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https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/f2471e88df568b62289dc51f7aa7f618.m4v
ece03e03b052939b66d49da2782fd26f
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/50d3ebac9e0d6bc87dc57de3bc7abc11.pdf
8a3293b19a66def9c8f2d57546a73185
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Grand Valley State University
Veterans' History Project
John Lund
Vietnam War
54 minutes 43 seconds
(00:00:12) Early Life
-Born in Cadillac, Michigan, in 1950
-Went through Cadillac's public schools
-Father was in the rubber business and worked as an automotive supplier
(00:01:00) Enlisting in the Army & Vietnam War
-Parents couldn't pay for his college
-Saw the GI Bill as a chance to go to college
-Father served during World War II on a B-17 bomber
-Uncle served with the Marines in WWII, and uncle flew a P-51 Mustang in WWII
-Didn't know much about the Vietnam War
-Saw recruiting posters talking about travel and exciting opportunities
-Never saw any anti-war movements or anti-war sentiments in Cadillac
-In July 1969 he reported for basic training
-Had enlisted in the Army while in high school
-Went to Detroit in April or May 1969 for his physical
-Saw men trying to get out of getting drafted
-Faked incontinence, psychological instability, and other health problems
-Worked before going to basic training
(00:04:00) Basic Training
-Sent to Fort Knox, Kentucky, for basic training
-Remembers the drill sergeant being intimidating
-Wen through processing
-Had another physical and vaccinations
-Went on marches, low crawled under barbed wire, and had to go on the low bars before breakfast
-Broken down and rebuilt as a soldier
-Instilling psychological and physical discipline
-Went on forced marches during the day and at night
-Grew up spending time outdoors, so he adjusted well
-Recruits from the inner city had difficulty adjusting to the Army
-Some men didn't want to be there
-Basic training lasted eight to ten week
(00:06:47) Advanced Infantry Training
-After one week of leave he reported to Fort Polk, Louisiana, for advanced infantry training
-Traveled by bus to Fort Polk
-Had one overnight stay
-Fort Polk is located in the southwest corner of the state
-Received advanced infantry training and more weapons training
-Received Jungle Training
-Went through mock-up Vietnamese villages and learned counter-insurgency strategies
-Taught how to act if captured
-What to say, what not to say, and how to survive
-Taught some of the Vietnamese language and customs
�-Roughly a third of the trainers had served in Vietnam
-Some of them talked about their experiences
-Another eight to ten weeks of training
(00:09:07) Deployment to Vietnam
-Came home for two weeks
-Flew out of Detroit to Chicago, then up to Alaska, over to Japan
-From Japan flew to Cam Ranh Bay, South Vietnam
-Landed during the day
-Massive Air Force base
-First impression of Vietnam: hot and humid
-Took a shower and went through a briefing
-Stayed at Cam Ranh Bay for two or three days
-Waiting for his assignment
-Had orders to go north
(00:11:13) Assignment to 101st Airborne Division
-Flew north to Da Nang on a C-130, then taken by truck to Camp Sally
-Located off of Highway 1 near Camp Evans and north of Phu Bai
-Assigned to Recon in the 2nd Battalion, 501st Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division
-Going on long range patrols
-Recon teams supported the 501st Infantry Regiment and the 506th Infantry Regiment
-Operating near the Laotian border
-Joined his team at a firebase
-Greeted by a sergeant
-Ranger and a down to earth man
-Tried to teach John the basics of surviving in Vietnam
(00:14:00) Recon Missions
-On call all the time
-Teams were sent out at night for their missions
-Sometimes sent as emergency responders if a unit was pinned down in the field
-Usually traveled on rivers
-Better to cover their tracks
-Ate freeze-dried food
-Better than the regular Army rations
-Usually operated as six man teams, including a medic
-Sometimes had a sniper operating with them
-Missions could last half of a day to two weeks depending on the nature of the mission
-First mission happened near Christmas 1969
-Operating near the top of the A Shau Valley
-Minimal enemy activity
-January to March 1970 noticed an increase in enemy activity
-Lost a team member in March 1970
-Operated in the jungle most of the time
-Saw black jaguars [leopards], spiders, monkeys, apes, land leeches, and snakes
-Kept their distance and never had to kill any larger animals
-Sent in to investigate signs of enemy activity
-Collect information without making contact then get out of the area
-Usually rappelled into areas as opposed to landing a helicopter in the jungle
-Used the jungle penetrator systems to punch through the triple canopy jungle
-Easiest way to extract wounded from the jungle
�-Sometimes when they got to a landing zone the North Vietnamese ambushed them
-Dropped off two to three kilometers from the patrol area
-Moved at night and hunkered down during the day
(00:18:33) Weapons & Supplies
-Carried the M-16 assault rifle, CAR-15 carbine, shotguns, or sniper rifles
-Carried weapon of choice and as much ammunition as possible
-Traveled light so they could move fast
