Michael Doolittle and Marcia Brinkley
Recorded
June 8, 2022
Archived
June 8, 2022
43:08 minutes
0:00 / 0:00
Id:
dda003108
Description
Michael Doolittle (76) speaks to his colleague Marcia "Marcy" Brinkley (70) about his experience in Vietnam. He describes his experience of Operation Junction City and the Tet Offensive. Marcy speaks about her experience as a nurse in the Army, treating men who had served in the Vietnam war.Subject Log / Time Code
Michael (M) describes his upbringing. He says he lived with his extended family and move back and forth from California to Washington. M adds that he joined the Army at the end of high school.
M details his service in Korea and Germany. He says when he turned twenty-one, he volunteered for Vietnam. M notes the stark differences between a peace-time Army and a war-time Army.
M says he did not volunteer for Vietnam because of patriotism but because he was a wounded kid who was seeking pity.
M describes being in Vietnam as unnerving and terrifying.
M details operation Junction City. He says it was a confusing and dysfunctional day where the army lost six helicopters. M says he was tasked with picking up the dead bodies from the helicopters.
M describes an enemy attack the following day. He says it was chaos. M says thirty-three people died and over 200 were wounded. M says a Chaplin later described the men as having died doing God's work; he says the comment made him angry.
M says the Tet Offensive was an awakening for the American public and made clear that the United States was not winning the war as swiftly as they were leading on.
M says there were many aspects to Vietnam. He says there was a horrible combat aspect but also of an aspect of harmful hedonism.
Marcia (MB) says she joined the military when she was eighteen and treated many men who had served in Vietnam. MB says many of those men were fresh out of Vietnam, just a couple of weeks out. M says sometimes the mental and moral injuries are worse than the physical injuries.
Participants
- Michael Doolittle
- Marcia Brinkley