Personal Narrative Film, Video Manuscript/Mixed Material Photo, Print, Drawing Gerald Charles Green Collection
Veterans History Project Service Summary:
- War or Conflict: Vietnam War, 1961-1975
- Branch of Service: Army
- Unit of Service: 175th Assault Helicopter Company
- Location of Service: Saint Louis, Missouri; Vietnam; Korea; Texas; Georgia; Alabama; Massachusetts; Arizona
- Highest Rank: Colonel
- Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/56964
Flying daily missions in Vietnam, Gerald Green lost 32 pounds during his first tour of duty, between May 1968 and May 1969. It wasn't just the flying; Green was responsible to the unit commander for over 130 other men, and he lost a brother in combat during that tour. His closest brush with death came not in the air, but on the ground when he evacuated his bunk just before a shell hit his quarters and decimated the area in which he'd been resting. For Green, the complications of flying a helicopter were made easier by the fact that he was ambidextrous.
Interview / Recording
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PlayNaming aircraft after Indian tribes; being ambidextrous helped him to learn to fly helicopters. 00:03:18.6 - 00:05:22.6
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PlayLeaving for Vietnam in May 1968; on flight over, during a stopover in Hawaii, met his oldest brother, also serving and stationed there; first impression of Vietnam; landing in Ton Son Nhut; tried to contract his #2 brother, who was in the field in country; was stationed in Mekong Delta. 00:07:56.4 - 00:11:52.4
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PlayGuy he was replacing asking Green what his worth was; caused him to reflect on standards and continuity; pressure of flying and being responsible for over 130 men, as well as maintenance; getting 2-3 hours of sleep a night; dropping 32 pounds during his tour; details of his missions, supporting Vietnamese Army and ferrying troops from the 9th Division. 00:12:23.2 - 00:18:21.0
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PlayTrying to impart lessons to other pilots, who didn't always pay attention; in one incident, two new pilots broke off from formation for a rescue mission; they were shot down and killed; feeling he had failed to train them properly. 00:19:00.5 - 00:24:47.5
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PlayArmy mixing men in the same unit with different return dates to keep turnover rates down; his brother Glen, also serving, staying on after their brother Don was killed; Glen brought home the body and went back, staying in country for six years. 00:25:26.0 - 00:26:28.9
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PlayHas always been religious; believes in being watched over; in his bunk one day when he awoke and saw something which told him to move; narrowly escaping a mortar attack that destroyed the area he had vacated. 00:35:24.6 - 00:38:22.1
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PlayStory about an aircraft maintenance soldier who was slipping in his duties; finally confessing to Green that his wife back home was being hit on by another man; Green advising him to write to his father to take care of the problem. 01:09:41.1 - 01:13:38.9
More Resources
About this Item
Title
- Gerald Charles Green Collection
Names
- Gartside, Jeanne A.
- Disabled American Veterans (DAV), Missouri
- Green, Gerald Charles
Home State
- Illinois
Headings
- - Green, Gerald Charles
- - Vietnam War, 1961-1975 -- Personal Narratives
- - United States. Army.
Repository
- Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
Gender
- Male
Status
- veteran
Service History
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Vietnam War, 1961-1975
- Branch of Service: Army
- Unit of Service: 175th Assault Helicopter Company
- Location of Service: Saint Louis, Missouri; Vietnam; Korea; Texas; Georgia; Alabama; Massachusetts; Arizona
- Highest Rank: Colonel
- Dates of Service: 1967-1993
- Entrance into Service: Enlisted
- Military Status: veteran
Materials
- Video: DVD [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 2007-03-07; 2007-03-19)
- Photograph: Original photographic print [1 item] -- Photograph (collected unknown)
- Manuscript: Military papers (orders, personnel/201 files, etc) [1 item] -- Typewritten document (collected 1993)
- Video: DVD [1 item] -- Reference copy (collected 2007-03-07; 2007-03-07)
Collection Number
- AFC/2001/001/56964
Cite as
- Gerald Charles Green Collection (AFC/2001/001/56964), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
Online Format
- image
- video