barrio  around  122nd  and  Amsterdam  which  was  primarily  Puerto  Rican.   He  is  one  of  12  siblings  including  his  U.S.  veteran  brother,  Junior  who  was  also  a  member  of  the   Young  Lords.  His  father  was  a  store  manager  in  downtown  Manhattan  and  his  mother  worked  as  a   janitor.  The  environment  of  El  Barrio  was  gang  and  drug  infested  and  Lawrence  dropped  out  of  9th   grade  at  John  Jay  Dewey  High  School  and  eventually  became  addicted  to  hard  drugs  going  in  and   out  of  prison,  including  a  robbery.  He  states  that  it  was  a  hopeless  case  for  him  until  his   involvement  with  the  Young  Lords.  Today  he  has  been  “clean”  34  years  and  has  worked  for  county   and  state  governments,  as  a  substance  abuse  counselor.   �Lawrence  states  that  his  father  was  a  “Puerto  Rican  Republican.”  His  mother  was  the  complete   opposite  and  she  taught  the  children  Puerto  Rican  history  and  about  Don  Pedro  Albizu  Campos  and   the  Nacionalistas.  His  sister  Hilda  Morales  later,  was  a  part  of  the  Young  Lords  central  committee  in   New  York.  The  last  action  he  remembers  was  when  the  city  was  leading  the  New  York  Puerto  Rican   parade  and  the  people  and  Young  Lords  reacted  and  fought  the  police.  He  is  joined  in  the  oral   history  with  co-­‐activists  Jorge  Luis  Rivera  and  Adam  Rice  who  are  proactive  with  him  in  Los   Angeles.   �Transcript JOSE JIMENEZ: If you could give me your name and where you were born. LAWRENCE REYES: JJ: Lawrence Reyes. New York City, New York. If you could give us your name, and where you were born, and maybe your age and (inaudible). LR: Sure. So my name Lawrence Reyes, I was born in New York City, New York. Coming from a pretty good family, you know, 12; 10 sisters and a brother. JJ: What are some of their names? LR: Oh, okay, so my sister’s name is Martha, Doreen, Eva, Lillian, the twins: Eunice and Euphacine, Gilda, and Doreen. And my brother’s name is Juan, Jr. who [00:01:00] was also a Young Lord and a Vietnam veteran. JJ: You were in New York, what part of New York? LR: I was in New York City, New York, in Manhattan in El Barrio. JJ: Were you born there? LR: No, I was born in St. Vincent’s Hospital in Village in New York, and we lived there for a while, then we moved uptown to El Barrio, and that’s where I grew up. JJ: El Barrio, (inaudible). LR: Yeah, El Barrio was 122nd Street and Amsterdam which was a predominantly Puerto Rican neighborhood at the time, and my mom was a janitor at Fulton County Hospital which is Brooklyn County. And my father was a store manager [00:02:00] in downtown Manhattan off of Wall Street by the World Trade Center. JJ: Where did you go to school? 1 �LR: I went to school at John Jay Dewey High School, and I subsequently dropped out of the ninth grade. My first year of school, I dropped out because it was a hopeless situation. We didn’t have too many resources, and we were impoverished, and we lived in a very impoverished neighborhood. And the Young Lords addressed that impoverishment with the cleaning up the trash program that -- in Harlem, in Spanish Harlem. And so that was my first [00:03:00] introduction to the Young Lords. I got into drugs and alcohol at the time. I was arrested, placed in juvenile hall. I was a hopeless case. I came out, committed a robbery, ended up in state prison in New York. And from there, I led a life of crime, and drug addiction, and alcoholism. JJ: (inaudible). LR: Yeah. Heroin, cocaine, speed. JJ: (inaudible). LR: Yeah, heroin was real big, yeah. LR: So you spent some time in jail and then -- LR: Yeah, I spent some time in jail, and the last stretch that I did was when I reawoken politically. And I went to school, got a GED, and then went to college, got a degree in human behavior because I wanted to work with people. And then from there, [00:04:00] I came out, and I started working for county working with youth, at the time working with the youth employment program. And what we would do is we would get jobs out to youth who were at risk and also coming from an impoverished urban setting. JJ: (inaudible). And so can you describe would (inaudible)? 2 �LR: A regular day with the Young Lords was always seeking to organize the community, working with the community especially when there was a lot of trash because the city sanitation department was not coming around and picking up the trash. So we asked the people what they wanted, and they said, “We want the garbage gone.” So that’s when [00:05:00] we started cleaning garbage -literally bags and bags of garbage, and then we threw them in the street and we made the sanitation department come and get it. JJ: (inaudible). LR: Yes, sir. JJ: (inaudible). LR: Yeah, we put it in the front because it was a big issue and so was a lot of the -you know, there was no nutrition program. The Black Panther nutrition program came into play for a lot of us. I was a product of the Black Panther Precious Program where they fed children and gave groceries out to families. And then from there, the Palante newspaper was when I started -- selling the Palante newspaper [00:06:00] around all over the place. There was always some kind of protest or some kind of action. I was outside when they took over -- when the Young Lords took over Lincoln Hospital. And I was outside, the Young Lords had occupied it, I was outside selling papers, and my sisters and my brothers were inside the hospital. So that was my first sense of pride, you know, that -- JJ: (inaudible). LR: I was cadre. JJ: (inaudible). 3 �LR: Okay, yeah, I felt it was important work. I felt that I had a sense of purpose other than what I was exposed to in my living environment. There was a sense of purpose that you know what? We’re gonna make a difference. [00:07:00] We were gonna help the people. So after that, we ran into Panama, Felipe Luciano, Yoruba, Iris, and they were a very powerful cadre as well. My sister was in the central committee once they opened it up to women because -- JJ: What was her name? LR: Gilda Morales. It was just happening, man, all over the place. It was just such a sense of pride that we shouldn’t be ashamed of our hair, our heritage, the way people looked us down ’cause we were colonized people. Just because we were colonized people doesn’t mean [00:08:00] that we were less human than anybody else. And once we got in touch and became consciousness about the colonization that was going on amongst our own people -- you know, there was an argument about pelo malo, pelo bueno, which states that bad hair, good hair - you know, good hair was straight hair, bad hair was the kind of hair Puerto Ricans have -- a lot of Puerto Ricans have, like curly hair. And our African heritage would show because we were a mixture of three races: Spanish, English, and Indian. So the Young Lords gave us pride. And, also the Young Lords were one of the reasons I quit school, too. I was gonna quit school [00:09:00] anyway ’cause I was already into drugs. And then by 1973, it seemed like after the melee or the riot against the police at the Puerto Rican Day parade - JJ: (inaudible). 4 �LR: Well, the police were engaged in a lot of police brutality, a lot of racism within the police. And they came and wanted -- and led the Puerto Rican Day parade. And we made a statement at the time that we weren’t gonna allow pigs to lead our parade. So we engaged in resistance, and we engaged in what was described as a riot by the Young Lords. JJ: It turned into a riot. LR: It turned into a riot. [00:10:00] And so as we scampered away from the pigs, we went to Columbus Circle and drenched a statue with red paint. At the time, that was big news and we were blamed for it. And I’m not saying that we’re taking the credit for doing that ’cause that was -- it was a political act when we did it, a form of protest. JJ: So, now, was your family political? LR: My family was very political. JJ: Your parents were political? LR: Yeah, my mom -- JJ: (inaudible). LR: Sure. My mother’s name is Hilda Hernandez. She was born in Orocovis, Puerto Rico. She was born in Orocovis -- want to go by the pool? [00:11:00] Hilda Hernandez, born in Orocovis, Puerto Rico which was just way up in the mountains. JJ: (inaudible). LR: Orocovis, yeah. Orocovis, Puerto Rico which is named after a chief, a Taino chief. So she was born up there, and her family were nationalists. And my father 5 �was born in Ponce, his name is Juan Hernandez, and he was ashamed of being Puerto Rican where my mother wasn’t. JJ: (inaudible). RL: Well, he thought that Puerto Ricans shouldn’t be too [00:12:00] revolutionary. And Ponce at the time was very pro-statehood at the time, and he grew up in a family that worked in Bacardi Rum in Ponce, and Bacardi Rum is owned by a Cuban oligarch. Yeah, (inaudible) and Bacardi were Cuban oligarchs, and so they instilled in their workers a sense of U.S. colonialism, you know, “Be American, be grateful for the American system. You got jobs.” So he felt ashamed. My father was a Puerto Rican Republican. (laughs) My father was a Puerto Rican Republican, my mom was the [00:13:00] [stoic?]. She was like the rock, she was the one that taught us about Albizu, she was the one told us stories about Puerto Rico, she was the one that was very proud of being Puerto Rican because she knew that the political system was a sham in Puerto Rico. She didn’t like Don Luis Muñoz Marin who was a colonizer, sold out to the U.S. government, so she didn’t like him. So she told us a lot of stories about Puerto Rico and about Luis Ruiz, and Hostos, and Don Pedro Albizu Campos, Lolita Lebrón, Blanca Canales, and about how they stood up against the U.S. government. JJ: [00:14:00] (inaudible). LR: My friends were very political. JJ: When you were growing up? LR: When I was growing up -- 6 �JJ: (inaudible). LR: Oh, well, yeah, the ones that were getting high, they weren’t too political. The politics were getting high. But, yet, there was a lot of them that were political, there was a lot of them that knew that we were in a hopeless situation, that what we were doing was counter-productive to the movement. But then again, we also thought that the movement was infiltrated with drugs, a lot of drugs, so it could kill the movement, undermine the movement. So it wasn’t till I got older was when I became reawoken politically, and started working with youth, and started working as a social worker, and then I became a substance abuse counselor. And now [00:15:00] even today, I have quite a story to tell. I mean I’m clean and sober 34 years. I speak on subjects of mental illness and drug addiction. They consider me to be an expert. I have two felonies, but yet I work for the government because I’ve been -- well, the felonies were all drug-related, but I told the truth about my past and the government hired me. So I work for the government right now as a substance abuse counselor. JJ: (inaudible). LR: At the county government, yeah, for the state of California, county government, yeah. And my first job as a youth counselor was with New York, New York City, [00:16:00] Department of Employment. We were specifically targeting youth to give ’em jobs, and empower them into college, and link ’em up to community organizations that would expound records, that would work -- wrap around with their families. So it was a good thing, I felt like I was doing something good. JJ: So how did you get into (inaudible)? 7 �LR: Well, I got into it while I was in prison. I -- JJ: You talking about the government? LR: No, I didn’t get the job like that, but I got the education. I got the education like that, and then once I got out, I went to Second Chance. Second Chance is a project in New York that gives people that have been -- it’s incarcerated people. JJ: [00:17:00] Ex-offenders. LR: Yes, ex-offenders, that’s what they used to call them then. Now they call them formerly incarcerated. So they linked me up to Manpower, and then Manpower hooked up me with CIDA which is a government-run program that trains people how to become youth counselors. So I got that training and then I got hired by the state of New York as a -- specifically as a formerly incarcerated person to work with at-risk youth. So that’s what I did for nine years, and then I went back to school, I ended up at UCLA, right here in California, got another degree. JJ: (inaudible). LR: I got it from New York, but I left New York and moved to New Jersey. [00:18:00] I lived in Newark. And at the time, there was Young Lords in Newark, too. So we moved to Newark because my mom was trying to get us out of the pot, to get us off the grill, so to speak. So we went to Newark, and from Newark, after a while, I went to work for Essex County Newark. Essex County, New Jersey, Newark, and I worked as a alcohol and drug specialist. Then from there, I moved to Pennsylvania, and in Pennsylvania I became the first Latino to work in -- it made the newspapers -- to work at a youth facility for [00:19:00] Lehigh Valley in Pennsylvania, yeah. Over there by Bethlehem. And so -- 8 �JJ: (inaudible). LR: Yeah, they’re a steel town, yeah. And there were a lot of kids who were going in the wrong direction. Let me just grab my coffee real quick, gotta swallow that. JJ: So how long were you in Bethlehem? (inaudible). LR: Bethlehem, yeah, it’s very historical. I was there for seven years. JJ: (inaudible). LR: The community was -- yes, it was increasingly becoming more Puerto Rican, and Allentown eventually did become a Puerto Rican town. They used to call it Puerto Rican Town ’cause that’s how many people -- Puerto Ricans that were in Pennsylvania at the time, and there was a lot of Puerto Ricans in Philadelphia, too. But Allentown was -- we sort of took it over. JJ: [00:20:00] Okay, so Allentown (inaudible). LR: Yeah, Allentown was a very concentrated community of Puerto Ricans that originally went out to Pennsylvania to work in the steel mills and built a lot of the structures, and they worked in the foundries of Pennsylvania. JJ: (inaudible). LR: That’s okay. JJ: (inaudible) farms (inaudible). LR: A lot of what? JJ: Farms (inaudible). LR: Farms? JJ: (inaudible) Puerto Rican farm (inaudible). 9 �LR: Yeah. Actually, when -- this is the story that my mom told me. When she came to New York, she went to pick apples in the apple orchards up in mid-state New York before she met my father, and that’s how she became [00:21:00] more of a domestic worker. But, yeah, I met farmers from -- JJ: (inaudible). LR: My mom was a supporter of Albizu Campos. JJ: And she picked apples, too? LR: She picked apples, too, yeah. JJ: (inaudible). LR: No, I don’t think so. I don’t know. JJ: (inaudible). LR: (Spanish) [00:21:27 - 21:35] Don Pedro Albizu Campos was a very gifted orator. It sounded like he was always screaming, he was just talking like any Puerto Rican would talk when you had something to say. But he was tortured by the U.S. government, given radiation [00:22:00] treatments by the U.S. government. He was put in La Princesa and they called him “El Hombre de las Toallas” which was “the man of the towels” because as he was being radiated in prison, he would wrap himself up with these towels so he wouldn’t get radiated. So that’s why they called him “El Hombre de las Toallas.” But he spoke truth to power. He spoke truth against the imperialist system of the United States that was governing Puerto Ricans any which way that they wanted to. And he also organized the sugar cane workers. He organized the sugar cane workers which, at the time, they were getting paid like a nickel [00:23:00] a day or something like 10 �that, and he got them an hourly wage. And I guess that was a concession to see if they could buy him out, but he didn’t. He continued to talk truth to power, and they continued to arrest him and radiate him to the point where he was released as a political prisoner in 1964, and in 1965, he died of radiation poisoning. JJ: (inaudible) teaching you this? LR: My mom was teaching us that. She taught us that. JJ: How did you feel about what your mother was telling you? LR: How did I feel about my mom telling me that? I felt angry. I felt angry, but I also felt proud of my mom for sharing that, for letting us know about our history, about our heritage, and about the role that the United States and the public Puerto Rican government which [00:24:00] still exists today and is compliciting with the United States in continuing to colonize our people and abuse our land. And I think it was a very, very important history lesson that my mom was telling us ’cause I don’t think I would have ever learned that till I got to Brooklyn College. When I got to Brooklyn College, then we sat in for Puerto Rican studies department. I know I’m jumping a little bit, but it was a segue because we took over Brooklyn College because we wanted Puerto Rican studies to be taught. And it took us two years sitting in in Brooklyn College -- JJ: (inaudible)? LR: Sat in for two years, Brooklyn College. JJ: (inaudible). LR: Yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean we would go to class. The building that we took over was never left alone. [00:25:00] And we were blasting salsa music, and having 11 �parties, and, you know, keep the morale up, you know? So to speak. So that was a very important event, too, because at the same time that we were fighting for the Puerto Ricans studies department at Brooklyn College, there was also apartheid going on. So we aligned ourselves with apartheid people and people who were fighting the Central American wars -- you know, the Central American people, students. That’s yours, right? That’s yours. So, no, no, no, my mother’s history lessons were always well-received by us except for my -- there’s one sister that didn’t like ’em, and she ended up in the Young Lords anyway. Gilda Moralez. JJ: [00:26:00] So you work in the radio (inaudible)? LR: No, I don’t work in that -- he works in the radio station, but I’m a volunteer for the Pacifica Network. I’ve been on the board and I’ve been on the Pacifica National Board. But that’s a whole ’nother set of politics. There’s basically people who are fighting for their communities. It goes back to the Young Lords, what the Young Lords taught me, that you fight for the communities and that you involve the community and that this is such a resource -- Pacifica Radio, five networks throughout the United States and 230 affiliates. This is such a network that I believe that’s the only reason it’s worth fighting for is because like my home station is KPFK in Los Angeles which is Adam’s show you’re gonna be on. [00:27:00] But KPFK Pacifica Radio in Los Angeles is a resource for the community, and the new general manager that’s managing the station now is community-based, grassroots-oriented, a beautiful woman, very sharp, very 12 �intelligent woman. Her name is Leslie Radford. So I just want to give Leslie a shout-out for her -JJ: (inaudible). LR: It’s affirmative, yeah. ’Cause she’s brought the radio to the community again. And she’s getting a lot of pushback, a lot of resistance from the Liberals -- and I wouldn’t even say the Liberals, I would say the center-right Republicans. And they’re just really provocateurs, [00:28:00] and really people who are not rooted in the community, and who don’t want the radio station to be rooted in the community. They want it to be sort of like a public radio which is not -- public radio is funded by (inaudible), and people who modify foods, and people who are using -- Chevron or Exxon Mobil. You know, these are people who are using the new possibility of the energy grid to be used by these oligarchs. So this is why the Pacifica Network’s important. This is why the Pacifica Network’s important, yeah. JJ: [00:29:00] (inaudible). LR: Yeah, there’s a lot of Puerto Ricans in LA. It’s more like scatter-Ricans, right? We’re pretty scattered. But there’s a new organization in LA, I’ve been coordinating an organization called the Puerto Rican Alliance since I left Brooklyn College. JJ: (inaudible). LR: No, they know that. JJ: (inaudible). LR: Really? Somebody told me that, some Brown Beret told me that. 13 �JJ: (inaudible). LR: Oh, okay. So there’s a Puerto Rican Alliance of Los Angeles which I’ve been coordinating for years, ever since the Vieques struggle, when we got the Navy to leave Vieques. And now there’s a group of very capable-minded, and young, vibrant Puerto Ricans called Puerto Ricans in Action. [00:30:00] So I don’t know if you want to hear from Puerto Ricans in Action. JJ: Yeah. LR: From me or from a member? JJ: (inaudible). LR: Yeah, come on. So I can get some coffee. JJ: Then you gotta come back (inaudible). Give me your name and where you were born. JORGE RIVERA: So my name is Jorge Luis Rivera. I was born in Yauco, Puerto Rico, but was I raised in Connecticut. JJ: You were gonna tell us about -- JR: So Puerto Ricans in action is a group that we formed about six months ago in Los Angeles due to lack of Puerto Ricans in LA, and we wanted to start protesting PROMESA and all the things that were going on on the island, and we wanted to sure that our culture and our history was being taught to the Puerto Ricans that live in LA ’cause a lot of ’em migrate there and some of them don’t know as much [00:31:00] about what’s going on on the island -- and even regular people in general of all races. So we just wanted to feed ’em information about what’s going on, throw events so they know what’s happening about our history. 