Personal Narrative Manuscript/Mixed Material Software, E-Resource Audio Recording William E. Washington Collection
Veterans History Project Service Summary:
- War or Conflict: Vietnam War, 1961-1975
- Branch of Service: Army
- Location of Service: Fort Jackson, South Carolina; Fort Lewis, Washington; Bainbridge Island, Washington; Greenland; Germany; Dong Ha, Khe Sanh, Fubi, Vietnam; Germany; Fort Bliss, Texas
- Highest Rank: First Sergeant
- Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/5457
Coming of age in Baltimore in the late 1950s, William E. Washington chose to join the military over working for a local industrial company, in hopes of learning some type of profession. Instead, he made the military a career. This choice transformed him from a self-described "street-wise smart kid" to a First Sergeant in the Army. In his interview, he describes highlights of his nearly 25 years in the military, including work on a Nike Hercules crew, deployments to Greenland and Germany, and service as a battalion ammunition officer in Vietnam.
William E. Washington Collection
Interview / Recording
Transcript
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PlayAttending public school in Baltimore; part of the first integrated high school class in Maryland; reasons for joining the military; did not want to work in industry in Baltimore. 00:00:33.0 - 00:02:32.0
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PlayJob as a crew member working on Nike Hercules missiles. 00:06:51.0 - 00:07:47.0
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PlayWitnessing racism in the military, but still felt it was a place of great opportunity; deployment to Vietnam; providing infusion of new troops to units already there. 00:14:12.0 - 00:18:23.0
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PlayExperiences during siege of Khe Sanh; time of awakening for him in regards to the nature of the war; change of attitude. 00:20:43.0 - 00:24:31.0
About this Item
Title
- William E. Washington Collection
Names
- Pendergast, Alan P.
- Washington, William E.
- VA Hospital, El Paso, Texas
- Sallach, Timothy l.
Home State
- Texas
Headings
- - Washington, William E.
- - Vietnam War, 1961-1975 -- Personal Narratives
- - United States. Army.
Repository
- Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
Gender
- Male
Race
- Black or African American
Status
- veteran
Service History
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Vietnam War, 1961-1975
- Branch of Service: Army
- Location of Service: Fort Jackson, South Carolina; Fort Lewis, Washington; Bainbridge Island, Washington; Greenland; Germany; Dong Ha, Khe Sanh, Fubi, Vietnam; Germany; Fort Bliss, Texas
- Highest Rank: First Sergeant
- Dates of Service: 1959-1983
- Entrance into Service: Enlisted
- Military Status: veteran
Materials
- Audio: Audio Cassette [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 2003-03-09)
- Audio: CD [1 item] -- Reference copy (collected 2005-03-17; 2005-03-17)
- Computer File: Floppy Disk [1 item] -- Electronic file of manuscript (collected 2006-08-21; 2006-08-21)
- Manuscript: Transcript [1 item] -- Transcription of audio recording (collected 2006-08-21)
Collection Number
- AFC/2001/001/5457
Cite as
- William E. Washington Collection (AFC/2001/001/5457), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
Online Format
- audio
- online text
Additional Metadata Formats
Part of
Wars & Conflicts
Service Branch
Location of Service
- Bainbridge Island, Washington
- Dong Ha, Khe Sanh, Fubi, Vietnam
- Fort Bliss, Texas
- Fort Jackson, South Carolina
- Fort Lewis, Washington
- Germany
- Greenland