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https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/ace1c97f7a623577a06847c044ec3393.mp4
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https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/b20c0d1194421a86635f06211496b641.pdf
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PDF Text
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Grand Valley State University
Veterans’ History Project
Ronald Allen
Vietnam War
24 minutes 45 seconds
(00:00:01) Overview of Service and Training
-In the Air Force from 1970 to 1974
-Worked with the Airborne Air Rescue Recovery Service
-Better known as Air Force Pararescue
-Worked as a crew chief on the Sikorsky HH53 helicopter
-Started off with the 1550th Combat Crew Training Wing in Ogden, Utah
-Spent his first year there
(00:00:36) Deployment to Vietnam
-In April 1972 he was assigned to the 37th Air Rescue Recovery Squadron
-Stationed at Da Nang Air Base, Vietnam
-Joined the squadron just after a rescue crew was lost during Bat 21 rescue attempt
-Also joined prior to a major operation carried out at Quang Tri
-Massive evacuation of South Vietnamese Rangers and Americans
(00:02:18) Daily Life at Da Nang
-Rocket and mortar strikes were a common occurrence
-Lived on the north side of the base in the old Marine compound
-Heavily fortified position that also had a hospital
-Allowed them to get to the helicopters and to launch quickly
-Had to wear body armor at all times for the most part
-Ate mostly C rations even while on base
-Worked in conjunction with the other maintenance teams
-Insured that the helicopters and other aircraft were working properly
-Formed a deep bond with each other
-Worked with two Coast Guard pilots that were stationed at Da Nang
-Being involved in the missions made him feel like he was playing a major part
-Day to day life could be boring
-Weather was always hot and humid both during the day and at night
-Mosquitos were also a constant annoyance that he just had to get used to
-Involved in a large number of missions
(00:06:49) Involvement with the Army
-Worked with the Army on occasion
-Got invited to fly in a Cobra attack helicopter once
-Took the opportunity to fly along the South China Sea coast and got target practice
-Upon landing he was severely reprimanded by a superior officer
-He was definitely not allowed to ride along in a Cobra
(00:08:54) Enemy Attacks
-Remembers on August 19, 1972 the base was hit by a sapper and rocket attack
-Happened at night
-Blew the doors off the hut where he slept
�-The next morning, August 20, they were hit again
-Attack happened at 6:30 in the morning
-120mm Vietnamese rocket made a direct hit on the helicopter he worked on
-Destroyed the helicopter
-He was uninjured though
(00:09:58) End of the War Pt. 1
-His unit was deactivated in December 1972
-He was flown out of Da Nang by the Utah National Guard
-Remembers flying over the Ho Chi Minh trail as they left
(00:10:36) Typhoons
-During his time in Vietnam he was a part of two typhoon evacuations
-Once to Saigon
-Once to Thailand
-Considered to be somewhat of an R&R period
-Chance to rest for a couple days while the storm blew through
(00:11:32) End of the War Pt. 2
-War was winding down when he was deployed to Vietnam
-Army was being withdrawn
-Firebases in the north were being overrun by Vietnamese forces
(00:11:52) Involvement with Other Aircraft
-Bombing missions were being flown out of Da Nang on a daily basis
-He could feel the ground shake when the bombs were dropped in the distance
-Search and rescue teams from his unit would follow the pilots out
-Circled the area of operation in case a jet was shot down
-Always a celebratory event when a pilot was recovered and returned to base successfully
-Saw a B52 bomber land at Da Nang
-SAM (surface to air missile) was stuck, unexploded in the wing
-Vietnamese pilots would come into Da Nang and have to make crash landings
-Remembers a rocket attack that destroyed several Marine F4 Phantoms
-Marines suffered losses because of that
(00:15:49) End of the War Pt. 3
-Towards the end of the war a large amount of soldiers were being moved to different positions
-He and his unit were pulled out of Da Nang because of eroding security in the area
-Also part of the political maneuvering that occurred
-He was transferred to the 40th Air Rescue Recovery Squadron in Thailand
-Worked with them for a few months
-Remembers a large number of B52s flying out for bombing runs
-Remembers one that crash landed upon its return
-The crew ejected safely
-In February 1972 he was pulled off the base in Thailand
-Given twelve hours to pack and get ready to leave
-Part of the Paris Peace Accords of 1972
-Flew out of Bangkok, Thailand back to the United States
-Returned to the 1550th Combat Crew Training Wing in Ogden, Utah
�(00:18:52) Enlisting in the Air Force
-Enlisted in the Air Force to avoid getting drafted into the Army
-He had a low lottery number which meant he had a high chance of getting drafted
-He had a fascination with aircraft and the Air Force since a young age
-This also played a major part in influencing him to join the Air Force
-Had to travel from Kalamazoo, Michigan to Indianapolis, Indiana for his induction
(00:19:49) Mascots of the 37th Air Rescue Recovery Squadron
-The pararescue unit’s mascot was a boa constrictor named “Stretch”
-It was a real boa constrictor that had been taken out of the jungle
-Fifteen feet long
-His maintenance crew’s mascot was a dog named “Dash”
-He got hurt by shrapnel from a Vietnamese rocket attack once
-Pararescue soldiers gave him stitches and brought him back to health
-Dash received the Purple Heart for his wounds at an on base bar
-They lost track of him during the evacuation of Da Nang
-Never knew what happened to him
-Stretch was taken with the unit to Thailand and released back into the wild
(00:22:52) Reflections on Service
-He felt that the war was an important part of shaping himself and his generation
-It was difficult being a soldier or a veteran during the war
-Despite the negative aspects of service he is glad that he was a part of the war
-Feels that it was worth it because he was able to help save some lives
�
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/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Allen, Ronald (Interview outline and video), 2013
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Allen, Ronald
Description
An account of the resource
Ronald Allen served in the Air Force from 1970 to 1974. He enlisted in the Air Force to avoid getting drafted into the Army and had a deeper interest in serving with the Air Force and working with aircraft. After travelling from Kalamazoo, Michigan to Indianapolis, Indiana he was inducted into the Air Force and was sent to basic training. He was deployed to Da Nang Air Base, Vietnam in April 1972 where he served with the 37th Air Rescue Recovery Squadron after he trained with the 1550th Combat Crew Training Wing in Ogden, Utah. During his time in Vietnam he was involved in a large number of rescue missions and had multiple incidents involving enemy artillery fire. In December 1972 his unit was deactivated and he was flown out of Da Nang by the Utah National Guard and attached to the 40th Air Rescue Recovery Squadron stationed in Thailand. In February 1972 he returned home and continued to work with the 1550th Combat Crew Training Wing in Ogden, Utah.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Cullison, Jennifer (Interviewer)
Caledonia High School (Caledonia, Mich.)
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
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
United States. Air Force
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
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2013-05-21
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
AllenR1495V
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
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application/pdf
video/mp4