14 �Last month we threw an event for Grito de Lares, and this month we’re throwing one for Grito de Guerra which, you know, the uprising in 1950. So we’re putting that together right now. So we’re gonna continue to do things like this and give back to the community by doing toy drives, that kind of thing. JJ: What’s PROMESA? JR: PROMESA is a bill that has recently passed basically bringing in La Junta, the fiscal control board, which down in Puerto Rico they’re people assigned by the United States to run the financial aspects and pretty much govern Puerto Rico, and they have full control of where the money goes and where things allocate to. [00:32:00] One of the biggest things on the bill is the minimum wage drops. Anyone under 25, minimum wage is now $4.25. So that means any company that has anyone over 25 can fire that person and hire two other people for the same rate that they were paying the other person. So there’s a lot of protest going on down there now against the newspaper companies ’cause they’re all corrupt, a lot of government officials are corrupt down there, that kind of stuff. JJ: (inaudible). JR: It’s a dictatorship, and, you know, people in Puerto Rico want independence, they want the island to be free. They want the island to be free, they want Oscar Lopez to be free, and we’re not getting [00:33:00] any of that, so we’re starting to make noise because we need them to hear us. JJ: Who is he? JR: Oscar Lopez Rivera is a political prisoner who was in prison 35 years ago for -- JJ: Still in prison? 15 �JR: Still in prison, one of the longest -- and what Lawrence likes to call being in prison for thoughts, for just thinking, he was in prison. And he’s still there and he’s one of the longest in prison political prisoners right now. And they’ve been protesting for years trying to get him freed, and we’re actually -- November 19th there’s a thing in LA where they’re doing a panel where they’re discussing all of the political prisoners right now trying to get them off with Obama before he leaves office. JJ: (inaudible). JR: Yeah, Michael [Novick?] is putting that together. We’ll be present there because we’ll be representing Oscar Lopez. JJ: [00:34:00] (inaudible). JR: He disappeared. (laughs) JJ: Go ahead and give you your name (inaudible). ADAM RICE: Okay, my name’s Adam Rice, and I am the community relations coordinator for KPFK Pacifica Radio. JJ: (inaudible). ADAM RICE: Well, basically, I’ve been there about a year. I came in with the new general manager, Leslie Radford. Previously to that, we worked in an organization called the Anti-Eviction Campaign based around giving rights -mostly around housing, but the enforcement of human rights in general, all 30 articles of the U.N. Declaration. And we bring that sensibility to KPFK because that’s really where it should be. I mean for maybe for the last six or seven years, as Lawrence has discussed earlier, you’ve had [00:35:00] sort of a big shift to the 16 �right. And the problem is it’s shifted to the right and it sort of got stuck. So KPFK gets stuck and it sounds like mid-2000s NPR, but it’s 2016 and the reason it sounds that way is because the people that have been in certain positions for several years have not been really plugged into the community. So what has been initiated under Leslie’s tenure is direct reach out to the community in Los Angeles especially, but also in Chicago, and really trying to build community up here in Berkeley, with Oakland. I don’t know if -- let’s not put this out there where everybody could just (inaudible), but -JJ: (inaudible). AR: Oh, okay. (laughs) But I mean, for example, we want Oakland. [00:36:00] We’ve been working really hard to bring Oakland to KPFK. It should be in KPFK, but you’ve gotta shift an audience. I mean you look at San Francisco, by 2020, it’s gonna be the whitest city in the country. That’s not the same audience as LA. But then you have a centralized thing here in Berkeley, and this is the old Pacifica, and white Berkeley programming is not gonna run in LA which is one of the most diverse cities in the world. I mean it’s really not. So there has to be a shift if the Pacifica Network’s going to survive because it’s been around 57 years. And it has to go back to the mission which is everybody is self-sustaining. You’re there to serve your community. I mean we’re not here, honestly, to be NPR. We are here to be a tool for the community to use to make change, and we’ve done that -- a pretty good job of shifting KPFK to that over the last year, and we’ll continue to do so. [00:37:00] And we want you, Jorge, everybody, that’s what makes KPFK. It’s basically a job -- and I think Leslie described it best, as, “Okay, 17 �my job is to kick the door open and hold that son of bitch open as long as I can, and eventually people are gonna flood it and take it.” And once the people take it, they won’t be able to take it back. It will be ours if we can show unity together. And it’s the biggest thing west of the Mississippi so it’s a real, powerful tool that we can use, 110,000 watts of bully pulpit to bash over Mayor Eric Garcetti’s head to stop him from passing laws that criminalize homeless people having property. I mean and that’s just one example of the psychotic city that is Los Angeles. The head of the police state -- which is why I never went back to Chicago ’cause I’m like, “Okay, we’re fighting on the side of Chicago, working with the Anti-Eviction Campaign, [00:38:00] the POCC,” but here in LA, this is -- we’re the testing grounds. We’re the laboratory right here in the middle of downtown Los Angeles, in Skid Row. And all over south LA, this is the laboratory for the drug war. This is the entrance point for crack cocaine. The city fought so back so hard. And in my mind, I don’t care, people can dispute all day, prove that the CIA brought -flooded the streets of Los Angeles with cocaine. I mean there’s so much history in Los Angeles, and here in Oakland as well, but I’m based in Los Angeles, so I’ve got that LA love. (laughs) But that has repercussions all over the country. And if we can break the police state in Los Angeles, I believe that we can break it all over the country especially with the criminalization of property. And I’m sorry, I got way off topic, [00:39:00] man, but that’s what we want do with KPFK is opening up -- this is the tool that we’ve all been needing. I mean what happens every time we do a demo or something? Oh, how’s the media going to spin it? Like they never get the shit right. It’s always interpreted through an upper-white- 18 �middle class lens. And we don’t have to have it interpreted, we can just go out and say, “This is our shit.” This is Jorge’s generation’s birth right. And it was my generation’s birthright, but it got skipped over because of the crazy right-wing people. We’re taking it back, and we’re going to set it up so we can hand it off. That’s what it needs to be. Thank you. LR: So just to follow-up on what Adam, I’m sure, said already -- the radio station. So the radio station is very critical to the liberation of Puerto Rico [00:40:00] because without that resource, we don’t have any place to voice our concerns about Puerto Rico. And right now, it’s critical mass in terms of what’s happening in Puerto Rico right now with La Junta, PROMESA, and setting back Puerto Rico back to the stone ages in terms of wages for their workers. So it’s really important. And it follows the philosophy of the Black Panthers and the Young Lords. It follows the philosophy of community empowerment, and giving voice to the voices, and community organizing. So that’s why the radio is extremely important as a resource to struggles that are really significant right now and that wouldn’t be heard [00:41:00] any other place -- any other place in the media. KPFK and Pacifica has that potential to address those issues that are affecting Puerto Ricans in the diaspora and Puerto Ricans on the island, so that’s why it’s important. JJ: (inaudible). LR: What’s had the most impact -- the lasting impact? JJ: (inaudible). 19 �LR: Lasting impact is the person I am today. I don’t blame the Young Lords for me dropping out of school. It gave me a sense of purpose even amidst my drug addiction and all of that. It’s hard to get high when you have a mind full of Young Lords and a heart full of Puerto Rico and still [00:42:00] remain high. It just doesn’t work. Drugs don’t work like that anymore. The lasting impact is the work that I do is still related to what the Young Lords taught me -- working in the community, working with the severely mentally ill, the homeless, the drug addicted, the afflicted. That is my purpose today, and I’m just happy that I’m getting paid to do it. So every community that’s suffering -- the African American community with what’s happening in their lives today where the youth are killed with impunity without any regards to any concerns to who they are as human beings. So that tells me a lot about what the Young Lords taught me, that -- not that all lives matter [00:43:00] because all lives didn’t matter to Black Lives Matter, so Black lives do matter. And so I’m involved with that struggle as well, and I will continue to be because that’s what the Young Lords taught me. The Black Panthers and the Young Lords taught me that the people -- the mission is power to the people, it’s giving power to the people. So that’s it. That’s the way I feel and that’s the way I live today. I live as a Young Lord. And I think anybody that has just a touch of what the Young Lord philosophy and the Black Panther program was, and the Young Lords program, that once you have that in you, you’re gonna be a better human being and every human being that you encounter is gonna sense that as well. When Mandela [00:44:00] was alive, they said -- in Puerto Rico they said, “Todos somos macheteros,” because that’s our 20 �aspiration is to be free. Free of the empire, free in the diaspora, free in Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico libre is our aspiration, and that’s what the Young Lords gave me. JJ: (inaudible). LR: Any final thoughts? Well, Cha-Cha, for you, I mean -- I love you, man, for what you did, what you began, and what you founded. It’s an amazing thing, man. I thought I would be dead at [00:45:00] 21 and I’m alive at 60. And that’s all because of (Spanish). And for you, lots of love, man, lots of respect to you. You are one of my heroes, and those are my final thoughts. Thank you. END OF VIDEO FILE 21 � https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/4abe640c96a56cfea3a05e7a94e6d6cc.mp4 ead5c95081e9665b1a901a2bfdeb0053 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Young Lords in Lincoln Park Collection Subject The topic of the resource Young Lords (Organization) Puerto Ricans--United States Civil Rights--United States--History Lincoln Park (Chicago, Ill.) Personal narratives Social justice Community activists--Illinois--Chicago Description An account of the resource Collection of oral history interviews and digitized materials documenting the history of the Young Lords Organization in Lincoln Park, Chicago. Interviews were conducted by Young Lords' founder, José “Cha-Cha” Jiménez, and documents were digitized from Mr. Jiménez' archives. The Young Lords in Lincoln Park collection grows out of the ongoing struggle for fair housing, self-determination, and human rights that was launched by Mr. José “Cha-Cha” Jiménez, founder of the Young Lords Movement. This project is dedicated to documenting the history of the displacement of Puerto Ricans, Mejicanos, other Latinos, and the poor from Lincoln Park, as well as the history of the Young Lords nationwide. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Jiménez, José, 1948- Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/491">Young Lords in Lincoln Park collection (RHC-65)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-04-25 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/mp4 application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng spa Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-65 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 2012-2017 Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Título Spanish language Title entry Lawrence Reyes vídeo entrevista y biografía Descripción Spanish language Description entry Historia oral de Lawrence Reyes, entrevistado por José 'Cha-Cha' Jimenez el 23/10/2016 acerca de los Young Lords en Lincoln Park. Sujetos Spanish language Subject terms Young Lords (Organización) Puertorriqueños--Estados Unidos Derechos civiles--Estados Unidos--Historia Lincoln Park (Chicago, Ill.) Narrativas personales Justicia social Activistas comunitarios--Illinois--Chicago Source <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/491">Young Lords in Lincoln Park (RHC-65)</a> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-65_Reyes_Lawrence Title A name given to the resource Lawrence Reyes video interview and transcript Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Reyes, Lawrence Description An account of the resource Oral history of Lawrence Reyes, interviewed by Jose 'Cha-Cha' Jimenez on 10/23/2016 about the Young Lords in Lincoln Park. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Jiménez, José, 1948- Subject The topic of the resource Young Lords (Organization) Puerto Ricans--United States Civil Rights--United States--History Lincoln Park (Chicago, Ill.) Personal narratives Social justice Community activists--Illinois--Chicago Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/mp4 application/pdf Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2016-10-23 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/3ff9466fcee12f9462f689e20148e8b3.jpg 5cff2667eeeefea887af513ff0d42e04 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Faces of Grand Valley Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource University Communications Description An account of the resource A non-comprehensive collection of photographs of Grand Valley faculty, staff, administrators, board members, friends, and alumni. Photos collected by University Communications for use in promotion and information sharing about Grand Valley with the wider community. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1960s - 1990s Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived GV012-03. University Communications. Vita Files Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copryight Subject The topic of the resource Grand Valley State University College administrators College teachers Colleges and universities -- Faculty Michigan Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. Special Collections and University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GV012-03 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Language A language of the resource eng Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context LawrenceGordon_Photo01 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. University Communications Title A name given to the resource Lawrence, Gordon Description An account of the resource Gordon Lawrence, Station Manager at WGCV-TV Subject The topic of the resource Grand Valley State University – History Michigan Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Communications. Vita Files, 1968-2016 (GV012-03) Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. Special Collections and University Archives Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copyright Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/9c0556c451da01f2070d0c987e6a8ea6.jpg 8e1b84d6c6e2af94f4634a41c1dffb1a Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Faces of Grand Valley Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource University Communications Description An account of the resource A non-comprehensive collection of photographs of Grand Valley faculty, staff, administrators, board members, friends, and alumni. Photos collected by University Communications for use in promotion and information sharing about Grand Valley with the wider community. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1960s - 1990s Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived GV012-03. University Communications. Vita Files Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copryight Subject The topic of the resource Grand Valley State University College administrators College teachers Colleges and universities -- Faculty Michigan Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. Special Collections and University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GV012-03 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Language A language of the resource eng Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context LawrenceGordon_Photo02 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. University Communications Title A name given to the resource Lawrence, Gordon Description An account of the resource Gordon Lawrence, Station Manager at WGCV-TV Subject The topic of the resource Grand Valley State University – History Michigan Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Communications. Vita Files, 1968-2016 (GV012-03) Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. Special Collections and University Archives Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copyright Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/2965eda62346756afc414d0e6d766228.mp4 b1e9ec1ac53163af8264713981f35b11 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/02ad42dc29b595fefb360f0651bc461a.pdf 856a880b8c6e5575e6a8be50db3733f5 PDF Text Text Interview Notes Interview Length (50:00) Gregory Laws US Army Pre-Enlistment Born June 1, 1946 in Chicago, Illinois (0:20) Mother was a homemaker, moved to Muskegon, Michigan to work with her father (1:00) Lived in Muskegon Heights for awhile (1:20) Neighbors took care of each other (1:30) Attended Martin Luther King, Jr School, then Lindbergh, then Angel, then to Steele School. All schools were elementary/Junior high and integrated (2:30) Finished high school in 1964 (3:00) Could not find a job in the factories in Muskegon, so he moved to Chicago and worked in the factories there, eventually started driving a bus (3:30) Was drafted into the Vietnam War, but refused to go to the war and worked in a hospital (4:00) Enlisted in the Air Force as a combat engineer (4:45) Training Was sent to Fort Leavenworth, Missouri (5:05) Was older than most of the guys he trained with (5:30) Responded to military discipline faster than the others (5:45) Managed to stay out of trouble (7:00) Enlisted in 1975 (7:20) Learned how to build and demolish bridges as a combat engineer (8:50) Was married and had children living with him during basic (9:45) Housing was paid for during this time (10:30) Enlistment Spent from 1975-1977 in Fort Leavenworth (8:00) Supported other infantry companies, building different kinds of bridges (8:30) Enjoyed his work, but came home tired (11:30) Had to qualify with weapons once a year, also was on the M-60 machine gun crew (11:45) Was transferred to Heidelberg, Germany, in 1977 (12:30) Brought his family with him toward the end of 1977 (13:30) Germany Life was a little slower in Germany than Fort Leavenworth (14:00) Began building Mobile Assault Bridges during this time (14:40) Went on exercises with different countries once a year during war games (15:30) Had to get permission from the German government to bridge the Rhine river, and could only stop traffic for so long (16:00) Trained on other NATO tug boats (17:00) �Enjoyed high morale in the Army while he was in, despite the loss in Vietnam (18:45) Had some members in his unit that had done time in Vietnam (20:30) Traveled off base often, because he was in charge of keeping up the morale of the unit and their families (22:10) Attained rank of Sergeant (E-5) and was assigned to the Headquarters unit (23:10) Duties included getting maps, driving the Major around, making sure people went to school (civilian and military) (23:30) Could even take college courses via computer terminals in the early 1980’s (24:45) Took his kids to see the Berlin Wall before it came down (25:15) Wife and kids were able to see East Germany, shop around (27:00) Stayed in the Army for 25 years, two tours total in Germany (27:25) United States Between tours, was at Fort Stewart, Georgia, Fort Knox, Kentucky, and Fort Leavenworth (28:40) Volunteered to help out at the Special Olympics while at Fort Knox (29:00) Did not go to the Gulf War because he was the only living son of his mother (31:20) Stayed at Fort Leavenworth to train troops to go (31:45) Military changed quite a bit since he has been in (32:45) Much more politically correct today (33:15) More high-tech military today than it used to be, as well (34:45) Military levels the playing field, especially for minorities (35:30) Was respected as long as he did his job. Bullets do not see in black and white (37:50) Saw women in the field while he was in the service (39:30) Post-Enlistment Teaches ROTC in Muskegon, Michigan (41:25) Substituting in the Muskegon school district, and saw they needed an extra instructor (41:50) Teaches kids structure, discipline, respect and to give back to the community (42:15) Teach academics and physical training and awards given for achievement (43:00) Cannot recruit for the military (43:45) Program is very well supported by the Muskegon community (45:00) � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context LawsG Title A name given to the resource Laws, Gregory (Interview outline and video), 2009 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Laws, Gregory Description An account of the resource Gregory Laws served in the US Army as a Combat Engineer. He served in the Army for 25 years, spending two tours of that time in Germany. As a Combat Engineer, Gregory learned how to build and demolish bridges, and was eventually promoted to the rank of Sergeant (E-5). Gregory now teaches an ROTC program in Muskegon. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans Video recordings United States. Army Other veterans & civilians--Personal narratives Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2009-01-12 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project Collection, (RHC-27)</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/86f4d580e4e830c5b8822253f8faa4a2.mp4 5784e6915f881da3b343c938b8534862 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/5a9ba0bc02c99fd8f7300cd838e14a83.pdf f53e68999406fdc6a6a72086035d7ba8 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Oral History Interview Veteran: Robert Layton Interviewed by James Smither Transcribed by Grace Balog Interviewer: We are talking today with Bob Layton of University Heights, Ohio. The interviewer is James Smither of the Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project. Okay Bob, start us off with some background on yourself and to begin with, where and when were you born? Veteran: I was born in Madison, Indiana on August 24th, 1946. Interviewer: Okay. Did you grow up there or did you move around? Veteran: Lived there until, I think, 12 years old. My father worked for a military—government facility there at Jefferson Proving Ground. He was laid off in 1957. We had to move to Ohio. He worked in Dayton, Ohio. I grew up in a small town west of Dayton, Ohio. Eaton, Ohio, a town of 5000 people. Interviewer: Okay. And, did you finish high school there? Veteran: Graduated high school in 1964, yes. Interviewer: Okay. And what did you do after you finished high school? Veteran: Well, my freshman year in fact, I went—freshman year of college, I spent at the University of Arizona, where I thought I was going to be an architect but they quickly disabused �me of that notion. And I didn’t see the sense in staying in Arizona, paying out of state tuition, so I transferred to Ohio University. Interviewer: Okay. Alright, and then was that a school that had a required ROTC program in it? Veteran: It did not. It did not. Interestingly, I think, the reason I ended up in ROTC was the University of Arizona, which did require ROTC and so, in the fall of…what? Fall of ’66, I heard at Ohio University—I was reading about this thing called Vietnam and I just had the sense that another 2 or 3 years, it might still be happening and if I was going to go in the service, I might as well go as an officer rather than wait to be drafted. So, had I gone to Ohio University as a freshman, I am guessing I would not have gone into ROTC. But the fact that I went to Arizona, they changed my life in that regard. (00:02:05) Interviewer: Okay. And now, what did ROTC training actually consist of in those days? Veteran: Oh crap—what do I remember…It was a lot of classroom work. Military histories and that kind of stuff. There was drill once a week. There was a 6 or 8-week sort of basic training between junior and senior years. And that was, you know, as much as I remember. Interviewer: Okay. Now, what did they do for the basic training? Did you actually go to the basic training base or did they just— Veteran: Yeah, I went to a place called Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania, which I think was an old World War 2 camp, really. And I, it was—I don’t remember… later in life I commanded a basic training company for a while and in comparing the two, it was kind of basic training. But again, there was an emphasis there on leadership skills, so each day, a new cadet was the acting platoon leader or he was acting squad leader, something like that. So, we are moved in and out of �leadership positions and graded on those days when we were in leadership positions. And it was marksmanship…I guess the major thing I remember is the marksmanship training, the 82nd Airborne were the cadre for that. A lot of them had either served in Vietnam already or had been in the Caribbean, or the 82nd Airborne excursion down into… Interviewer: Dominican Republic. Veteran: Dominican Republic, yeah. So, you saw these crack troopers with their airborne wings and CIB above it. Good-looking troops. Interviewer: Okay. Was there much of an anti-war movement going on at Ohio U in those days? Veteran: Well, of course there was, yeah. Of course there was. Ohio U is a pretty liberal school. I don’t think it was beyond the average. I mean, but there was a, you know, strong anti-war movement and teach-ins and that sort of thing. And I remember Dean Rusk coming to speak on campus and a huge walk-out was staged. That sort of thing. (00:04:26) Interviewer: Okay. Now, how—did any of that kind of touch on you as an ROTC cadet? I mean, did people treat you differently? Or…were you…did you just feel a little bit outside of things? Veteran: I don’t think—I mean, within my circle of friends, no. Interviewer: Okay. Veteran: And my circle of friends includes some anti-war people. A friend of mine became a conscientious objector. But I—but that’s what a university is supposed to be: you have divergent views and divergent interests and people and you mix together and try to—try to coexist with �that. You know, if I get political, it’s what we have today: one seems to be on one side of the fence or the other, nothing in the middle. Interviewer: Yeah. Veteran: Yeah, I didn’t have—I didn’t have any trouble in that regard, being in the ROTC. Interviewer: Alright. Now, when did you graduate from college? Veteran: March, 1969. Interviewer: Okay. So, you were in school and then in 1968—would summer of ’68 be when you had your summer training then? Veteran: Actually, I had mine in ’67. Interviewer: Okay. Alright, but you’re in school in ’68 so what did you—what went on on your campus in ’68? Because you had various assassinations and all that kind of thing. Veteran: I think—the assassination of King and then the assassination of Kennedy had profound impact on the campus at Ohio University. I don’t recall classes being cancelled or anything but I know that there were, you know, there were just gatherings and activities and…I mean, and rightly so. Rightly so. I mean, that was also—I remember watching Johnson’s…Johnson’s address to the nation when he said I will not run again. I mean there was a lot of activity, a lot of political activity going on at that time. It was impossible to ignore it. Absolutely. (00:06:36) Interviewer: Alright. Okay, so now you get into ’69 and now you graduate and so now it’s time for you to report for duty. Veteran: Right. �Interviewer: So, what happens next? You graduate from school, now what? Veteran: I graduated and I had—I received a commission and orders at the same time. And two weeks later, I reported to Fort Benning, Georgia for the infantry officer’s basic course. Interviewer: Okay. And what does that consist of? Veteran: Well, first let me note, a little historical note, when I reported to Fort Benning on the appointed day, the guards at the gate told me that the post was closed for the day. You can come back tomorrow. I had assumed Vietnam had surrendered because they knew I was on the way, right? But it turned out, interestingly enough, my first day in the Army it was the official day of mourning for Dwight Eisenhower, who had died just a few days previously. So, in fact, literally my first day in the Army, I was sent home. But the next day, you know, the war continued. So, the infantry officer basic course, again a lot of leadership skills and a lot of tactics, a lot of map and compass land navigation, familiarization with a lot of different weapons systems, probably classes on such things as logistics, military law, stuff like that which is—I have long since forgotten. But it was—and it, and really, it was—for me it was the transition you know again, from a fairly liberal campus to suddenly now we are in the Army fulltime and there’s no doubt, you know, what’s ahead of me and so it was…There was a mind change going on there also, you know, getting—getting geared up for what was going to be going on. That was just what I was going through personally. Getting geared up for the fact we are in the Army and we are headed for Vietnam. (00:08:43) Interviewer: Okay. Is this where really sort of heavy-duty discipline sets in as opposed to ROTC? Or had you learned the way the Army did things already? �Veteran: Not totally. Not totally. There was…But you know, it was not, it was training but it was not training in the sense of—it was called infantry officer basic course but it was not basic in the training sense. We were officers so you know, we were treated with a certain amount of respect, they say the old OCS candidates didn’t have. We’d have classes in what was called Building 4, affectionately known as Bedroom 4. And during the breaks, the officers would go out and get a cup of coffee. And while we were getting our coffee, we’d see the OCS candidates braced against the wall—that was their break. So, you know, as an officer we—you know, we had—we didn’t have the discipline those guys went through. Interviewer: Okay. Veteran: At all. Interviewer: Alright. So, how long did you spend in the basic course? Veteran: I think it was 9 weeks. Interviewer: Okay. And what did they do with you once you are through with that? Veteran: Well, when I was there, I volunteered for jump school and ranger training. So, I graduated from the basic course and I think I had a couple weeks of down time and then went to jump school which was 3 weeks. Interviewer: Was that at Fort Benning or…? (00:10:12) Veteran: At Fort Benning, yeah. Interviewer: Alright. Alright, now parachuting was kind of going out of vogue at that point. I mean, I guess you did—I guess rangers still did it. Unless— �Veteran: I think the Army always wanted it. Yes, it still was out of—certainly we did not have airborne units jumping in Vietnam. I think for the Army though, I don’t think it would ever go out of vogue because it’s sort of a confidence building thing and it sort of shows that you know, here’s a guy that’s a hard charger. And so, I think, I—my personal belief is that the Army will probably always have a parachute unit because they want that kind of personnel. Interviewer: Right. Veteran: Personality. And for me it was, it was—I loved it. It was fun. It really was. Interviewer: Alright. So, how did they work you up to jumping out of an airplane? Veteran: I think the…I think the—I think the cadre jump school were the best psychiatrists or psychologists in the world because they spent two weeks—first of all, there was two weeks of intense training but it was two weeks of very purposeful training. There was no harassment for the sake of harassment, because in the third week, you’re going to be 1,200 feet above the ground jumping out of an airplane. So, there was no screwing around with you just to do that. Everything was for a purpose. And if you’re not paying attention, they are on you right away because, you know, there’s no fooling around here. And they were great at just building your confidence and building your desire. I mean, by the time I got in the airplane to jump, literally I would have pushed my mother out of the way to get out the door. I wanted to jump and I think— I don’t think I was alone in that. They fire you up to go. And they are very good at it. And I enjoyed going. I enjoyed doing the—I did not find jump school to be that difficult physically. And I did enjoy jumping. Interviewer: Yep. Okay. So, that’s sort of like 3 weeks. And now ranger school comes after that but that’s a little bit different. (00:12:30) �Veteran: Ranger school is hell. Yeah, I had, again I had another couple of weeks off, whatever. And then I went through ranger class 70-2 in the year of 1970 which I think we started in September of ’69. Ranger training was the best thing I ever did. It wasn’t by any means fun but it was the best thing I ever did because of the training that I received while in ranger school. They—it is…It is fully geared for small unit combat leaders. And that’s all you do for 9 weeks. And there is harassment there and that’s purposeful. There’s harassment in the sense that when you are in the field training, you get one meal, one C ration a day. And your day goes anywhere from 18 to 19-20 hours. That will continue for 2-3 weeks sometimes. And the idea is really, it is just to—to put you under pressure, to see how you react under pressure. As they would say, they can’t shoot at you so the best thing they can do to find out what you’re made of is just not feed you or not let you sleep, see how you deal with tension, and how you deal with stress. Can you function? And it was constantly patrolling, constantly out in the field, map and compass. And so, you learn to navigate over land which is something that came in very handy in Vietnam. And you learn…You learn that you have a lot more in you than you would have ever thought. You know, at the point you think you want to quit, no you got another three days in you easily. You don’t know that, but they’ll get it out of you. And it was—it was absolutely the best training in the world. And the—frankly, I knew officers who did not go to ranger school and I never understood why they didn’t, because I would have—I would have felt…I did not think that the infantry officer basic course, while on paper I graduated from that, qualified me to lead a platoon in Vietnam. I didn’t think so. Okay? I felt that I needed everything I could get and I wanted that ranger training. (00:15:03) Interviewer: Okay. Now, what kind of terrain were you in for ranger training? �Veteran: Depended—well, there are three phases when I went through. Well, there was a phase at Fort Benning, Georgia. Camp Darby, where we did a lot of the preliminary—we did a lot of PT in Darby. There was a lot of—every morning was an obstacle course through—where we had a low crawl through freshly watered-down Georgia clay, which was just as slick as oil. And after that, when you got enough of the stuff on your hands, then you start doing those ladders. And you can’t hang onto them, right, and then you fall into the water and then you keep going. And we had a lot of—we had the I guess what we would call the orient training courses where you start out with a map and a compass and you have to find the stake in the woods 3000 meters that way and then there would be instructions that say go find this other thing. So, we had the nav— the land navigation courses. And you did that with your ranger buddy at night, which was an interesting…interesting course. And there were other classes at Camp Darby. We were pulled together one time administratively because of some order that was issued, some very high-level command that was supposed to go to all of the officers in the Army and so they even broke us out. I think it was the only break we had from ranger training where we actually, you know, not just hard charging ahead. And I remember…Well, I’ll tell you. My ranger school started—it started maybe 3 or 4 days after Armstrong landed on the moon, because I remember watching the moon landing in my motel room. And when we had this get together for this Army whatever sort of thing it was for all the officers, we got an update on what was going on with the guys going back to the moon or not to... But we—so, Camp Darby was really a lot of almost preliminary stuff. We went to Dahlonega, Georgia—northern Georgia for a lot of—we did mountaineering there, a lot of repelling and that sort of stuff. And a lot of patrol. Just patrol, patrol, patrol through northern Georgia. Up the hills, down the hills, along the ridgelines. And we completed that. You come back to Fort Benning, you get about an 8-hour break and then we �were down at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida for the jungle phase of ranger school. And again, more patrols. More patrols. We did a riverine assault, I think they called it, where we actually were loaded onto Navy landing craft and did an assault on the—to the beaches. And then one day, we were called together. And they started calling out names. And if your name was called, it turned out, you went over there, it turned out you didn’t pass. And those guys—those guys had just gone through the 9 weeks of hell and they didn’t have the grades to get the ranger tab. And they found out on the next to the last day they didn’t graduate from ranger school, which…just one of the toughest cuts you ever see in your life. And the rest of us then had one more day of ranger school and it was all what they called administrative. There was no patrolling for grades anymore. And so, we were—we were getting ready to go back out and I was a cigarette smoker at the time and I was out of smokes. And my ranger buddy—you go through ranger school with a ranger buddy and the two of you are supposed to be closer than husband and wife for that 9-week period. You each depend on the other to keep going. And I was out of cigarettes and I saw Joe throwing a couple packs of cigarettes in his rucksack. And I said, “Joe, I am out of cigarettes. Let me have a pack to get me through this.” And he said, “No, I need these.” And I said, “Joe, we only got one more day. What’s this all about?” He says, “They’re lying to us, Bob. They’re not going to let us out of here.” So, I think I finally got a couple of smokes from him. But I remember that: “They’re lying to us.” (00:19:56) Interviewer: Alright. Well, I take it in the end they were not lying to you? Veteran: No, we graduated the next day. They brought us in, we had a graduation ceremony out on some abandoned runway up at Eglin Air Force Base. And they came by with a safety pin and ranger tab and put it on your shoulder. And then we had…We had like this picnic. Barbeque, all that kind of stuff. Beer. And we spent the night at that, on that airstrip in those, you know, �Quonset huts. And I remember, I don’t know, it was maybe 3 or 4 in the afternoon or whatever. The sun is kind of starting to set. And I remember walking to this Quonset hut and you see the sun filtering through those windows and you see the dust floating. You know what I am talking about? And we are all so exhausted that literally you hit that bunk and you are asleep in no time. And I would see guys, and it was almost like walking into a morgue because guys had gone and you know, fallen asleep before I got there and they just however they hit, that’s how they lay. You know? It was an eerie feeling, you know? And 5 seconds later, I was one of them, you know? So, we spent the night then at Eglin and then the next day, they took us back to Fort Benning. We processed out but we had to spend a second night at Fort Benning. And one of the things we were told was that literally they wanted us to get two good nights of sleep before we left the post because they didn’t want us driving down the road and falling asleep and killing ourselves or someone. So, the second night at Fort Benning. I had some leave. I went home. And then I was assigned. My assignment was Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. I went out there and go there I guess in October of 1969. And I was assigned as a training officer for a basic training company. And maybe three weeks after I was there, the company commander, who was a first lieutenant, his tour was up. He was out of the Army and they had no officers. And so, as the second lieutenant, I became the commanding officer of Echo company, 5th battalion through training brigade. And I was the smartest company commander on the post because when they said I was in command, I got the drill sergeants together and I said, “You guys know what you’re doing. You’ve been doing it for a long time. Keep doing it and I will stay out of your way.” And that made all the sense in the world to me and so that’s what I did for the next…I guess until the end of January 1970, when I had to—I left there and had my orders to Vietnam. (00:23:04) �Interviewer: Alright. And so now—now, do you get…Do they give you another leave? Or, because— Veteran: Yeah, I had 30 days leave. Interviewer: Okay. Veteran: Before going to Vietnam. Interviewer: And then when they sent you to Vietnam, how did they get you to Vietnam? Veteran: The Via Panama. I went to—I was assigned to the jungle operations school down in…was it Fort Howard, I think? In Panama. Which was kind of nice because first of all, Fort Leonard Wood in the winter was called Little Korea, and with reason. And I really think, I mean after ranger school, there was nothing that I really learned in jungle ops. But I think—I really think it might be just acclimation. But I got there and found maybe 10 or 12 guys that I had gone through jump school and ranger school with and so we kind of partied it up for 2 weeks in Panama and drank every night and got up the next morning and went through the training and then drank again every night. We weren’t the most serious students at the time, I must admit. But again, there was nothing new for us to learn down there and so…But it was good to see those guys again. (00:24:12) Interviewer: Right Veteran: So, I went there for 2 weeks. Then to Travis Air Base in San Francisco and then to Vietnam. Interviewer: Okay. And did they put you on a military aircraft or charter? Veteran: American Airlines. �Interviewer: Okay. Alright. Remember where you stopped on the way over? Veteran: Hawaii. Interviewer: Okay. And did you get off or…? Veteran: Go surfing? No. We got off—while they refueled us—we got off the plane. I think technically I could say I was—have been in Hawaii but I didn’t touch the ground I guess, just standing on the tarmac for some air while they refueled. Interviewer: Alright. Okay. Alright, and then where do you land in Vietnam? Veteran: Tan Son Nhut. Interviewer: Okay. And what’s you first impression of Vietnam when you get there? Veteran: My first impression was…The door opened and I saw these guys behind a wall. They are screaming and yelling because the bird I took in was the bird they were going to take out. And they were very, very happy to see their freedom bird. I think…And I think to me there was, again there was—getting off that plane, there was a reality that sets in because there’s no way out of this now, until the end of your tour. You know? And there’s no dodging what’s going to be coming next. So, there was a harsh—to me there was a harsh reality that okay, you’re here now. You know? And all the games are over. Interviewer: Okay. So, when did you actually arrive in Vietnam? (00:25:49) Veteran: It was the end of March. I am not sure of the exact of the day. It was the end of March, 1970. Interviewer: Alright. Now, did you have orders for a unit yet? Or were you going to go find them? �Veteran: No. No. I was—we were given…we were given 3 options or 3 choices. And then, of course this being the Army, none guaranteed. And I was somewhat of a mercenary at heart, I