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Veterans History Project Service Summary:

  • War or Conflict: Vietnam War, 1961-1975
  • Branch of Service: Army
  • Unit of Service: 82nd Medical Detachment; 587th Medical Detachment; 571st Medical Detachment
  • Location of Service: Soc Trang, Vietnam; Camp Zama, Japan
  • Highest Rank: Colonel
  • Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/72727

View full service history

"When somebody said, 'We have a job to do,' people pitched in and got it done, under trying and difficult circumstances." (Audio interview, 1:15:09)

In many cases, military medicine involves not only treating combat-related casualties, but also getting them out of harm's way in the first place. Medical Evacuation (MedEvac) helicopter pilots flying missions in Vietnam faced enemy fire as well as treacherous terrain and weather conditions as they retrieved and evacuated the wounded. One such pilot was Colonel David Dryden, who served nearly thirty years with the Army Medical Service Corps, including two tours in Vietnam. Stationed first in Soc Trang and then in Phu Bai, his time in country involved logging over 1,000 hours of combat related flight. In his interview, he speaks eloquently about the difficulties and dangers of flying MedEvac missions, the emotional impact of transporting and treating the wounded, and the tight-knit community of a military hospital.

David D. Dryden Collection
Interview / Recording

Transcript

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About this Item

Title

  • David D. Dryden Collection

Names

  • Dryden, David D.
  • Morgan, Anne C.
  • Institute of Historical Survey Foundation
  • Forshaw, Louise S.

Home State

  • New Mexico

Headings

  • -  Dryden, David D.
  • -  Vietnam War, 1961-1975 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Army.

Repository

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

Gender

  • Male

Race

  • White

Status

  • veteran

Service History

  • Vietnam War, 1961-1975

    • Branch of Service: Army
    • Unit of Service: 82nd Medical Detachment; 587th Medical Detachment; 571st Medical Detachment
    • Location of Service: Soc Trang, Vietnam; Camp Zama, Japan
    • Highest Rank: Colonel
    • Dates of Service: 1958-1985
    • Entrance into Service: Commissioned
    • Military Status: veteran

Materials

  • Audio: CD [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 2009-07-27; 2009-07-29)
  • Manuscript: Transcript [1 item] -- Transcription of audio recording (collected 2009-08-12)
  • Audio: CD [1 item] -- Reference copy (collected 2009-07-27; 2013-09-24)

Collection Number

  • AFC/2001/001/72727

Cite as

  • David D. Dryden Collection (AFC/2001/001/72727), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Online Format

  • audio
  • online text

Additional Metadata Formats

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:

Dryden, David D, Anne C Morgan, Institute Of Historical Survey Foundation, and Louise S Forshaw. David D. Dryden Collection. 1958. Personal Narrative. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.72727/.

APA citation style:

Dryden, D. D., Morgan, A. C., Institute Of Historical Survey Foundation & Forshaw, L. S. (1958) David D. Dryden Collection. [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.72727/.

MLA citation style:

Dryden, David D, et al. David D. Dryden Collection. 1958. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.72727/>.