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Veterans History Project Service Summary:

  • War or Conflict: Vietnam War, 1961-1975
  • Branch of Service: Marine Corps
  • Unit of Service: K Company, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division
  • Location of Service: Vietnam
  • Highest Rank: Corporal
  • Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/47735

View full service history

"I saw more casualties that day than the whole time I was there." (Audio interview, 25:46)

Twenty years old in 1968, an unfocused student with the grades to prove it, Corporal Robinson Rodriguez decided to enlist in the Marine Corps when he lost his 1-S student draft classification. Arriving in Vietnam, he was advised on the golden rules of the bush: do as you're told, pay attention, and don't fall asleep on watch. Serving as a machine gunner with the 3rd Marine Division, he drew strength from the support of his comrades during his 12 months and 20 days in country. In his interview, he speaks honestly about the emotional toll of constantly facing snipers, mortar attacks, booby traps, and ambushes.

Robinson Rodriguez, Jr. Collection
Interview / Recording

About this Item

Title

  • Robinson Rodriguez, Jr. Collection

Names

  • Rodriguez Jr., Robinson
  • East Stroudsburg University
  • Eaton, Noah
  • Wilson, Martin W.

Home State

  • Pennsylvania

Headings

  • -  Rodriguez Jr., Robinson
  • -  Vietnam War, 1961-1975 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Marine Corps.

Repository

  • Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Gender

  • Male

Race

  • Hispanic

Status

  • veteran

Service History

  • Vietnam War, 1961-1975

    • Branch of Service: Marine Corps
    • Unit of Service: K Company, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division
    • Location of Service: Vietnam
    • Highest Rank: Corporal
    • Dates of Service: 1968-1969
    • Entrance into Service: Enlisted
    • Military Status: veteran

Materials

  • Manuscript: Diaries and journals [1 item] -- Typewritten document (collected unknown)
  • Photograph: Photocopy of Photographic Print [1 item] -- Photograph (collected unknown)
  • Audio: CD [1 item] -- Reference copy (collected 2011-11-10)
  • Audio: Audio Cassette [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 2006-03-27)

Collection Number

  • AFC/2001/001/47735

Cite as

  • Robinson Rodriguez, Jr. Collection (AFC/2001/001/47735), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Online Format

  • audio
  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

Using VHP Material in Publication or Exhibition

The Veterans History Project (VHP) at the Library of Congress collects, preserves and makes accessible the firsthand recollections of U.S. military veterans who served from World War I through more recent conflicts and peacekeeping missions, so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand what they saw, did and felt during their service. The Veterans History Project Collection includes oral histories along with documentary materials such as original letters, diaries, photographs, and memoirs.

Veterans and interviewers contribute these materials to the Library for scholarly and educational purposes, retaining any copyright they may hold. Therefore, permission must be obtained before using the interview or other materials in exhibition or publication. Researchers or others who would like to make further use of these materials should contact the Veterans History Project for assistance.

As a publicly supported institution, the Library generally does not own rights to material in its collections. Therefore, it does not charge permission fees for use of such material and cannot give or deny permission to publish or otherwise distribute material in its collections. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item from the Library’s collections and for securing any necessary permissions rests with persons desiring to use the item.

Please contact us with questions.

Obtaining Copies of VHP Materials

In order for VHP materials to be duplicated, we must receive written permission from the interviewee for you to obtain a copy of the recording unless the proposed use is limited to personal use, research, or other uses permissible by copyright law. If the interviewee is deceased, their next-of-kin may grant written permission.

Please contact VHP for assistance if you need to contact a veteran for permission to use their materials in exhibition or publication, or if you have received permission from the veteran and need access to high-resolution copies of VHP collection materials.

Citing VHP Materials

Please use the following formats when citing Veterans History Project materials (substituting the appropriate name and collection ID number).

Materials as a whole:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Manuscript material:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Memoirs (MS02), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Transcript (MS04), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Correspondence (MS01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Recording:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Audio recording (SR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Video recording (MV01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Photograph:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Photographs (PH01), photographer unknown, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Photographs (PH03-PH14), Ralph Williams photographer, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Computer file:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Computer file (CF01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Artifact:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Artifact (AR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Rodriguez Jr., Robinson, East Stroudsburg University, Noah Eaton, and Martin W Wilson. Robinson Rodriguez, Jr. Collection. 1968. Personal Narrative. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.47735/.

APA citation style:

Rodriguez Jr, R., East Stroudsburg University, Eaton, N. & Wilson, M. W. (1968) Robinson Rodriguez, Jr. Collection. [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.47735/.

MLA citation style:

Rodriguez Jr., Robinson, et al. Robinson Rodriguez, Jr. Collection. 1968. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.47735/>.