guess. My first choice was 173rd Airborne Brigade because they were still in jump status. And I figured if I am going to be there, at least get the extra money. My second choice was 101st Airborne Division. My third choice was the Cav. And I went to the 101st. (00:26:33) Interviewer: Alight. And how long did it take to sort that out? Veteran: I think just a day or two. Interviewer: Okay. Alright, now where was the 101st at that time? Veteran: North—I Corps. Interviewer: Okay. Veteran: I flew into Phu Bai. Interviewer: Did they still have a base back a Bien Hoa that you were allowed to go through or do you just go up to Phu Bai? Veteran: The 101st? No, I went straight to Phu Bai. Interviewer: Okay. And once you got there, did they give you any kind of orientation before putting you through? Veteran: Yeah, there was. I think it was 4 or 5 days, something like that. It was called Screaming Eagle Replacement Training—SERTs. Interviewer: Yeah. �Veteran: And that was…I really don’t remember a whole lot about the actual training we had there. I remember—I remember a conversation I had with a chopper pilot when I was going through SERTs. And I, again I, you know…He probably sensed that there was a second lieutenant that was shaky on his feet. This guy was coming back from his second tour. He was a Huey pilot. And I remember we had a conversation one day and it was a really good conversation. Very reassuring. He—because he told me, he said—he said, “I don’t think you can get yourself into a situation” he said, “As long as we have communication back and forth, I don’t think you can get yourself into a situation where we can’t work something out for you.” And I remember…That’s probably the major thing I remember from SERTs, is just…You know, you just sort of get a feeling of confidence again that you know, okay this is doable. You know, other people have done it. It was—it was just a very reassuring conversation I remember having with this guy. I don’t remember his name or anything but it was a good conversation. It helped me. (00:28:12) Interviewer: Okay. Alright, you go through that. Now, what unit are you assigned to? Veteran: Bravo Company 2nd Battalion 501st infantry. Interviewer: Alright. And where were they at the time you joined them? Veteran: They were maybe a mile south of a firebase called Ripcord. Interviewer: Alright. Veteran: A place we called Reup Hill because it was…it was a very active area. And a lot of people were re-enlisting. I shouldn’t say a lot. There were people who were re-enlisting to get out of the field because it was a very hot area. And there was a section there called Reup Hill that �had been a source of contention, let’s just say, once or twice between the U.S. and the North Vietnamese. Interviewer: Alright. And so, how do they get you out to the unit? Veteran: Chopper. Interviewer: Okay. Do you remember anything about that particular ride? Veteran: No. I remember I…I flew out with a light colonel, a lieutenant colonel. I am not—I don’t remember who it was. We went to a firebase. I don’t know if it was Ripcord or not. And I was there for just a few minutes and then there was another chopper that took me out. Out to where Bravo Company was. I landed, introduced myself to the company commander. My platoon sergeant came over with the squad leaders and met them. I remember one of my guys, one of the guys in my platoon saying that they had—well, they had been waiting and they had killed a trail watcher and he was over by the side of the LZ. And he had asked me if I wanted to go see him? And I remember just declining because I remember just thinking to myself, well there will probably be a few more of these in the future so I will just wait until it happens. But that’s, you know. So, I was on the ground. You know? (00:30:10) Interviewer: Alright. Now, were you—was the man you were replacing, was he still there? Or…? Veteran: No, he was now the company executive officer. Interviewer: Okay. And so, was he back in the base camp then? Veteran: He was back in Phu Bai, yep. Interviewer: Okay. �Veteran: I met him, in the course of things though, yes. Interviewer: Alright. And who was your company commander? Veteran: Full name Robert Stanton. Interviewer: Okay. And were you with him long or did he rotate out? Veteran: For about 3 months. 3 months, 4 months. Interviewer: Alright. And I guess, what kind of…What did you do? You joined your company, your platoon basically, what did you do or how did you approach them when you joined them? Veteran: Well, I joined the company. It was probably mid to late afternoon. We were getting ready to leave the LZ. My first conversations with the 3 squad leaders, I said—introduced myself to them, told them who I was. And I had had, when I was at Fort Leonard Wood, I’d had some bad experiences with NCOs. And so, I…And I told these guys that the only thing I expected of them really was be truthful with me. Because I had some bad experiences with NCOs before. They were lying to me and bad things happened. And I said, “You know, I am not here to make a career off your back or anything like that. But, you know, we just have to be truthful with one another and we will start everything from there.” That was my first relationship with those guys. Interviewer: Alright. And so now you head off the firebase. You go out and settle in for the night— Veteran: Oh, off the landing zone. Interviewer: Okay, so it’s an LZ not a firebase? Veteran: Yeah. �Interviewer: Okay. And then you make a night—make a night decision somewhere? (00:32:08) Veteran: We set up—we had, when I had landed it was—the company, the whole company was there. My platoon and the company CP, command post, moved off the landing zone in one direction. 2nd and 3rd platoons went another direction. We set up a night position and the commanding officer told me that I needed to send a squad back down the trail. We had moved on to set up a night ambush position. And the platoon sergeant told me that this duty rotated among the three squads and it was—the first squad was up for—I think it was the first squad. Frankly, I think it was. But the squad was up to go out. And they went out. We set up the—you know, the rest of us set up the DP. And the next morning, the squad was hit. And it was wiped out. 4 of them were killed outright and the rest were wounded. And that was my first morning in the field… (00:33:38) Interviewer: Okay. Veteran: …In Vietnam. Interviewer: Alright. Now, did you get the wounded men out alive? Or…? Veteran: Yeah. Interviewer: Okay. Veteran: One of them, I didn’t know it at the time, one of them was a paraplegic. He came back to his home in Cincinnati, Ohio. My home is a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio. And he died in the mid ‘80s. And his family was able to…They got his—his death was attributed to Vietnam, to what he had suffered in Vietnam, so. And I think it was 1990 I opened the Cleveland paper and I �read this story about a guy from Cincinnati whose name had been added to the wall. And they talked about the fact that he had been with the 101st Airborne Division, you know, the squad that was ambushed in April 1970. And I thought he had to be one. He had to be, right? I didn’t know it—I didn’t know any of them. Interviewer: Right. (00:34:58) Veteran: I clipped that article and kept it and when I went—2003, I went to a reunion, my first reunion with Bravo company. And my platoon medic was there and I showed it to him. He said “Yeah, that was your guy.” That was us—one of ours. And you know, while I know that’s just the way the cookie crumbles, I guess, I wished to hell I had known he was there. I could have gone to see him, you know? You know I mean, I don’t know, maybe he would have said “Screw you, you got me all fired up, get out of my house.” Or maybe we…I don’t know. But I would have—I certainly would have gone down to see him. But yeah, so we got—we got the wounded out. Interviewer: So, how many men were in your platoon? Veteran: Each squad was probably about 5-6 people. I had 3 squads so after that first day, I never got that squad back. I went through—I went through several months in Vietnam as a platoon leader and basically leaded a reinforced squad…12, 14 men. That was—I never got that squad back. (00:36:16) Interviewer: So, you’re not taking very many replacements at that point? Veteran: We were not. We were not. I left the platoon in October and the last operation I went out on, somewhere the floodgates opened because my room—my last operation, my platoon size mostly doubled. And it’s—I mean, when you’re that small, you’re very, very quiet. You’re �very—you become a very cohesive unit. And suddenly, we are twice as big. And it sounded like a circus going through the jungles, as far as I was concerned. I couldn’t believe the noise. But yeah, we didn’t get any replacements all through the—from April through the end of September. Maybe one or two but you know, nothing—again, I never got that squad back. I only had two squads. Interviewer: Alright. Now, was the rest of the company in similar shape? Or do they have at least a little bit bigger platoons? Veteran: They have bigger platoons but they weren’t getting replacements that much either. Interviewer: Yeah. Alright. So, that’s sort of your welcome to life in the field at that point. So, that’s March, or thereabouts, 1970? Veteran: First of April. Interviewer: First of April, okay. And by this time, they are trying to establish—I mean Ripcord doesn’t get established on a regular basis for another week or so after that. And then there is a base there and your battalion is kind of in and out in that general area. So, now kind of take us through now the next couple of months. What’s going on? What are you seeing? Veteran: We went—I think we left the Ripcord area for a while and then came back. But when we were in Ripcord, it was just a constant skirmishing. Not on a daily basis, but two or three contacts a week where a trail watcher or someone, we would have contact with. Quick contact with. I lost…I lost eight guys total over there. The fifth guy was probably two weeks after that first squad was ambushed. We were moving along the trail and came on an LZ and it turns out there was a trail watcher on the other side there. This by example. We start moving across and he �opens up on us. You know, this was the sort of thing that would happen. And I lost a guy there. It was just pretty constant skirmishing. Nothing—no major pitched battles. But just constantly bumping heads with the NVA. All around that Ripcord area. I don’t think we were alone in that. I think a lot of units were having the same experiences. Because they were patrolling heavily too. They were, I think, they were trying to figure out how many of us were out there just as much as we were trying to figure out how many of them were out there. (00:39:54) Interviewer: Okay. Now, in these months, sort of kind of April/May/June, is your platoon normally by itself or are you more commonly— Veteran: For the most part, yes. We were. Yeah. I don’t think we had that many company-sized operations at that time. And again, when you’re—when you have 12 or 14 people, it makes you…You become a very cohesive unit. I wouldn’t—I wouldn’t recommend going to war with 12 or 14 people but if you do it, you quickly find out how tight you can be. (00:40:33) Interviewer: Now, how long did they keep you out in the field? Veteran: God, weeks. 3, 4, 5 weeks at a time. I remember once we didn’t get fresh uniforms. You know? But you just, you know, you…You know, you don’t go back and sleep at night, you don’t go back for a shower at night, you don’t get warm breakfast in the morning. It’s just—those operations were anywhere from 4 to 6 weeks. Interviewer: Okay. And what—did you have kind of the standard operating procedure if you are moving from one area to another? What do you do or not do? Veteran: Well, you start each day with a stand down. You know, early in the morning. And that can go for, you know, 20 minutes—whatever it takes. What you’re looking for: you want the first light to pass, so you don’t get hit at first light. So, you start with a stand down at first light. �You end the day with a stand down at last light. And in between those two things that you always do, there was no pattern because I didn’t want a pattern. Some days after first light, we’d eat. Some days after first light, we were moving. I don’t ever want to get caught in a routine because someone might pick up on my routine and do a swarm. Sometimes at night, you’re moving to an NDP at 6 o’clock at night and you eat and you stay there tonight. Other nights, you are moving— you’ll sit down and you’ll, you know, eat at 4, 5, 6 o’clock and maybe 10-15 minutes before last light, you move to another position before you find an NDP. You never want to set a pattern. So, when you asked me what went on—there is no pattern. You know? But you don’t…You just don’t want to…But you don’t want to stay in one place too long. Other than obviously at night, you’re going to stay there. But you’d hear about—I don’t know if it happened a lot with those platoons, but you would hear about officers who would call in fake positions. And they would stay in one spot because they thought that was safe. Well, I think that was the most dangerous thing in the world you could do. There was no way in hell I would have ever done that to my men. You know, you just—you always assume the worst. And that’s how you operate. (00:43:14) Interviewer: Okay. Would you move on trails or off them? Veteran: Both. But many times with ridge land, there’s only one way to go and that is the trail. You know? But there were times, actually, there were times when I would take my platoon off the ridge line, down along the side and move through an area. You know, sometimes you would. If you do that, you want to keep at least one guy or two on the top as long as the flank position. But yeah actually, there were times when I’d move on the side of the hill. Interviewer: And did you have rules about day and night noise discipline, light discipline, that kind of thing? �Veteran: Yeah. Yeah. Basically…I think the thing that—the noise that used to grate on me the most was a zipper liner closing. You know? Because it’s so foreign to the jungle. You know, you don’t want any noise that’s foreign to the jungle. I had guys that one time got a fucking radio. That’s what it was, a fucking—well, he didn’t have it long. I mean, you don’t play a radio out in the middle of the jungle in my platoon. You know? Who are you? You know? Yeah, so…Smoking at night, I will admit to you that we did some of that. You know, you’re not supposed to but we did some of that. But you’d, you know, get a little poncho over your head or something like that to light the cigarette or whatever. But you know, not too much of that. (00:44:39) Interviewer: Okay. Veteran: But every once in a while, you know, you just… Interviewer: Alright. And how did you get your food? Fresh water? That kind of thing. Veteran: Well, mostly helicopter supply. If we found streams, we obviously—we used them. But most of our water and obviously the food came in every 4 days on log birds. Interviewer: Okay. Alright. Veteran: And they were their own problem because that’s when you were exposed. Everyone in the unit knew where you were because that—the chopper was there. And now, so again you know, you got a 19-year old, 20-year old kid. I was the old guy; I was 24 years old. You got a 19-20-year old kid and he’s got a letter from home. What’s he going to do with it? He wants to read it. What do I want to do? I want to get his ass moving out of this visibility where everyone in the world knows where we are. And we will stop 10 minutes down the road, 15 minutes down the—whatever, read it then. You know? It’s a matter of trying to…It was controlled paranoia, I �think that’s what it is, okay? You just, you know you—you don’t relax. You don’t relax. And honestly you know, if I couldn’t see behind the tree, my assumption was always there’s something bad behind the tree. And that’s kind of what you do. (00:46:15) Interviewer: Alright. Now did you have kind of sort of the same core group of guys in for the next several months? Veteran: Yeah kind of, in a way. Interviewer: Or you’d maybe have one guy out and one guy in once in a while? Veteran: Get once? I am sorry? Interviewer: One guy out and one guy in? So, you’d stay about the same level in the beginning? Veteran: Yeah. Yeah, in terms of total numbers, yeah. Yeah, I had two squad leaders. You know, that—I did, my two squad leaders were there for quite a while. I had a platoon sergeant when I got there. He was what we called a shake and bake. Went through NCO school. Graduated at the top of his class. He was an E-6, and I think only the top 1-2%, whatever it is in NCO school, became an E-6. And he had actually been with the 5th Mech Division, which was north of us in I Corps and they had been sent home and he didn’t have enough time in, so he was sent to the 101st. So, he was my first platoon sergeant. And he was—he was an excellent platoon sergeant. And he left I guess in July. And then I got a—we called a hard stripe E-6, you know the kind that come through the ranks. So, I was very, very fortunate I had two excellent platoon sergeants. And that goes a long way to help run a platoon. �Interviewer: Alright. Now, your battalion gets involved, or engaged, in some of the stuff going on around Ripcord as things get more intense. So, I guess what kind of, just in general, we are kind of following your time in Vietnam. So, you’re doing patrolling in and out of the Ripcord area. Operations for a while. Ripcord itself really starts to heat up in July, when the actual base comes under siege and so forth. What is your battalion doing around that time? (00:48:03) Veteran: Well, we were in the Ripcord area. We were probably, if I can get my directions correct here, a little south of Ripcord, I guess. And we had some—we had some significant contacts there. I remember at one point, there was this huge mountain called Coc Muen. I am trying to remember my directions. I think it was south of Ripcord. Interviewer: Yeah, it was south and west. Veteran: South and west, yeah. I set up there. This was one time when we—we did stay in one spot for two days. I was attached with—I was attached to the recon platoon, the Italian recon platoon. And we were…We were up on Coc Muen for a couple of days. And we moved off and we had a trail watcher following us. And one of my guys spotted him because recon platoon…I think recon platoon was on the point. We were following them. But the decision was made that we would get—that we’d go back and get this trail watcher and kill him. And they sent their— the recon platoon had sent a sniper team back. And the guy was on a little—he was above us, a little ridgeline. And I went back with them. And he missed the kill. He hit the guy in the hip. And the problem was, you know again, I couldn’t see up there to know what was up there. Because this guy was up there. He’s moaning, he was hit. And I couldn’t get a chopper out to recon that area for us. And so, I don’t know is this guy by himself? Or does he have a squad up there that is now using him as bait? Because my instinct is well, go get the guy. You know, grab a medic, �let’s go. But I can’t risk this. And we stayed there for I don’t know how long, just listening to this man die. And that was a bitter, bitter feeling. Just unable to do anything for this guy. (00:51:02) Interviewer: Wasn’t staying there also kind of dangerous? I mean, there had been a gunshot. Or, was the sniper shot quiet? Veteran: Well, it could have been dangerous. I wasn’t going to walk away from it, I guess. It could have been but I just remember…So, we set up that night and my platoon would always put out booby traps, mechanical ambushes, where we just left. And we had a joint CP with the recon platoon leader and his CP and mine. And…And someone, somewhere along the way said he thought he saw more trail watchers on the way we come in. And I remember the sniper came into the CP and he wanted to go back out and try to get them this time. And this was getting toward dusk. And he wanted to go through my position, my part of the perimeter. And I, you know, of course I knew what was out there and I told him. I said, “Check with my people before you leave this perimeter because we will have booby traps out there.” And I think it went in one ear and out the other. And the next thing we heard were the claymores going off. And this sniper and his spotter I found where they had just blown right through the perimeter, right into the claymores. But by that time, you know, it was almost dark. The spotter was killed instantly. The sniper was badly, badly wounded. And by the time we got the med evac out there, it was dark. We brought in those strobe lights. And he died on the way in. The—our sniper. And I just…I mean, just a tough day. So, now we have made contact with the NVA and you know, the battles there, but other things happen, you know? And—I mean that movie that came out about a year or two ago about the sniper in Iraq and—there’s no way in hell I am going to go see that movie. You know, there just is no way in hell I am going to. I just—I am not going to deal with…I mean, right now �is maybe the 4th or 5th time I have talked to people about this thing. It’s just a horrendous day. You know? I mean, we let the guy up there die and then the guy who walks into a booby trap. Just miserable, miserable day. So, in addition to again, sort of bumping heads with the NVA around Ripcord, you know these other things are going on which are just difficult. (00:54:10) Interviewer: Okay. Veteran: Yeah. Interviewer: Now, I think your battalion got involved in a couple places around Ripcord, I think— Veteran: We did, yeah. We went, on the 14th of July, we went after—we went after Hill 1000. The 506th had tried to go up with I guess the…Get my map straight here. They tried to go up the west side of Hill 1000 a couple weeks earlier and almost got to the top. But they