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https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/000686c1a4518afea52f25061fd76d26.m4v
701f631b1b4ceac78fcaae1579a4ff91
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/8cada4415fb46689a1637cfcfaac7503.pdf
cab3f9a3634550eac2caa2337d84d22d
PDF Text
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Grand Valley State University
Veterans’ History Project
Peter Meloro
Vietnam War
1 hour 26 minutes 11 seconds
(00:00:24) Early Life
-Born on April 2, 1948, in Brooklyn, New York
-Grew up there
-Father was an Italian immigrant and worked in a paper factory
-Had a younger sister
-Graduated from high school in 1965
-Went to college for one year
-Had to leave because his grades weren’t high enough
-Worked at bank in New York City for six months
(00:01:45) Enlisting in the Army & Awareness of Vietnam War
-Decided to enlist in the Army in 1967
-Knew that if he enlisted he could get a better chance of picking his job
-Read the news about the Vietnam War
-Knew it was dangerous
-When he enlisted he was asked his preference of assignment
-Wanted a job in computing, but got assigned to clerical work
(00:03:06) Basic Training
-Sent to Fort Gordon, Georgia, for basic training
-Got one weekend leave to Augusta and it was clear that Northerners weren’t welcome
-Spent most of his time on base anyway
-Spent a lot of time doing physical training
-Received rifle training
-He’d never fired a gun in his life
-Learned how to fire and maintain a rifle
-Received gas training
-Note: Sent into chamber filled with tear gas and exposed to it along with gas mask training
-Strong emphasis on discipline
-Learned that he was no longer an individual and had to work as a unit
-He could be a little sarcastic, but he had no trouble making friends with other recruits
-Had some difficulty adjusting to life in the Army
-Remembers the shock of getting his head shaved
-Strange sense of losing his freedom
-Had to adjust or face the consequences
-Lasted eight weeks
(00:07:32) Clerical Training
-Sent to Fort Jackson, South Carolina, for his clerical training
-Lasted six (or eight) weeks
-Consisted of typing classes, administrative classes, and more physical training
-New experience to do formal typing, but it wasn’t difficult
-Trained with men from all over the United States
-Mostly high school graduates, but there were some college graduates
-Learned how to fill out a variety of forms
�-Got one pass on the weekend and got a leave during Christmas
-Went to Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana, for more clerical training
-Trained there for two or three weeks
-Learned about Army financing and accounting
(00:11:55) Stationed in West Germany Pt. 1
-Received an overseas assignment for West Germany
-Had orders to report to Fort Dix, New Jersey, for deployment
-Placed on kitchen patrol duty for two days until his orders were finalized
-Flew to Frankfurt, Germany
-Pulled kitchen patrol duty there for a few days until he had orders for a unit
-Assigned to an artillery battery in Ober Ulm, Germany
-Unit was in the field on maneuvers and he wanted to join them
-There was no spot for him, so he did kitchen patrol duty for three weeks
-The base at Ober Ulm was a newer base and most likely built after World War II
-He was attached to the motor pool to serve as its clerk
-Kept log books for vehicles of the artillery batteries
-Ordered parts for vehicles
-There was quite a bit of work, especially because the log books were in terrible shape
-Had to clean up the motor pool due to a Command Maintenance Management Inspection
-Get the paperwork in order
-Had some help from mechanics, but he did most of the work on his own
-Reported to the sergeant of the motor pool
-Career soldier, about 40 years old
-Peter got along with him
-Had a lot of contact with the drivers
-Had barracks with three to four men per room
-Started in a four-man room then eventually got into a two-man room
(00:21:45) Cold War Tension
-Never thought the Soviet Union would attack
-Had nuclear shells for the howitzers
-Didn’t seem feasible for two nuclear superpowers to engage in willful self-destruction
(00:22:41) Stationed in West Germany Pt. 2
-Stationed in Germany from March 1968 to June 1969
-The German people weren’t very receptive
-Probably walked past former German soldiers
-Remembers a German family avoiding him and another soldier
-There was an element of tension; unfriendly, but civil
-Unit moved to Augsburg
-Bigger city and more interesting
-Visited Munich during Oktoberfest and other parts of Germany
-Assumed that he was going to stay in Germany for the duration of his enlistment
-His original battery commander went to Vietnam, and the replacement came from Vietnam
-Slated for promotion to sergeant, but there wasn’t an opening, so he didn’t get the promotion
(00:30:23) Deployment to Vietnam
-His name came up for deployment to Vietnam in July 1969
-Allowed time to go home and visit his family before deployment
-Flew from New York City to Fort Lewis, Washington
-Arrived a few days late
-Received a week of training (rifle training with M16, jungle training, animals to expect)
�-Flew on a chartered commercial flight to Vietnam
-Stopped in Japan
(00:34:05) Arrival in Vietnam
-Landed at Cam Ranh Bay
-Oppressive heat and the overwhelming smell of burning feces and trash
-Taken to a processing center and told to wait for orders
(00:35:28) Assignment to 101st Airborne Division