-Sometimes had to run from the enemy instead of engaging them
(00:19:22) Enemy Contact
-Tried to push through the jungle and avoided established trails
-Never cut their own trails
-Followed streams
-Avoiding the North Vietnamese
-North Vietnamese booby-trapped existing trails
-Knew of North Vietnamese troops that had been in South Vietnam for ten years
-Some of the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong had fought the French since the 1940s
-North Vietnamese were dedicated fighters
-Found underground bunker complexes, underground hospitals, and ammunition caches
-Some of the hospitals still had fresh blood and supplies
-Some of the bunker complexes still had enemy occupants
-Sometimes went in knowing there were North Vietnamese, sometimes just stumbled on them
-During the monsoon season enemy activity subsided
-Monsoons made it difficult for the helicopters
-Black Widow Squadron helicopters flew in any weather to drop off and extract soldiers
(00:22:26) Getting Wounded
-On April 23, 1970, he got wounded
-One week before they were operating near Firebase Ripcord
-Note: Firebase – artillery outpost usually accessed by helicopters; away from larger base
-Taking a lot of mortar and .51 caliber machine gun fire
-Trying to find the enemy positions so they could be destroyed
-They walked into an ambush
-Had to figure out the direction of the enemy fire
-Line company of infantry sent in to help John's recon team
-The sergeant was killed and he got wounded
-Helicopter pilots braved the enemy fire and flew in to evacuate them
(00:24:32) Recovering from Wound
-Flown to a field hospital in Da Nang
-Shot in the right hand and the neck while trying to get to cover
-Around the second or third week of May he was flown to the Air Force hospital in Cam Ranh Bay
-Hot food, nurses, and a room to himself
-Felt like being a civilian
-Spent three weeks there doing rehabilitation
(00:25:50) Battle of Firebase Ripcord
-Rejoined Recon with three new teams
-Two teams had been wiped out at Firebase Henderson while he was in the hopsital
nd
-2 Battalion of the 506th Infantry Regiment established Firebase Ripcord on March 12, 1970 [date of
first attempt—firebase actually set up starting April 11]
-Note: Firebase capable of destroying North Vietnamese supplies in the A Shau Valley
-Had been working in the A Shau Valley since January 1970
�-Got close to Firebase Ripcord during the first week of July 1970
-Friend was killed near Ripcord on July 9
-Working with Alpha and Bravo companies of the 2nd Battalion
-They had set out landmines, and nobody told the recon teams
-His friend walked into the minefield and set off one of the mines
-On July 14 they assaulted Hill 1000 with Alpha and Bravo companies
-Expected bird calls and animal noises in the jungle, but near Hill 1000 the jungle was silent
-Expected enemy resistance, but didn't expect as much resistance as they encountered
-North Vietnamese had the high ground and bunkers
-Seemingly endless supply of North Vietnamese troops
-Pinned down by mortar fire and rocket-propelled grenades
-Alpha and Bravo were losing men
-Retreated to the initial drop zone
-Bullets coming from everywhere
-South Vietnamese pilots in World War II planes provided close air support
-Good pilots
-Had more air support than artillery support
-Continued recon missions after July 14 and never participated in an assault again
-Heard the North Vietnamese bombardment of Firebase Ripcord
-Saw helicopters going to and leaving Ripcord
-Didn't know the state of the battle
-Collected some North Vietnamese documents during the battle, but never tapped into telephone lines
(00:33:29) Fall of Firebase Ripcord
-Heard about the plan to evacuate Firebase Ripcord
-Evacuation of the firebase began on July 22
-Last American personnel in the area left on July 23
-Once everyone had been evacuated B-52 bombers destroyed the base
-Sent to Camp Evans
-After Camp Evans they drove down to Phu Bai
-Passed through Hue en route
-First time seeing civilians
(00:34:37) Stationed at Firebase Bastogne
-Taken to Firebase Bastogne near Hue
-Firebase had a road leading to and away from it
-Most firebases relied on helicopters
-In the hills, but not in the A Shau Valley
-Lost some recon men during patrols in the area
(00:36:34) R&R
-Had an R&R at Eagle Beach in Vietnam
-Flown straight from the field to Eagle Beach, still had their weapons
-Supposed to be there for two or three days
-Swam and drank
-Line company got hit in the A Shau Valley
-Ordered to sober up to go save the trapped infantry
-Got one week of R&R in Sydney, Australia
-Went to bars, spent money, and had interesting experiences
-Ran into a friend from Cadillac who was in the Air Force
-Not good to go back to Vietnam
(00:39:04) Stationed at Phu Bai
�-Stationed at Phu Bai for the rest of his tour
-Given a hut and allowed to keep his weapon
-Didn't go on recon patrols while at Phu Bai
-Felt insecure at a larger base
-Worked in supply
-Stationed there for 2 ½ months
-Final duty station in Vietnam
(00:40:12) Morale & Discipline Problems
-Didn't like Phu Bai due to morale problems
-No sense of camaraderie
-White and black soldiers self-segregated, and he didn't like that
-A lot of soldiers smoked weed
-He didn't, but he drank beer
-There were fights between black and white soldiers