couldn’t stay there. We tried to go up the east side. We had gone back to resupply. This was after the incident with the sniper. We went back to Phu Bai for about a day, resupplied, came back out, again landed up on Coc Muen, then moved down. Moved down toward Hill 1000 and went after it the second day. We moved out with recon platoon on the point, Bravo company 2nd in the movement. And hit a bunker complex on Hill 1000. And it would be—I saw the NVA were going up with RPGs into the trees so you get that spreading effect of the shrapnel. And pretty much shoot up the recon platoon. There was a guy who, I didn’t know his name, I think I might have known it at one time, lost his hand in that explosion down in there. And it was amazing—in the middle of that fire fight, I think he was in shock. But I think he was also lucid enough to know that he couldn’t stay there because he was going to bleed to death. And I remember watching this guy: he got up and he walked out of that fire fight just as you’d walk to the grocery �store to buy a loaf of bread. And he was holding…And I mean, rounds are going everywhere. And he was—he was unscathed after losing his hand. He walked right out of the battle. Damndest thing I have ever saw in my life. But we pulled back. We got recon out of there. We pulled back, brought in artillery—I am sorry, brought in an air part with another—brought in the fast movement, the 105s. And I think just bombed the hell out of those bunkers. I remember literally the ground shaking. And the concussion was knocking branches off trees that were flopping down on us. One of my guys actually got cut in the face with tree particles flying around. And I—he was a good soldier. And he looked as white as those sheets. And I was trying to buck him up and I remember I just told him, I said, “Listen, I’ll put you in for a purple heart.” Better day, kind of trying to joke with him about it. So, the jets finished their work. And we went after the bunkers again, this time Bravo was the pointer. The 2nd platoon was leading us, my platoon was right behind Bravo. And they got about the same point recon did and once again, an RPG initiated the contact. And they got the same thing, you know. They got many guys wounded. A lot of people fired up there. And I took—I took my platoon down through to relieve them and we managed to get them out of there. And we withdrew. I think we had—I think we had over 20 guys wounded that day. But when I got back to the company position, I found that this guy that had been—that had hit with that tree bark and I told him I’d give him a purple heart, he was dead. He had apparently been helping evacuate some wounded guys onto med evacs and apparently a stray round came out of nowhere and went right through him. And that was the last guy I lost. He was the 8th that I lost. And we set up that night and I thought, well, we will go again tomorrow. I really thought we would go again tomorrow. And I figured well okay, let’s see…I think I know who is going to be on point tomorrow, right? And, we didn’t. We withdrew from Hill 1000. And I—as I think about Ripcord and I think about that battle, I feel—then again, �I am not a great military tactician by any stretch. But I think that really…That was a foreshadowing of leaving Ripcord. I think…I think Hill 1000 was…I think we had to have Hill 1000 if we wanted to keep Ripcord. It was just—the NVA were just using it as a launching pad for a lot of stuff onto Ripcord. And it was higher than Ripcord. And I think—I think in retrospect, that was the foreshadowing of the withdrawment. This was the—this was the 14th and we withdrew I think it was the 23rd of July. And yeah, we withdrew from that battle. (01:00:53) Interviewer: But did you come back to the Ripcord area before the evacuation? Or were you now just in other places? Veteran: We went south and constructed a firebase called Brick. And really, that was…That was sort of the—Ripcord was the last real significant contacts I had in Vietnam. The next several months, every once in a while, something would happen but it was not heavy-duty. Interviewer: Okay. Alright, so we have gotten to the point in your story where you talked about having left the Ripcord area and you no longer had a lot of intense activity in your remaining months in the field. But you had some larger comment about what you saw going on there? Veteran: Yeah. I think…This was an army that was withdrawing. The only war left in Vietnam was I Corps. I am pretty sure of that. And the only unit fighting in I Corps was 101st airborne division. And these guys knew it. I mean you know, by 19-20 years old, maybe they weren’t the most sophisticated people in the world but they knew that everyone else was leaving and they were left to fight a war that the country was withdrawing from. And it was not easy duty for them. It was not…It was not—it was not a time filled with glory and all of those things. And as I think back about it, I think one of the things that really impresses me is, and what I think is �overlooked a lot, is the courage these guys had. You know, it’s easy to talk about the courage of the Army of ’65, ’66, ’67. But by 1970, we tend to want to start thinking about the Army in Vietnam with drug problems and race issues and lack of discipline and certainly that was there, to one extent or another. It was not there in the field at Ripcord. It was not there when we went into battle and there were guys who didn’t want to go but their buddies going and they’re going to go with them. And there was courage. There was a courage that these guys exhibited that I think is undervalued. And it needs to be acknowledged. And so, my point there is, you know this was not—these guys did what they had to do and they tried to take care of themselves and each other as best they could. And they—and it was a crappy mission. I think if Ripcord had been 1968, the 101st would have piled on every asset they had and would have borrowed assets if they had needed them and we would have established Ripcord and did what we had to do. But it was not 1968, it was 1970. The political situation was different. But the courage of these men was still there. (01:04:23) Interviewer: Yeah. One of the stereotypes is—and it’s something that some people in higher levels of the command certainly thought that in 1971 or so, was that—and if the Army couldn’t fight or was in crisis or whatever. But you still see here at this point, and this is consistent with what I’ve gotten from an awful lot of people who were there, was that the soldiers in the field would still fight and they could still be effective and part of it was because they had to be to get out of there alive. But that could still function and that most guys were still actually doing their jobs. Veteran: Yes. Yes. Interviewer: Now, you have—now with officers, it’s a standard thing to rotate them in different assignments. So, what happened to you and your assignment? I mean, did �you…Now, you have mentioned something about when you were supposed to rotate out, when you really did rotate out. Talk a little bit about that and how that worked. Veteran: Yeah. Well, after Ripcord, after July, I had been there 4 months and 4 months seemed to be the standard for an officer to serve in the field. And I recall we were—we were in Phu Bai on a stand down and I was told…And jeez, I don’t know who could have—Sometime in the end of July, my company commander Captain Stanton left and a Captain named Joe Swazzle— Schwazzle or Swazzle? Replaced him. And I was—someone came to me and said that they were looking for a rear job for me because I had completed my 4 months in the field. And again, there was 4 months with no replacements coming through and I simply remember asking, “Who takes the platoon?” Because if nothing else, I’d like to meet my replacement and sort of orient him or whatever. And I was told they had no officers, that they would simply assign the task to the platoon sergeant. He was certainly a very, very capable man but he was not being paid to be a platoon leader. He was a platoon sergeant. Actually, he wasn’t even a platoon sergeant, he was an E-6. Technically, he should have been a squad leader but the Vietnam of the day, he was a platoon sergeant. And so, I simply, I said “You know, when you have a replacement, I will leave the field. Otherwise, I will stay in my platoon.” And as it turns out, one of the things you, I—the reason, or at least I did early on for me on my tours, you get there and they ask well, when do you want to go on R and R and where you want to go and you get that paperwork out of the way. And my R and R was scheduled for after 7 months and as it turns out, that’s when they got a replacement platoon leader for me. So, I had the platoon for 7 months. Went on R and R to Australia. Came back and found that I had been assigned to the battalion staff as the S-2, the intelligence officer. And…And that was a strange job in a way. I remember at first, I didn’t—I just, I couldn’t…I don’t think we generated that. I wasn’t interrogating prisoners or any of that �kind of stuff. It was just—my job…I don’t know. I don’t know that I really did it particularly well because I didn’t understand what they wanted of me. And no one was very forthcoming with what I should have been doing. And I have, you know, when officers would come—the brigade commander or the assistant division commander or division commander would come in, and one of them—at least one of them showed up every day for briefing because the world was on forward firebase. And so, we’d have a briefing for them and it would always start with the S-2 in terms of talking about any activity that happened in the last day or two, contacts or this that, what are the disposition of the units. And then the operations officer, the S-3, would talk about what are plans for the future and then the battalion commander would sort of wrap things up and whatever discussion ensued took place. And there was a young secretary and I was always quietly off to the side. But I will say that I have—while I think I did my job as a platoon leader as best I could, I mean there are things I certainly would change, but I just—I never felt that I did a great job as the S-2 because I never fully understood what I should have been doing. And I will say there have been times when I look back on that and I wonder about it. You know, that’s an area where I really should have tried to improve myself but I am not sure what I would have done. (01:09:29) Interviewer: You weren’t getting guidance from the battalion commander or XO or anybody else? Veteran: No. No, or even brigade S-2. You know? And I tried to reach out to him a couple times. I mean, no one said you are doing anything wrong. You know, no one said, you know, “Jeez, you’re the crappiest S-2 I’ve ever seen in my life.” But it just seemed to me that, you know, I should be—there should be more that I was doing. I don’t know. I did in that period…Probably in March of ’71…No later than March ’70. We had a combined operation with the 1st ARVN �division. And I was assigned to the 1st ARVN as a liaison officer with the battalion, which I found an interesting couple weeks in the field with the ARVN. I mean, they operate in totally different ways than we did. You know, sit out and build fires at night and each officer had his own little bat boy who would hang—strong his hammock for him and everything. It was going to war the riviera style, if you will. So, I did do that but the…Yeah, the stint as the…As the battalion intelligence officer—I just never really felt that I got a good handle on that. (01:11:00) Interviewer: Okay. I want to jump back for a minute to the R and R in Australia. What was it like to go to Australia after having been in Vietnam all that time? Veteran: I had a meltdown. I learned…Which, years later in my life, I heard the term “survivor’s guilt” and immediately I understood it. I mean you know, I got to sit in the—you know, the first couple days I did what any G.I. does on R and R, right? You know, find some booze, find a woman. And about the 3rd day, I just had this horrendous, horrendous guilt feeling crashing down on me because here I was in a bar, drinking and having fun and you know, with women, and my platoon was back there in the monsoon now. You know, it was October, it was monsoon month. And it’s cold and it’s wet and it’s, you know…And I literally—literally drank the last half of my R and R. And that’s all I did. Either in my room or there was a bar on the ground floor of the hotel and I would just go there and…because I…And I knew, you know, I knew I was going to go back to Vietnam and get killed because I had abandoned my platoon, you know? Deserters get killed there. And I must have heard…I must have heard on the jukebox in that bar “The Boxer.” Simon and Garfunkel. There was someone in that bar that played that song about 1000 times a day. I mean I just—I remember drinking, being drunk as hell, and hearing “The Boxer.” And that was my last couple days of my R and R. I just—I couldn’t deal with, you know, I just really…So, my R and R was not…a great deal. (01:13:13) �Interviewer: Did you have any impression of the Australians or how they treated the Americans there? Veteran: The 2—my first couple of days there, yeah, they were great to us. Which I will say really surprised me because I thought well, God by this time, they are going to be as sick of G.I.s as any Army town around the United States, you know? But they were very, very friendly as far as I can remember. Interviewer: Okay. Veteran: But I just couldn’t handle it. Interviewer: So, was it almost a relief to go back to Vietnam at that point? Veteran: Except I really thought I was going to get killed. So, I am not sure if it was a relief or not. I don’t know what it was. I just know that it was a horrible time. Interviewer: Alright. Now, were you still there when the South Vietnamese conducted their operation in the Laos? Veteran: The Lam Son 719. Interviewer: Yeah. Veteran: That was—I remember I was leaving as that was starting. (01:14:09) Interviewer: Okay. Veteran: Bravo company had a big part in that. It was the 2501 rather that had a big part in that, because apparently, we provided a lot of the security up to the border. And I would think…I �would think that the Bravo S-2 probably had a lot to do at that point, you know? But it wasn’t me. You know? Interviewer: Alright, so you’re on your way out? Veteran: I was on my way out, yeah. Interviewer: Okay. Now, what—as you…Now, how did they get you out of Vietnam? Or, what is the process? Your year runs out, do you just wait for orders? Or…? Veteran: Well, actually what happened was yeah, I—they finally—I was sent back to Phu Bai to process out. And everyone knows his deros date—the day I am going to leave. And I didn’t get any orders. And I wouldn’t know the day and then no orders. And finally, I went to the battalion and someone says, “You’re not supposed to leave for 2 weeks” and “because you got here March of…” whatever, you know. And I said, “Yeah, but I went to Panama and that counts as 2 weeks overseas duty.” “Oh really? Don’t worry sir, we will have orders for you this afternoon.” And they did. You know, they did come up. But if I hadn’t walked in there, they didn’t realize that I had 2 weeks in Panama first and that was supposed to count as part of the overseas duty. Interviewer: Right. Veteran: So yeah, so that’s—you know, I sort of got myself out of it, in a sense. (01:15:33) Interviewer: Okay. Alright. Now— Veteran: Went to Da Nang and flew to Fort Washing—Fort Lewis, Washington. Interviewer: Okay. Now, did you still have time left to serve on your enlistment or were you done? Veteran: I was done. �Interviewer: Okay. Veteran: ROTC was 2 years active duty commitment and… Interviewer: I guess you had trained long enough before you got to Vietnam at that… Veteran: Yeah, that and the time at Fort Leonard Wood. My active duty was—on my DD214, it was a year and 11 months and like 15 days or something. I got 2 weeks of vacation pay for…so I got that. Interviewer: Alright. Now, did the Army make any effort to encourage you to stay in? (01:16:11) Veteran: Yeah. They—I was informally…Officers in Vietnam—my, probably the one that impressed me the most was my company first sergeant, wanted me to stay in. And I think any time an NCO says to a lieutenant…You know, you give that consideration. I mean, you know, because I respected the hell out of him and the fact that he thought I should stay in the Army meant a lot to me. My last company commander wanted me to. And there were a couple other guys. I had a long talk with an officer—well, a long talk? I had a talk with him. He was a West Pointer. I can’t remember his name. he had been with a mech unit somewhere in the south and they went home and he came up to 101st. And I remember I had a discussion with him one time. Because he was in for the long haul. He wanted a career in the Army and he was the guy that thought I should stay in. And I—and I said, “Well, why do this?” Because the Army was a mess then. I mean it was, you know, it was getting to be a mess. And he—and I was so impressed with his answer. He told me, he said, “Look,” he said “that’s—anyone can be an officer when the going is easy.” He said, “Now is when the Army needs us.” You know? And I was impressed with his, you know, he was going to stay in. You know? I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t, it wasn’t in �me but I admired him because he was, you know. He knew that it was going to be tough. He knew that it was a bad Army at that time but he also knew that the bad Army needed good officers and he was going to—he was going to ride it out. And I admired that in him but I—you know, it just wasn’t in me to be a career officer. (01:18:06) Interviewer: So, what had you seen at that point that led you to think it was a bad Army? Veteran: Well, I—because of the stuff that was going on in the rear, with the drug issues and that kind of stuff, the racial issues. I wasn’t in the rear that much, but I knew of it. Interviewer: Right. Veteran: And I knew those problems were there. And it was also an Army that was—that you know, that the country didn’t give a damn about at that point either. There was—I don’t think there was anything easy about the Army in the ‘70s. Interviewer: Yeah. Veteran: You know? And…But, you know, this guy was—he was sticking it out. I think, you know, people like that deserve a lot of credit. Interviewer: Alright, so you come back now. What do you do once you get out? Veteran: Initially, I had another…I had another one of those…I was released in Fort Lewis. And you know, there must have been a group of 20 or so of us. And we were taken to a bus station on post and there was a ticket booth to Seattle/Tacoma international and there was a ticket booth to the city of Seattle. And there was this mad dash for the airport and I remember standing there and looking at the two of them and I realized I couldn’t go home. I wasn’t ready to. You know? I needed to process a lot of this stuff, so I went to Seattle. I got a room there at a YMCA. It had a �bed and a lavatory and a layout 2-4 to a room. And all the showers and the toilets down the hall. And I stayed in Seattle for about a week. And I just walked the streets. Get up in the morning, go out and get some coffee, read the newspaper, walks. Just to get it back. You know? I mean you think about it: they—you know, even the guy who’s drafted and gets some basic AIT, he’s trained to go. You get nothing to come back. You know? And I think that, you know. And that’s one of the feelings I look back on, in all my military time, I think that is one of the failings of the Army. You know, I was in an airplane for 12 hours or so. We didn’t need 12 hours of orientation to come back but it could have been something, you know? I knew if I went home, I wouldn’t be able to handle it right away. You know, my mom would be, “Oh, good to see you” and letting the family know and all that. Not that I didn’t want to see them, I just wasn’t ready. Not yet. I remember walking to a little mom and pop place one night, you know the linoleum floor type place, for dinner. And I was sitting at the table and there’s a couple over there and they get up to leave and I remember the guy reaches in his pocket and puts—leaves change on the table and walks away. And I am not kidding you one second, it took me 2 or 3 minutes to remember tip. I couldn’t remember. Why the hell is this guy walking away leaving money? You know I—and finally, I got it back. So, I…You know, I—that was nothing that was planned. It’s just when I hit that spot, you know, this way or that way, I just—something in my gut just said you don’t go home right now. You know, you got to sort this out. So, then I went home. And I was still, you know, trying to adjust to the world, I guess. I was in the states for 3 months and I packed a rucksack and went to Europe. And I spent 7 months hitchhiking through Europe. Just, again, processing. Processing, processing. Came back from Europe. One of the things that had happened back in the late ‘60s at Ohio University, I had a degree in Business Administration but I knew I really didn’t want to—I wasn’t cut out for the corporate world. And I think a lot of that �social upheaval at that time in the ‘60s…I got really interested in that: what’s going on there, how does you get—how does the nation deal with it, what office shoulders it. It led me to a career in urban planning and so I came back—after I came back from Europe, I went to the University of Akron and got a degree in Urban Planning. And went to work for a 5-county regional transportation planning organization in the Cleveland area. And my—I think the thing that mostly interested me in business I know, in the business curriculum, was economics. The thing that interested me a lot in going through the planning programs was urban economics. So, I gravitated into a lot of work in urban economics. I ended up getting a second Master’s degree in Econ, and I worked—I guess I worked 32 years