-Originally had orders to join the 101st Administration Company in Bien Hoa
-Placed on a C-130 and flew up to Bien Hoa
-Saw the 101st Airborne Division flag and thought it was a mistake
-He was now in an infantry division
-Assigned to C Company of the 2nd Battalion of the 506th Infantry Regiment
-Assumed that being in an airborne division mean being a paratrooper
-Learned that it had changed to air assault (dropping off troops with helicopters)
-Had a brief orientation at Bien Hoa when he joined the 101st
-Rifle training, jungle training, and what to expect in Vietnam
(00:38:39) Joining C Company
-Sent to Camp Evans to join C Company
-Joined them in mid-July 1969
-Most of the company was in the field when he arrived
-The soldier he was replacing gave him a thorough rundown of what to do
(00:40:30) Stationed at Camp Evans Pt.1
-Started with morning report, administrative tasks
-Leave orders
-Assignment orders
-Roster for the men wounded or killed in action
-Able to monitor radio traffic and hear the fighting in the field
-Didn’t always know where C Company was operating
-Platoons were spread out in the Lowlands conducting patrols
-The company had some enemy activity, but nothing too intense
(00:44:02) Captain Vazquez-Rodriguez (Commander of C Company)
-Never met a better leader than Captain Vazquez-Rodriguez
-He was competent, focused, and had combat experience from the Korean War
-Commanded respect
-Wanted to make sure his men survived the war
-Convinced that the North Vietnamese knew of, and feared, Captain Vazquez-Rodriguez
-Had some contact with him
-One time he accidentally sent back Vazquez’s mail
-He didn’t understand Hispanic naming conventions for surnames
-All Vazquez had to do was glare at him and Peter never did that again
(00:48:10) Stationed at Camp Evans Pt. 2
-Worked with a few supply sergeants
-One of them was incompetent, but he got along with the rest of them
-In charge of getting supplies to units in the field
-Didn’t have much contact with men unless they stayed at Camp Evans for an extended time
(00:50:53) Battle of Firebase Ripcord
-He left Vietnam on July 9, 1970, shortly after the battle began
-Remembers when C Company got hit on Hill 902 on July 1st and 2nd
-Heard about it and monitored the radio traffic from the company
�-Knew it was a bad situation
-Went to the helipad at Camp Evans to see the wounded coming in
(00:52:34) Stationed at Camp Evans Pt. 3
-Got up in the morning and did his daily tasks
-Leaves, coming and going of troops, emergency notifications from the Red Cross
-Typed up letters for the men that had been killed-in-action
-Got up early and did as much during the day as possible
-Capable of getting work done in a normal shift most days
-Very good conditions compared to the jungle, but it was still primitive living
-Used outhouses, and had gravity-fed showers
-Had a mess hall that served hot food
-Had a Non-commissioned Officers Club, but he felt the field soldiers deserved it more than him
(00:55:21) Race Relations & Drug Use
-Didn’t notice any racial tensions in C Company
-Had a Hispanic commanding officer and a black sergeant
-Knew of racial tension in other units
-Knew there was some marijuana use, but not too prevalent
-Remembers one soldier tried to go into the field with a belt of marijuana
-He was stopped from going into the field
-Captain Vazquez-Rodriguez didn’t tolerate drug use
-Too dangerous for men to be intoxicated in the field
(00:57:53) Other Duties at Camp Evans
-Pulled bunker duty briefly after he arrived at Camp Evans
-Stopped doing that after he became the company clerk
(00:58:09) Changing Personnel in C Company
-Captain Hewitt took over C Company in June 1970
-Never had much contact with him
-Brought in a man from the field to replace him when it came time to leave
-Had a PhD
(00:59:38) Contact with Home
-Did a Military Auxiliary Radio System (MARS) call home once
-Using CB radios to relay a signal to get his parents on the phone
-Complicated and difficult to coordinate
-Wrote letters home a lot
-Mothers always asked if he was safe and he told her he was
-Mother knew he was lying, because she saw news that Camp Evans had been attacked
(01:01:08) Enemy Contact
-Relatively safe from rockets and mortars
-Mortar attacks became predictable
-As long as you avoided a direct hit, you were fine
-Took cover in a bunker and waited for the bombardment to pass
-Remembers being forced to dive into a sewage ditch once during an attack
-Enemy fire was fairly random
-Took minor casualties at Camp Evans
-Always had enough time to take cover
-Bombardments never lasted long enough to cause significant damage
-North Vietnamese sappers probed the perimeter, but never mounted a full assault
(01:03:27) Contact with Civilians
-Had civilians working on the base
�-Didn’t work near the infantry company quarters
-Worked as cleaners
(01:03:54) Travel in Vietnam
-Went to Camp Eagle for work on one occasion
-Visited the USS Sanctuary (a hospital ship) to deal with paperwork for a wounded soldier
-Soldier had been mortally wounded and died on the ship
-Peter had to go to the ship to fill out some paperwork for the soldier
-Villages were forbidden
-If you were caught in a village, you got a court-martial
(01:05:00) R&R
-He took his R&R in Sydney, Australia
-Always wanted to see Australia
-Heard good things about the Australians
-Went to some clubs and met some Australian women, never had to pay for a drink
-Visited in early 1970
(01:06:16) USO Shows
-There was some USO Shows at Camp Evans