-Didn't understand it, because they needed to focus on their mission
-Never saw heroin use at Phu Bai
(00:42:20) End of Tour
-Flew home via Tiger Airlines (chartered airliners for soldiers in Vietnam)
-Passengers cheered when they left Vietnamese airspace
-Landed at Seattle
-Greeted by protestors at the airport
-Protestors shouted insults at them and threw things at them
-Given 45 days of leave
(00:43:22) End of Service
-After his leave ended he drove from Cadillac to Fort Ord, California
-Arrived there in January 1971
-Didn't like the formality of the base
-He was a sergeant at the time
-Transferred to Fort Hunter Liggett, California
-Working with civilian personnel
-Testing laser weaponry
-Fascinated him
-Worked with Navy personnel
-Lived in Salinas, California, and stayed there until April 1971
-Not the best community for servicemen, but not the worst either
(00:45:36) Reflections on Vietnam
-Strong sense of camaraderie in recon
-Some good missions, and some bad missions
-Remembers a helicopter being shot down near their position
-Pilot survived and stayed with them in the field for a few days
-Sometimes crossed into Laos, but doesn't remember anything distinct about those occasions
-Recon team's call sign was ―Scorpio‖
-Supposed to change their call sign with every mission, but they liked the name
-Had a low chance of survival
-If you lived for one month you were considered an ―old timer‖
-All of the lieutenants were Rangers, and some of the sergeants were Rangers
(00:47:42) Life after the War
-Stayed with his parents
-Wouldn't sleep in his bed and had recurring nightmares
�-Didn't leave the house for a week
-Remembers being in downtown Cadillac and a car backfired
-Unconsciously reacted and dove to the ground
-Got a job working in the woods
-Eight hours a day working by himself
-Attended and graduated from Northwestern Michigan College in Traverse City
-Studied conservation
-Got into automotive rubber supply in Cadillac
-Went back to college in 1980 to study applied science – aviation
-Learned how to build a plane, and built a plane with his father
-Took a while to readjust to civilian life
-Had to focus on tasks to ignore the bad memories
-Stays away from anything that might trigger his trauma
(00:51:27) Reflections on Service
-Sense of camaraderie
-Taught him how to work with people
-Chance to see Vietnamese and Australian cultures
-Admired the Kit Carson Scouts, and even respected the North Vietnamese soldiers' dedication
-Also had a deep respect for the Republic of Korea soldiers
-Hopes the Kit Carson Scouts made it out of Vietnam before South Vietnam fell
-Note: Kit Carson Scouts were North Vietnamese troops that defected to South Vietnam
-Always got the best Kit Carson Scouts
(00:53:02) Vietnamese Civilians
-Had civilians at the base on Phu Bai
-Standoffish
-Gave haircuts to American troops
-Mostly kept to themselves and did their jobs
-Never stayed in civilian population centers
-Closest he got to that was passing through Hue
-Ordered not to shoot any water buffalo
-Spent most of his time on larger bases or firebases
�
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
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<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
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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
LundJ1943V
Title
A name given to the resource
Lund, John (Interview outline and video), 2016
Description
An account of the resource
John Lund was born in Cadillac, Michigan, in 1950. In the spring of 1969 he enlisted in the Army, and after graduating from high school reported for duty in July 1969. He received Basic Training at Fort Knox, Kentucky, and then received Advanced Infantry Training at Fort Polk, Louisiana. He deployed to Vietnam in late 1969. At Camp Sally he was assigned to a Recon unit in the 2nd Battalion, of the 501st Infantry Regiment, in the 101st Airborne Division. In December 1969 he went on his first recon mission. From January through March 1970 he went on patrols in the A Shau Valley, and was wounded on April 23, 1970. After recovering he rejoined his recon unit and conducted patrols around Firebase Ripcord until its total evacuation on July 23, 1970. After the fall of Firebase Ripcord he went on recon missions around Firebase Bastogne until being reassigned to Phu Bai. His tour ended in late 1970, and in January 1971 he reported to Fort Ord, California. He completed his enlistment at Fort Hunter Liggett, California.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Lund, John
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
Veterans
Video recordings
Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American
United States. Army
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<a href="http://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project Collection, (RHC-27)</a>
Type
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Moving Image
Text
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a>
Relation
A related resource
Veterans History Project (U.S.)
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Date
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2016-08-07
Format
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application/pdf
video/mp4