there in the field of urban economics. A lot of analysis, a lot of demographic work also. Which I found very—I enjoyed. I really did. It was very, very interesting to me. I never had the sense…I never went to work a day in my life. I was never got up and said, “Damn,” you know, “I got to…” I enjoyed it. You know? And I think I was extremely fortunate in that regard. (01:23:27) Interviewer: Alright. Now, to look back at the time that you spent in the Army, how do you think that affected you overall? Positive? Negatively? Veteran: Well, I think there’s no question it was a positive. I mean, I am sure there was some negatives here and there. I think…I think people—we should serve our country. First of all, just flat ass, we should serve our country. I think—and again, in a sense, I served my country in Vietnam. I feel I served my country in a career in public planning. I am now retired. I serve my country 2 days a week with Habitat for Humanity, building houses for people. I don’t see anything wrong with a life spent like that. I have nothing against, you know, the guy that took the career in finance and went to work for Merrill Lynch and made his billions. That’s part of this also, you know. But this was my way. I think…I think had I—well, I never would have �avoided the service, I never would have gone to Canada. I know that. But let’s say I had a bum knee from football or something like that—was medically ineligible for service. I think that would have bothered me a lot. My father served in World War 2. All of my uncles served in World War 2. I sort of—and frankly, had there not been a war, I would have been in the Army. I mean, I would have gone in the military. Because that—I sort of…I mean, we didn’t, you know. There wasn’t a big flag waving at home or anything like that but I knew they were all there. And I would have been in the military, war or not. So, I look back on—and I look back with pride on my military time. I do. Interviewer: Alright. Well, it makes for a good story so thank you very much for taking the time to share it today. Veteran: Thank you. (01:25:35) � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27_LaytonR2159V Title A name given to the resource Layton, Robert (Interview transcript and video), 2017 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-10-03 Description An account of the resource Robert Layton was born in Madison, Indiana on August 24th, 1946 and graduated high school in 1964. He briefly attendd the Univeristy of Arizona before transferring to to Ohio University where he participated in the ROTC program in 1966. Layton underwent Basic Training at Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania, in 1967, and graduated college in 1969. He then attended his infantry officer's traiing course at Fort Benning, Georgia, and completed both jump school and ranger training. His first assignment as an officer was to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, in 1969 before he was deployed to Vietnam with the B Company, 2nd Battalion, 501st Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division. His unit articipated in combat at Firebase Ripcord as well as Hill 1000 before Layton was reassigned as an S-2 Intelligence Officer. After two years of deployment, he left the service and completed his Master's degree in Urban Planning and, later, in Economics. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Layton, Robert Wayne Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American United States. Army Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Veterans Video recordings Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/mp4 application/pdf Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Veterans History Project collection, RHC-27 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries, Special Collections & University Archives, 1 Campus Drive, Allendale, MI, 49401. Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/3d785d53ca8260b3269f3581a595bda4.jpg 08b89543e1ae321fa98c637abda69572 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/7dbcc6b56784a41c46abf433a5d91023.jpg dd49b4efa4fad78f41015cc4c0d0e960 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Insel-Bücherei Series Description An account of the resource The German publishing company Insel Verlag was founded in 1899 by Anton Kippenberg in Leipzig. In its early years the firm only printed expensive, beautifully-produced volumes, until demand led to the publication of the more modest Insel-Bücherei series in 1912. Relatively inexpensive but with the same careful sense of design and typography, these smaller-format books reprinted shorter works from a variety of German, European, and world authors. The series numbers considerably more than a thousand titles and is still being issued. The Digital Collection contains the scanned covers of 140 titles held by Grand Valley State University Libraries. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1904-1987 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Seidman Rare Books Collection Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Book covers Covers (Illustration) Graphic arts Publishers and publishing Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-05 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Language A language of the resource ger Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-09-29 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-05_IB0706 Title A name given to the resource Lazarillo de Tormes Subject The topic of the resource Book covers Covers (Illustration) Graphic arts Publishers and publishing Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</A> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1959 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-09-29 Description An account of the resource Cover of Lazarillo de Tormes, by Helene Henze, published by Insel-Verlag, 1959. Insel-Bücherei Nr. 706 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Seidman Rare Books. Insel-Bücherei. Z315.I5 B83 no.706 Language A language of the resource de Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/1755d18148f62d72769dcbe3692e3ee9.jpg bfcb6597365f85a8c96c39cb53fe8508 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Naval Recognition Training Slides Subject The topic of the resource Slides Military education Airplanes, Military--Recognition Warships--Recognition World War, 1939-1945 Description An account of the resource Slides developed during World War II as a training tool, for top-side battle-station personnel on board ship and for all aircraft personnel, by the US Navy. In 1942 a Recognition School was established by the Navy at Ohio State University where the method of identification was developed. In 1943 the school was taken over by the US Navy. The importance of training in visual recognition of ships and aircraft became even more evident during World War II. Mistakes resulting in costly errors and loss of life led to an increased emphasis on recognition as a vital skill. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource United States. Navy Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/477">Naval recognition slides (RHC-50)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-04-04 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource image Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-50 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1943-1953 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Source <a href="http://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/477">Naval recognition slides, RHC-50</a> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-50_872 Title A name given to the resource LCS (L)3 US Large landing craft support Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource United States. Navy Description An account of the resource LCS (L)3 US Large landing craft support, October 1, 1947. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Navy World War, 1939-1945 Military education Warships--Recognition Slides Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Naval recognition slides (RHC-50) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1947-10-01 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/76fc46eaa489f545871c76a426200918.jpg 408b1cef9e0e463932d05257f8a83226 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Naval Recognition Training Slides Subject The topic of the resource Slides Military education Airplanes, Military--Recognition Warships--Recognition World War, 1939-1945 Description An account of the resource Slides developed during World War II as a training tool, for top-side battle-station personnel on board ship and for all aircraft personnel, by the US Navy. In 1942 a Recognition School was established by the Navy at Ohio State University where the method of identification was developed. In 1943 the school was taken over by the US Navy. The importance of training in visual recognition of ships and aircraft became even more evident during World War II. Mistakes resulting in costly errors and loss of life led to an increased emphasis on recognition as a vital skill. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource United States. Navy Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/477">Naval recognition slides (RHC-50)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-04-04 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource image Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-50 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1943-1953 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Source <a href="http://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/477">Naval recognition slides, RHC-50</a> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-50_871 Title A name given to the resource LCS(L)3 US Large landing craft support Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource United States. Navy Description An account of the resource LCS(L)3 US Large landing craft support, October 1, 1947. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Navy World War, 1939-1945 Military education Warships--Recognition Slides Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Naval recognition slides (RHC-50) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1947-10-01 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/dbcd94f417b8c051020149351f8edd8f.jpg a136237707e97a7f50b971e2e1e60b81 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Naval Recognition Training Slides Subject The topic of the resource Slides Military education Airplanes, Military--Recognition Warships--Recognition World War, 1939-1945 Description An account of the resource Slides developed during World War II as a training tool, for top-side battle-station personnel on board ship and for all aircraft personnel, by the US Navy. In 1942 a Recognition School was established by the Navy at Ohio State University where the method of identification was developed. In 1943 the school was taken over by the US Navy. The importance of training in visual recognition of ships and aircraft became even more evident during World War II. Mistakes resulting in costly errors and loss of life led to an increased emphasis on recognition as a vital skill. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource United States. Navy Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/477">Naval recognition slides (RHC-50)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-04-04 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource image Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-50 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1943-1953 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Source <a href="http://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/477">Naval recognition slides, RHC-50</a> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-50_873 Title A name given to the resource LCS(L)3 US Large landing craft support Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource United States. Navy Description An account of the resource LCS(L)3 US Large landing craft support, October 1, 1947. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Navy World War, 1939-1945 Military education Warships--Recognition Slides Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Naval recognition slides (RHC-50) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1947-10-01 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/ca4e35cf7657be44c18840a57d7b2bc4.jpg f3b06afa9a800f035ecb2d8b5f17140f Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Naval Recognition Training Slides Subject The topic of the resource Slides Military education Airplanes, Military--Recognition Warships--Recognition World War, 1939-1945 Description An account of the resource Slides developed during World War II as a training tool, for top-side battle-station personnel on board ship and for all aircraft personnel, by the US Navy. In 1942 a Recognition School was established by the Navy at Ohio State University where the method of identification was developed. In 1943 the school was taken over by the US Navy. The importance of training in visual recognition of ships and aircraft became even more evident during World War II. Mistakes resulting in costly errors and loss of life led to an increased emphasis on recognition as a vital skill. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource United States. Navy Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/477">Naval recognition slides (RHC-50)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-04-04 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource image Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-50 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1943-1953 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Source <a href="http://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/477">Naval recognition slides, RHC-50</a> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-50_1442 Title A name given to the resource Le Fantasque class French destroyer Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource United States. Navy Description An account of the resource Le Fantasque class French DD (destroyer), October 1, 1947. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Navy Military education Warships--Recognition World War, 1939-1945 Slides France Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Naval recognition slides (RHC-50) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1947-10-01 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/d9f4fc5b5473af9a31c2f6fe05048fdb.jpg 75cd93ba16b083a81ecbcab63debcf57 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Naval Recognition Training Slides Subject The topic of the resource Slides Military education Airplanes, Military--Recognition Warships--Recognition World War, 1939-1945 Description An account of the resource Slides developed during World War II as a training tool, for top-side battle-station personnel on board ship and for all aircraft personnel, by the US Navy. In 1942 a Recognition School was established by the Navy at Ohio State University where the method of identification was developed. In 1943 the school was taken over by the US Navy. The importance of training in visual recognition of ships and aircraft became even more evident during World War II. Mistakes resulting in costly errors and loss of life led to an increased emphasis on recognition as a vital skill. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource United States. Navy Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/477">Naval recognition slides (RHC-50)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-04-04 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource image Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-50 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1943-1953 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Source <a href="http://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/477">Naval recognition slides, RHC-50</a> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-50_1443 Title A name given to the resource Le Fantasque class French destroyer Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource United States. Navy Description An account of the resource Le Fantasque class French DD (destroyer), October 1, 1947. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Navy Military education Warships--Recognition World War, 1939-1945 Slides France Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Naval recognition slides (RHC-50) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1947-10-01 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/d5d503b52817bd86447c2b4ce795d59a.jpg 4803d9c892843768f3e8dc613b47ce3e Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Naval Recognition Training Slides Subject The topic of the resource Slides Military education Airplanes, Military--Recognition Warships--Recognition World War, 1939-1945 Description An account of the resource Slides developed during World War II as a training tool, for top-side battle-station personnel on board ship and for all aircraft personnel, by the US Navy. In 1942 a Recognition School was established by the Navy at Ohio State University where the method of identification was developed. In 1943 the school was taken over by the US Navy. The importance of training in visual recognition of ships and aircraft became even more evident during World War II. Mistakes resulting in costly errors and loss of life led to an increased emphasis on recognition as a vital skill. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource United States. Navy Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/477">Naval recognition slides (RHC-50)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-04-04 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource image Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-50 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1943-1953 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Source <a href="http://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/477">Naval recognition slides, RHC-50</a> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-50_1444 Title A name given to the resource Le Fantasque class French destroyer Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource United States. Navy Description An account of the resource Le Fantasque class French Dd (destroyer), October 1, 1947. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Navy Military education Warships--Recognition World War, 1939-1945 Slides France Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Naval recognition slides (RHC-50) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1947-10-01 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/e3925ba2505bc52926bbf12c56e30fc6.jpg d5103ef721ff66f2285c859232c12f14 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Naval Recognition Training Slides Subject The topic of the resource Slides Military education Airplanes, Military--Recognition Warships--Recognition World War, 1939-1945 Description An account of the resource Slides developed during World War II as a training tool, for top-side battle-station personnel on board ship and for all aircraft personnel, by the US Navy. In 1942 a Recognition School was established by the Navy at Ohio State University where the method of identification was developed. In 1943 the school was taken over by the US Navy. The importance of training in visual recognition of ships and aircraft became even more evident during World War II. Mistakes resulting in costly errors and loss of life led to an increased emphasis on recognition as a vital skill. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource United States. Navy Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/477">Naval recognition slides (RHC-50)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-04-04 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource image Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-50 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1943-1953 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Source <a href="http://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/477">Naval recognition slides, RHC-50</a> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-50_1445 Title A name given to the resource Le Fantasque class French destroyer Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource United States. Navy Description An account of the resource Le Fantasque class French DD (destroyer), October 1, 1947. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Navy Military education Warships--Recognition World War, 1939-1945 Slides France Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Naval recognition slides (RHC-50) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1947-10-01 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/a08847c6da746c708f5ab818867b5920.jpg c8134f0b5f7f9f3811e88e02e3d98ae0 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Naval Recognition Training Slides Subject The topic of the resource Slides Military education Airplanes, Military--Recognition Warships--Recognition World War, 1939-1945 Description An account of the resource Slides developed during World War II as a training tool, for top-side battle-station personnel on board ship and for all aircraft personnel, by the US Navy. In 1942 a Recognition School was established by the Navy at Ohio State University where the method of identification was developed. In 1943 the school was taken over by the US Navy. The importance of training in visual recognition of ships and aircraft became even more evident during World War II. Mistakes resulting in costly errors and loss of life led to an increased emphasis on recognition as a vital skill. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource United States. Navy Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/477">Naval recognition slides (RHC-50)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-04-04 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource image Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-50 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1943-1953 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Source <a href="http://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/477">Naval recognition slides, RHC-50</a> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-50_1446 Title A name given to the resource Le Fantasque class French destroyer Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource United States. Navy Description An account of the resource Le Fantasque class French DD (destroyer), October 1, 1947. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Navy Military education Warships--Recognition World War, 1939-1945 Slides France Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Naval recognition slides (RHC-50) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1947-10-01 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/a07b488b9a685d233cc8af51eec5a3a6.jpg a52dc89d23869894471a499b8b615729 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Naval Recognition Training Slides Subject The topic of the resource Slides Military education Airplanes, Military--Recognition Warships--Recognition World War, 1939-1945 Description An account of the resource Slides developed during World War II as a training tool, for top-side battle-station personnel on board ship and for all aircraft personnel, by the US Navy. In 1942 a Recognition School was established by the Navy at Ohio State University where the method of identification was developed. In 1943 the school was taken over by the US Navy. The importance of training in visual recognition of ships and aircraft became even more evident during World War II. Mistakes resulting in costly errors and loss of life led to an increased emphasis on recognition as a vital skill. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource United States. Navy Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/477">Naval recognition slides (RHC-50)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-04-04 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource image Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-50 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1943-1953 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Source <a href="http://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/477">Naval recognition slides, RHC-50</a> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-50_1447 Title A name given to the resource Le Fantasque class French destroyer Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource United States. Navy Description An account of the resource Le Fantasque class French DD (destroyer), September 1, 1948. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Navy Military education Warships--Recognition World War, 1939-1945 Slides France Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Naval recognition slides (RHC-50) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1948-09-01 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/c7f9ded89a39e00a08e2002868aea290.jpg d2cf531b67d96efbdd14479ae43c16b4 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Naval Recognition Training Slides Subject The topic of the resource Slides Military education Airplanes, Military--Recognition Warships--Recognition World War, 1939-1945 Description An account of the resource Slides developed during World War II as a training tool, for top-side battle-station personnel on board ship and for all aircraft personnel, by the US Navy. In 1942 a Recognition School was established by the Navy at Ohio State University where the method of identification was developed. In 1943 the school was taken over by the US Navy. The importance of training in visual recognition of ships and aircraft became even more evident during World War II. Mistakes resulting in costly errors and loss of life led to an increased emphasis on recognition as a vital skill. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource United States. Navy Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/477">Naval recognition slides (RHC-50)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-04-04 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource image Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-50 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1943-1953 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Source <a href="http://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/477">Naval recognition slides, RHC-50</a> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-50_1448 Title A name given to the resource Le Fantasque class French destroyer Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource United States. Navy Description An account of the resource Le Fantasque class French DD (destroyer), April 1, 1953. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Navy Military education Warships--Recognition World War, 1939-1945 Slides France Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Naval recognition slides (RHC-50) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1953-04-01 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/5852cc43ac52c4649eecd6230534fadd.jpg 22fba74c7f1b05fce0ae67ee76c3e25c Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Naval Recognition Training Slides Subject The topic of the resource Slides Military education Airplanes, Military--Recognition Warships--Recognition World War, 1939-1945 Description An account of the resource Slides developed during World War II as a training tool, for top-side battle-station personnel on board ship and for all aircraft personnel, by the US Navy. In 1942 a Recognition School was established by the Navy at Ohio State University where the method of identification was developed. In 1943 the school was taken over by the US Navy. The importance of training in visual recognition of ships and aircraft became even more evident during World War II. Mistakes resulting in costly errors and loss of life led to an increased emphasis on recognition as a vital skill. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource United States. Navy Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/477">Naval recognition slides (RHC-50)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-04-04 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource image Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-50 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1943-1953 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Source <a href="http://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/477">Naval recognition slides, RHC-50</a> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-50_M2765 Title A name given to the resource Le Fantasque destroyer Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource United States. Navy Description An account of the resource Le Fantasque, French DD (destroyer), March 15, 1944. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Navy World War, 1939-1945 France Military education Warships--Recognition Slides Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Naval recognition slides (RHC-50) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1944-03-15 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/3bd77b9f09a9633bd45dedc8db4cc288.jpg d9a12d700ff8c13bebf4ff0b1be26c69 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Naval Recognition Training Slides Subject The topic of the resource Slides Military education Airplanes, Military--Recognition Warships--Recognition World War, 1939-1945 Description An account of the resource Slides developed during World War II as a training tool, for top-side battle-station personnel on board ship and for all aircraft personnel, by the US Navy. In 1942 a Recognition School was established by the Navy at Ohio State University where the method of identification was developed. In 1943 the school was taken over by the US Navy. The importance of training in visual recognition of ships and aircraft became even more evident during World War II. Mistakes resulting in costly errors and loss of life led to an increased emphasis on recognition as a vital skill. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource United States. Navy Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/477">Naval recognition slides (RHC-50)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-04-04 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource image Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-50 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1943-1953 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Source <a href="http://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/477">Naval recognition slides, RHC-50</a> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-50_1441 Title A name given to the resource Le Fantasque destroyer, French Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource United States. Navy Description An account of the resource Le Fantasque, French DD (destroyer), October 1, 1947. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Navy World War, 1939-1945 France Military education Warships--Recognition Slides Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Naval recognition slides (RHC-50) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1947-10-01 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/935346c22b83918d049368d91f1a00ae.jpg 7663b6d4a684182a5b18481d86b42a1f Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Naval Recognition Training Slides Subject The topic of the resource Slides Military education Airplanes, Military--Recognition Warships--Recognition World War, 1939-1945 Description An account of the resource Slides developed during World War II as a training tool, for top-side battle-station personnel on board ship and for all aircraft personnel, by the US Navy. In 1942 a Recognition School was established by the Navy at Ohio State University where the method of identification was developed. In 1943 the school was taken over by the US Navy. The importance of training in visual recognition of ships and aircraft became even more evident during World War II. Mistakes resulting in costly errors and loss of life led to an increased emphasis on recognition as a vital skill. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource United States. Navy Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/477">Naval recognition slides (RHC-50)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-04-04 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource image Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-50 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1943-1953 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Source <a href="http://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/477">Naval recognition slides, RHC-50</a> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-50_M3197 Title A name given to the resource Le Fantasque French destroyer Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource United States. Navy Description An account of the resource Le Fantasque, French DD destroyer), June 15, 1944. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Navy World War, 1939-1945 France Military education Warships--Recognition Slides Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Naval recognition slides (RHC-50) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1944-06-15 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/d504dcb9f12b1cbbce131eeb9115ebe7.mp4 383686e259c8a8c595e5b0d265027c88 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/e5d182bf6e906fd719c345b5451f40ed.pdf 63588d19f1926bcb9c83996d6c64e3c4 PDF Text Text GrandValleyStateUniversity Veteran’s History Project Vietnam War Lan Chi Le Interview Total Time: (31:47) Background  (00:11) Born in SaigonVietnam in 1970 o Mother from My Tho  Had 4 brothers and 4 sisters  Moved to the city for a better job o Mother met father while working as a waitress o Father from America, worked for GICC for Vietnam  He was a chief management officer o At the time, her mother knew just a bit of English  (2:09) Ms. Le’s mother quit working after staying with her father o Her mother became pregnant, father gave her money before leaving o Says he knew he wouldn’t be back o Gave her documents in case Ms. Le wanted to look for him one day  (3:17) Says mother was depressed after father left Communism in Vietnam  (3:51) Was about 4-5 years old when the communists took over o Does remember when she was upstairs in her house playing, saw many helicopters and jets o Engines were loud; was scared o Found out they lived about 20 minutes away from the airport  (5:13) Ms. Le said the cops threatened to take her mother’s house away  (5:26) After the communists took over, her mother had a very hard time finding a job  (5:45) Her mother did end up finding a job as a receptionist at a hospital  (6:15) Says her father left just enough money behind to get a house and start off  (6:25) Remembers that there wasn’t enough rice in the house as a child  (7:05) Ms. Le said she was fortunate enough to go to school o Said she got picked on a lot in school because of her American heritage o Said that sometimes she would have to go along w/others in saying she hated America o Had to wear a red scarf to show Ho Chi Minh loyalty � (8:54) Every family was required to have a picture of Ho Chi Minh on their walls o Risk of going to jail if they didn’t Opportunity to go to America  (10:46) There was a program called ODC o Took three years before they received a ticket to go to America o Americans paid for them to go  (12:07) Flew over with her mom and sister o Had to stop by the Philippines for 6 months o Went into a training program o They learned English, and a bit about everyday life  (12:51) Ms. Le was surprised by snow  (13:19) There were many emigrants at the orientation in the Philippines o Temporary homes were built o 10 sections with cubicles; each family was put in one o Food and drink was distributed o Walked to school o Philippine teachers  (14:07) Many of the other emigrants didn’t talk about their past  (14:33) Ms. Le’s sister was 100% Vietnamese o Her mother remarried o Her stepfather didn’t want to come to America; not sure why  (15:15) Ms. Le knew they were to be sent to Michigan, but wasn’t sure what it would be like o Said they were warmly welcomed when they landed at the Grand Rapids airport in November  (16:11) Stayed in Hamilton for about 5 years before moving to Holland  (16:25) She and her mother cried a lot when they first moved because of their family members back in Vietnam o Weren’t sure if they were able to see them again o Sister was too young to think about this stuff o Her mom worked hard to get a driver’s license, job, and took ESL night classes o Became a US citizen after 5 years o Mother worked at a factory in Zeeland for 11-12 years o Later worked with medicines  (18:09) Ms. Le started going to school when she arrived in Hamilton o Graduated in 1990 �         o Was in the top 10 of her class o Went to Western Michigan University and earned a degree in accounting  Graduated in 1994 o When she first got to high school it was hard because of her English, but the teachers spent extra time with her (19:53) Says that in Vietnam she was considered to be a foreigner, but when she went to America she was considered Vietnamese (20:22) The first couple of years were very hard for Ms. Le, especially because of the English (20:37) Ms. Le’s husband is Vietnamese o She met him in Holland o His family was very welcoming towards her (21:40) Watches national news every day and learns a lot from it (22:08) Says she would love to go back and visit her Vietnamese family o Wants to help Amerasian students there (22:55) They have regular contact with family in Vietnam o One time she and her husband and older child went to Vietnam to visit in 1997 (24:43) Her husband’s family is from an island off the coast of Vietnam (25:45) Mentions that she used to sing in Vietnam o The government used her singing abilities; at the time she didn’t realize she was singing communist songs (28:10) Ms. Le says she really appreciates the ODC program � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27_ChiLeL0494V Title A name given to the resource Le, Lan Chi (Interview outline and video), 2010 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2010-01-07 Description An account of the resource Ms. Le was born in Saigon in 1970 to an American father and Vietnamese mother. Her father had to leave, and her mother struggled to make a living, especially when the communists took over. A program called ODC allowed them to leave Vietnam, go to the Philippines for orientation for 6 months and then move to America. Mastering the English language was a struggle at first, but Ms. Le worked hard and became very successful. She said she is grateful to the ODC program. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Le, Lan Chi Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American Other veterans & civilians--Personal narratives, American Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Moving Image Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project collection, (RHC-27)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/62f730f46af0d56face6c0801d345dae.mp4 8ed28ce186607426c2917e9fa924f180 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/cd996ce62a08a4bb387094de17345219.pdf 64bc0901560300ec338b52685d4192bb PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Interview Vietnam Lan Chi Le Length of Interview: 29:00 (00:00) JS: We’re here today with Lan Chi Le of Rockford, Michigan. The interviewer is James Smither of the Grand Valley State Veterans History Project. Now, can you start by telling us just a bit about your own background. For instance, where were you born? LCL: Well, my name is Lan Chi. I was born in Saigon, back in 1970. JS: And who were your parents? LCL: My mom is [Nah Phen] Li. She originate from My Tho City, that’s where she grew up from. And she has four brothers and four sisters, and they live in quite poor conditions, that she decided to move to the city, hoping that she could find a better job. And better pay. And when she moved to Saigon, back then, she meet my dad and that’s where she was working at, as a waitress. And that’s how she met my dad. My dad’s name is Joseph [Enab]. I know that he was there on a sub-contract, for about six months. His title, as far as I know, he worked for a company called GICC, for the Republic of Vietnam. His association was a Chief Management Officer. And it had something to do with pipeline, construct of pipeline. And pretty much road construction, that’s what he mainly do. (01:30) JS: Okay. Kind of a civil engineering job essentially. LCL: Yeah. JS: Now did your mother speak any English at that time? LCL: Um, she knew just a little bit. Enough to communicate verbally. Um, I guess that’s the only way to communicate with each other. And they know each other for just a short amount of time. Plus my mom just went to the city, so English was really tough for her at that time too. Yup, so that how it go. JS: Did she get a job with his company or did she continue to work in the restaurant, or what… LCL: Well, after she stay with him, she quit working. And just stayed around at home, and helping him out, and things like that. That’s pretty much it. JS: And then he was just there for six months and then he left? LCL: Yes. �JS: All right. But he did make some effort to recognize her as his partner there, whatever. You got some kind of documents? (02:29) LCL: Yeah, well, he knew that my mom got pregnant. That’s why before he left the country, he left behind his VIA number. Some kind of employee number. Along with, he gave my mom some money, to start a life there by herself, because he knew he wouldn’t be back. For some reason. Which I’m not quite sure why. And also, he give mom a document showing what he do and things like that, in case of someday I went looking for him. I would have all those documents set aside. JS: All right. Then what happened to her after he left? (03:12) LCL: When he left to go back to America, I think my mom was quite depressed. Because now she has given birth to me, she’s a single mom. But I guess, she has to go on with her life. She used the money and bought a house and raised me up in that house. Until the day we left in 1985. We still lived in that same house, in Saigon. JS: All right. So you were living in Saigon then for those early years of your life. Do you remember when the communist took over? Do you remember any of that, cause you were still pretty young. LCL: Yes, I was only about four, into five years old at that time. So too young for me to remember anything, but I did remember, or memorize one small event that I remember that one day when I was up in the balcony, upstairs playing. That must be right around, or just before the communists took over. There was one day where I see a lot of helicopters and jets flew by our home. I didn’t know why so many of them flew by, but I noticed that. And it scare me. Cause those engines were loud and there were many of them, not just one or two. Continuously, they fly right by our home. (04:33) LCL: Later I find out that we live twenty minutes away from the airport and with all the jets and the helicopters going on at that time, I think it’s just kind of a last minute before the communists took over. So they did some kind of wrap up or something. Over there. JS: Right. Cause the last of the American personnel were being evacuated and some of the Vietnamese were being brought out at that time, so you had an airlift out of the airport, and then the last part of it off of the roof of the US embassy there. So that was going on. All right. Now, but your mother was able to stay in her house, then, when the communists took over? They didn’t come and take it away from her? (05:09) LCL: They tried to threaten her, a few different times. Well, simply because I’m AmerAsian, half American, half Vietnamese, they used me as a