-Entertainers from Taiwan and the Philippines came to put on shows
-He selected some men to go to Camp Eagle to see Bob Hope’s Christmas 1969 show
-Only picked men from the field to go to that show
(01:07:20) Discipline Issues
-Knew a soldier that was going to receive a court-martial for being AWOL for three months
-Arrested in Saigon dealing on the black market
-Sent back to Camp Evans to wait for his trial
-Peter was in charge of assigning him to the mess hall for kitchen duty
-Threatened to kill Peter if he tried to make him work again
-Next day, Peter threatened to shoot him if he didn’t go
-Had another soldier huffing gas to go crazy so he’d be sent back home
-Peter tried to counsel him and make him stop, but he never did
-Wound up pointing a rifle at military police
-Peter talked him down and stopped him from shooting the police
-He was arrested and Peter never saw him again
(01:11:08) End of Tour & End of Enlistment
-The end of his tour in Vietnam coincided with the end of his enlistment
-He wasn’t offered a reenlistment because the 1st sergeant knew Peter wanted out
-Didn’t want to try and pressure him into reenlisting
-Went to Da Nang, then to Cam Ranh Bay to wait for a flight to the United States
-Flew home on another chartered commercial flight
-Stopped at Manila, Guam, and Hawaii
-He and the other soldiers went to the airport bar in Hawaii
-Calm and polite, but people still left the bar to get away from them
-The flight home was quiet
-Only cheered when they left Vietnamese airspace
-Thinks a lot of men took the time to reflect on their time in country
-Landed at Fort Lewis, Washington
-Out-processed there
-Given a physical examination, new uniform, and a steak dinner
-Talked to finance officer about final payment
-Noticed he was getting extra month of pay, but didn’t question it
�-Protesters were outside the base screaming and spitting at the returning soldiers
-Kept away from the soldiers to prevent violence
(01:17:45) Coming Home & Life after the War
-Didn’t deal with any harassment on the flight from Seattle to New York
-Family met him at the airport and his mother had over extended family to welcome him home
-It was jarring after recently losing so many friends at Hill 902
-Took a few weeks off to readjust to civilian life
-Got a job at a butcher shop
-In October 1970 he got a job as a customer service representative with Consolidated Edison, Inc.
-Utility company serving New York City
-Worked for them for 43 years
-Paid for him to go back to college and the GI Bill also helped pay for college
-Got a bachelor degree and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree
-Graduated in 3 ½ years
-Uncle got him his job at Con Edison
(01:22:17) Ripcord Association Reunions
-Didn’t talk about his time in Vietnam after he came home
-Avoided the topic when it came up
-Got involved with the Ripcord Association in 2006
-Learned about the Ripcord Association Reunions
-Heard that Vazquez-Rodriguez was attending the next reunion
-Lee Widjeskog, a fellow veteran from 2nd Battalion, encouraged him to go
-When he got to the reunion, C Company survivors embraced him and made him feel welcomed
-Got to see Vazquez-Rodriguez again
(01:25:15) Reflections on Service
-Trained him how to work as part of a team
-Taught him how to be understanding and accepting of different people
-Taught him that it was sometimes necessary to rely on others for help
-Helped him in his business career after the war
�
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
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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
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Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Contributor
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Smither, James
Boring, Frank
Relation
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Veterans History Project (U.S.)
Identifier
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RHC-27
Language
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eng
Source
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<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
MeloroP1957V
Title
A name given to the resource
Meloro, Peter A (Interview outline and video), 2016
Description
An account of the resource
Peter Meloro was born on April 2, 1948, in Brooklyn, New York. He enlisted in the Army in 1967 and received his basic training at Fort Gordon, Georgia. He went to Fort Jackson, South Carolina, then to Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana, for his clerical training. He was stationed West Germany with an artillery unit from March 1968 to June 1969. Peter received orders for a deployment to Vietnam and was sent over in July 1969. He joined C Company of the 2nd Battalion of the 506th Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division as a company clerk. He worked at Camp Evans doing paperwork for the company and also monitored radio traffic when the company was in the field. He left Vietnam on July 9, 1970, and was discharged at Fort Lewis, Washington.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Meloro, Peter
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
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Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Date
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2016-10-08
Format
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application/pdf
video/mp4