target to suppress my mom. After the �communists took over, my mom had a hard time finding jobs. Anywhere. She just couldn’t be able to find anything. Um, simply because of me. Even my aunt, who lived together with my mom, also had a hard time finding a job too. Took her a total of about five years or more to be able to find a decent job in the hospital, but just as a receptionist or more like a security, by the gate. To admit patients in. And the reason she got that job was because she got a best friend that worked inside there, that get her in. Otherwise, finding a job for her would be impossible. Yep. (06:00) JS: All right. Now during that time, did you have problems getting things to eat? Or getting clothing? Things like that. Did you have enough money to survive? LCL: Well, my dad left behind probably not a whole lot of money. It, just enough for us to get a house, but, um, my mom have to find survival, someway, somehow. Right after 1975, our life was really really hard. I remember that we didn’t even have enough rice in the house to fulfill everybody’s needs. We had to substitute with yucca root. And sometimes yams and just a little bit of rice. Half of, a part of a meal of rice, but those meals. Or oatmeal. Just to get by. Yep. And so it was really really tough, the first few years after the communists took over. JS: All right. Now you’re living there for about ten years after they take over. Did you go to school during that time? (07:04) LCL: Yes, I was fortunate enough to attend school. Even though we were really poor. But I loved school anyway, so I went to school daily. And it’s um, because I am very different than the rest of group, I always got picked on. By a lot of bullies in school. They, um, they always picked on me and call me by all different names. And I have to go along with it, get used to it, because I know who I am. And I cannot change it. JS: Now, did the teachers or the people running the school treat you differently, because you were Amer-Asian? (07:50) LCL: Um, I didn’t notice a whole lot, which is a good thing. Like I said, they probably focused more on my mom and my aunt, who are looking for jobs. And I was too young for them to do anything, anyway. At school, they might say something, and I just don’t recall, a whole lot of it. But I know that, in school, with lecture, with history books regarding Vietnamese history, a lot of hatred towards America. I have to study, sometime give speech telling in front of the class, that I, you know, hate America. Just to go along with it, because I have to. And every day, to school, I have to wear a red scarf around my neck, symbolizing that I’m not just a student, at school, but also a Ho Chi Minh loyalty follower. Um. Yep, so… JS: And did you have to have a picture of Ho chi Minh in your house too? (08:50) LCL: Yes. We had a small picture hanging on the wall and it was required for every single family to have one. Without having one, we might end up in jail. So, right after the communists �took over, the picture was right away distributed by the government and it had to be hang up on the wall. The thing is we had to take down the…before the…what is it, the RN, the Republic of Vietnam flag. But my mom didn’t get rid of that. I found out, one day, she hid it on the top of the dresser, upstairs. It was all rolled up carefully and hidden away. She never throwed it away though. Which is something that I really admire her, up until this point. She still kept that. And hopefully, I can read that in her mind, she probably hoping to see if America would come back someday, to rescue the country out of the disaster like that. (09:42) JS: Okay. Now over the course of the, those ten years, before 1985, did life change? Did things kind of get better once your mother got a job? Or were there still a lot of the problems that you’d had all along? LCL: Even though my mom found a job at the hospital, income coming in just basic. We just have barely enough. To feed in the house, but not extra. The years get worse, especially around ’78 to ’82, 1982, where sometimes we didn’t have enough food supplies in the house, my mom’s clothing sell, furniture, anything that’s valuable. Anything, just to get buy, to have food in the house. So it was really really tough, for all of us. JS: All right. Now how did you wind up being able to come to America? (10:41) LCL: Well, we heard of a program called ODP (Orderly Departure Program). It’s a program called Organization for Departure and it’s, um, my mom heard about the program and right away she gathered all of our personal information and put it in an application and submit it. But it took us a total of over three years, before we got the ticket to America. So it take some time. But we got it. JS: Now did you have to pay for the plane tickets yourself or was there a charitable organization… LCL: No, we had… JS: The Americans paid for it? LCL: Yeah, yeah. The American organization paid for all that. Which is wonderful. The funny part, is that when we submit an application, they didn’t require a birth certificate or anything that prove my dad is, you know, dad of me. We, what they have is like an immigration officer, they would put me in the office and look at me, examining me, to see if I have anything that look like American, and that’s all there is to it. To prove for me, to be able to go to America. (11:52) JS: Now, how do they actually get you to America? Do you fly and where did you fly to? LCL: Yes. They booked tickets for me, my mom, and my sister. Three of us. But we didn’t, we couldn’t fly straight through to America. We have to stop by Philippine, Bantayan Island, for �six months. They put us in a training program called, what they called “Organized Culture,” something. A program, for six months. To train us so we could be prepared before we come to America. So learn like ESL English, and how every day life here. So when we came, we don’t have to be shocked. Or, you know, just to be ready. JS: Now they probably couldn’t prepare you for snow, though. (12:45) LCL: Uh, nope. (laughs) Uh, honestly, when we came here to America, the first thing that really amazed me was snow. Cause in Vietnam, the weather always very warm, to humidity. The eighty’s, ninety’s. But when we came here, to actually see snow falling down to the ground was amazing. I remember the first time when I spot snow, I ran out there in bare foot. I didn’t know it was going to be that cold! Yeah, but it was a wonderful experience, yep. JS: Let’s talk a little bit more about that orientation, or that thing you were doing in the Philippines. Were you there with a lot of other Amer-Asians children? LCL: Yes. Many just Amer-Asian families. They built like temporary homes for us. Each cubicle would divide into ten sections. We would live in each section, like that. Each family would put in. It was a little inconvenient but it was just something to get by. They distributed us food, drink, just basic needs. Weekly, and we walked to school and there’d be Pilipino teachers there to help us, teaching English. (13:54) JS: And did you get to know any of the other kids at all, or learn anything about what their experiences were like? LCL: Yes. One thing I did notice. I had a lot of Amer-Asian friends. But the thing is, they never mention anything about their past. Probably because many of them have very sad memories, so they didn’t bring it up for me. And I understand that. And even I had bad, even back then, I been bullied, called names and things like that. So I just kind of put that behind my mind. JS: So they were all looking forward… LCL: Yeah, forward. Pretty much, yep. Looking ahead. (14:27) JS: Now was your sister also Amer-Asian, or was she just Vietnamese? LCL: Yeah, my mom remarried, right after the communists took over. So my sister was purely one hundred percent Vietnamese. JS: But then did that marriage break up, or… �LCL: Um, well, when she came to America, he didn’t want to come along, so he decided to stay. My step-father decide to stay behind. I didn’t know why, but there must be a reason for it. Yep, so my mom and me and my sister were the only three that came to America. JS: All right. Now once you finish the six months in the Philippines, did you come directly to Michigan or did you settle somewhere else first? (15:11) LCL: Um, honestly, we didn’t know where we was gonna end up at. I didn’t even know that there was fifty some states in America. It just so new for me. The last month before we were headed to America, I knew that we were going to settle in Michigan. I didn’t know what Michigan state was like at all. I didn’t know whether there would be any Vietnamese family around. I remember that in November of 1985, right when we came into Gerald Ford International Airport, and we came to, and we saw a group of people that sponsored, and they welcome us in a very warm way. Make our heart warm up right away, because we were so nervous, when we come down to the airport, because we didn’t know what was going to happen. Who was going to take us home, or where we going to go next. Like that. So. It was a warm welcome, from this organization. They’re from Hamilton Reformed Church, and that was where we settled for about five years, before we moved to Holland, Michigan. (16:14) JS: Okay. Now what was the experience like for your mother, as far as you could tell? Did she adjust more or less easily than you did? LCL: When she came, she cried a lot. Because she missed her family. In Vietnam. She cried. I cried. You know, we have family that’s still left in Vietnam, that we don’t know whether we can be able to come back someday to see them, or not. And so it was tough on both of us. My sister was too little to know anything, so she is fine. But my mom, because she is a single mother, she has to work even harder. You know, when she tried to, when she first came, she have to try to get a driver’s license, learn to drive, get to work every day. And attend every night ESL class, to gain more of her English language knowledge. And it took her a few years. And not only that, she tried to learn the rules, and so that way, when the five years time is up, she can take the test to become a US citizen and she worked so hard that she achieved that, after five years. (17:25) JS: What kind of work was she doing? What kind of job did she get? LCL: Yeah, the first job of her was at Bil Mar factory, down at Zeeland, Boekeloo, Zeeland. Doing like Sara Lee meat, packaging, things like that. She worked there for about eleven to twelve years, in that factory. So it’s been a long time that she worked there. And after that, she decided to move to Holland and switch jobs to JB Labs, right on Riley Street, in Holland, working with medicines, until she retired, now a couple of months ago. But that whole entire time that she was here, she work at companies, one after another. (18:03) �JS: Okay. And did you start going to school here, as soon as you got here? LCL: Yes. When I came to Hamilton, that was the school I attend and that’s where I graduate, in 1990. At the high school. And I was actually really proud of myself because I know who I am, so I work a lot harder than anybody else. And I graduated as the top ten in my class. Which was, I was just very very proud at that time. You know, I work really hard, and then after that I attend Western (Michigan) University, in Kalamazoo, as an accounting degree and I graduated in ’94. So. JS: Now when you first got to that school, was it easy to make friends, or did kids not know what to do with you? (18:47) LCL: Yeah, it was really tough. I have to learn English from the beginning. Even though I have a training, a basic training in Philippine, but remember, we got Philippine teachers here, they got very heavy accents. And when we came here, it was like we totally learned a different language all over again. And it was very tough for me. But thanks for some of the teachers at Hamilton High School, they would set a few hours aside every day just for me and a few others kids, like Laotian, Thailand kids, things like that. To teach them more of the basic English. So that that way we could easily catch on, you know, the following year, into the regular classroom. You know. So it’s a helping out tremendously for me. For having that class. JS: Now were there any issues of discrimination, or people that treated you differently because you were Amer-Asian, or did that not really come up for you? (19:45) LCL: Here in America, you mean? Um, one thing I’ve noticed, honestly, is in Vietnam, I was considered to be a foreigner, you know, pretty much because I didn’t look like them. When I came here they don’t consider me American. They consider me Vietnamese. So it’s a little bit difficult for me to adjust in, to fit in. But eventually I get used to it, and up until now, because my English gets better, it’s just easier to cope and fit in, so that’s much easier a whole bunch. But the first couple of years was really difficult for me. Especially with English. They couldn’t understand what I was talking about. I couldn’t understand what they was talking about, to me. So it was challenging, yep. (20:30) JS: All right. Now is your husband himself, is he Vietnamese? LCL: Yeah. He is one hundred percent Vietnamese. I met him here in Holland, right after the five years when we moved to Holland after Hamilton. And I’ve been with him since. JS: And did his family have any issues with your being Amer-Asian, or… LCL: Oh, no. They are a wonderful family. Yeah, they accepted me in a very welcome way. So we are here, we are all a minority anyway so they didn’t have any discrimination or whatsoever going on. And my husband was always a very strong supporter of me. He comfort �me whenever I needed him, whenever I feel blue, or when I’m not comfortable in front of the people or like today’s interview for example. He talked and comforted me a lot, and just get me to feel better. Yeah, so very supportive. (21:30) JS: All right. Now do you pay much attention or listen to news about Vietnam, or what’s going on over there? LCL: Yes. While I watch national news almost every day, everything that was going on, especially to Vietnam. And not just Vietnam nowadays. I pay attention to almost every other country that America get involved in or so. It just a learning experience for me, day after day. JS: Would you like to go back to visit Vietnam at some point? LCL: I would love to go back to visit Vietnam. Well, first thing, to go back to visit my family, relatives, but I also would like to see if I can help any of the Amer-Asians that are still left behind there, because they were mostly in orphanage. They didn’t have any documents proving that they were, you know, half blood. JS: Right. (22:23) LCL: Um, so they got stuck in Vietnam. And I heard there are still several thousands of them, still in Vietnam. JS: Although by now, they’d be adults. LCL: Yeah. They’d got married and have children and everything. But they, very poor. No organization whatsoever supported them. No relatives supported them. So they pretty much on their own. And of course the community over there has not supported them, neither. So it’s very tough for them. JS: Now do you, or your mother, have any communication with your relatives back in Vietnam? LCL: Yes. We contact each other very regularly. As a matter of fact, by in 1997, my husband and I and my oldest child went back there for a month to visit. And that was a great experience. I got to visit his hometown. He got to visit my hometown. So it was a wonderful experience for us. And we would love, and looking forward, to go back there again some day. (23:17) JS: Okay. So the Vietnamese government is perfectly happy to have you come back as a tourist and spend money? LCL: Yes. Um, they would love to see us come back again, because I think right now the commerce is opening up a lot more to the tourists, because they know they we will bring home cash. Or bring home financially to help family. And that would help the economy too, so yeah, �it’s a lot changing than before. Much better, I think. But still to go back there and support the communist, I don’t think so, nope. JS: What did life seem to be like for people, when you went back in ’97? Were there…how was life there sort of different from how it is here? (24:04) LCL: Um, when I go back, I was really happy seeing my family, but I don’t feel like I fit in anymore. When I go back there, they look at me totally as a tourist, as an international person, you know, as a foreigner, and not a Vietnamese. Until I opened my mouth and start speaking in Vietnamese and they were shocked, seeing that I speak Vietnamese. But of course, they don’t treat me like any Vietnamese at all. Which is all right with me, I don’t mind. (laughs) JS: Now did you just go to Saigon when you were there? Or where is your husband’s family from? LCL: Yeah, my husband’s family is from [Phu Quoc], which is an island right off of Vietnam, a little bit. But, it took us six hours by boat to get to his island. But my hometown is right at Saigon, so much more convenient. (25:04) JS: All right. Let’s see. I think we’ve done a pretty good job going basic things that we were covering. Are there any kinds of individual events or things that happened to you that you remember, either about Vietnam or making a life over here, that sort of stand out in your memory? Let’s start with Vietnam first. Think back to the time when you were living there. What do you think of or what comes into your mind? LCL: Um, well, back when I was younger in Vietnam, I had to adopt their way of life, the communism way of life. Um, I remember when I was back there, when I was young, I got a very good voice as more like a passage, give a message out to the public. Most of the songs I sang over there were anti-America songs. And I didn’t know, I didn’t know honestly, I just sing my heart out, without knowing what was going on. Until now, I come to America, I sit back and I realize, something about it, I realize, gosh, I been saying a lot of bad things about my Dad, you know, side. JS: Yeah. (26:10) LCL: And it just more like a brainwash, really, some of the comments have done to me, you know. But, um, I learn it when I came here. It’s not easy. JS: Now when you were still in Vietnam and this kind of thing was happening, did your mother say much to you, or remind you that things aren’t really like this, or did she just kind of keep quiet? �LCL: She keep quiet most of the time. She didn’t want me to speak up, you know, in anger, because she wanted me to continue going on with school. And be knowing more, like any other kid. So, sometimes I…that’s why I never think hard of who I am exactly at that time. I did know that I was different than other kids around me, so that was the only thing I noticed and get picked on, so I did get used to it, you know. (27:04) JS: Now once you left Vietnam or whatever, did your mother tell you more about the rest of the story, or had she told you before you left? LCL: Well, she told me when we came here to America more, than over there in Vietnam. And when I came, I grew up more. And so I think she realized that I understand things better now, and so she explained and tell me stories about between her and my dad. Relationship, because I questioned sometime, you know. I think, did my dad really wanted me? Did my dad really love my mom? And things like that. So there were questions and stories that I would bring up and ask her. And she tried to answer me the best she can. And I can understand her situation as well. (27:52) JS: Okay. All right, that’s basically all I have by the way of questions. I’d just like to thank you for coming to talk to me today. LCL: Okay. And I do have to give a word out, I have to admit that I really appreciate America for giving out that ODP program, that immigration program. Because of that program, have saved hundreds and thousands of Amer-Asian children to America. And not only that, all their families too. So that is a greatly thing that I want to appreciate, the American government. But I would hope to see, if they had given out a special program or something that would help the rest of the Amer-Asian children that are still left behind in Vietnam that had nowhere to go. Because Vietnam wasn’t their homeland anyway. They have to force themselves to accept that. But that’d be nice to have a program, or from a private party or something like that, that would help them out. That would be greatly appreciated. (28:46) JS: Well, these days actually a lot of American Vietnam veterans go back to Vietnam and a lot of them do humanitarian projects so there’s some potential there for some help. LCL: Yeah, that would be wonderful. JS: Well, thank you very much. (29:00) � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27_LeL0494V Title A name given to the resource Le, Lan Chi (Interview transcript and video), 2010 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2010-01-07 Description An account of the resource Ms. Le was born in Saigon in 1970 to an American father and Vietnamese mother. Her father had to leave, and her mother struggled to make a living, especially when the communists took over. A program called ODC allowed them to leave Vietnam, go to the Philippines for orientation for 6 months and then move to America. Mastering the English language was a struggle at first, but Ms. Le worked hard and became very successful. She said she is grateful to the ODC program. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Le, Lan Chi Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Other veterans & civilians--Personal narratives, Vietnamese-American Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Veterans Video recordings Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/mp4 Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Veterans History Project collection, RHC-27 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries, Special Collections & University Archives, 1 Campus Drive, Allendale, MI, 49401. Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Language A language of the resource eng