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Joseph McHenry [detail from video]

Veterans History Project Service Summary:

  • War or Conflict: Vietnam War, 1961-1975
  • Branch of Service: Army
  • Unit of Service: Company A, 82nd Aviation Brigade; 173rd Airborne Brigade
  • Location of Service: Fort Ord, California; Colorado Springs, Colorado; Fort Wolters, Texas; Fort Rucker, Alabama; Vietnam; Germany
  • Highest Rank: Chief Warrant Officer
  • Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/76430

View full service history

"The memories are as intense today as they were some 40 years ago." (Video interview 43:47)

As a kid growing up near the airport in Arizona, Chief Warrant Officer Joseph McHenry marveled at planes flying overhead. His dream of becoming a pilot was realized when he enlisted in the Army and received orders for flight school. The reality of piloting a helicopter in Vietnam, which put him in the center of action, was a rude awakening. In one instance, he attempted a landing on a "hot" LZ; he was shot down and found himself in the middle of an intense firefight with the enemy. In his interview, he describes the confidence and swagger of pilots-and their dependence on the constant rush of adrenaline that comes with flying. As an adrenaline junkie, he was even more prone to developing post-traumatic stress disorder after leaving the service.

Interview / Recording

More Resources

[ General Orders number 255 awarding the Air Medal ]
[ General Orders number 48 awarding the Purple Heart ]
[ Report of Separation and Record of Service ]
[ 173rd Airborne Brigade History ]

About this Item

Title

  • Joseph Horace McHenry Collection

Names

  • Schlichting, Elanna
  • McHenry, Joseph Horace
  • U.S. House of Representatives/Earl Blumenauer

Home State

  • Oregon

Headings

  • -  McHenry, Joseph Horace
  • -  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

  • Vietnam War, 1961-1975

    • Branch of Service: Army
    • Unit of Service: Company A, 82nd Aviation Brigade; 173rd Airborne Brigade
    • Location of Service: Fort Ord, California; Colorado Springs, Colorado; Fort Wolters, Texas; Fort Rucker, Alabama; Vietnam; Germany
    • Highest Rank: Chief Warrant Officer
    • Dates of Service: 1965
    • Entrance into Service: Commissioned
    • Military Status: veteran

Materials

  • Video: DVD [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 2010-10-27; 2010-11-05)
  • Manuscript: Memoirs [1 item] -- Typewritten document (collected unknown)
  • Manuscript: Military papers (orders, personnel/201 files, etc) [6 items] -- Typewritten document (collected 1965-2007)
  • Manuscript: Unit histories [1 item] -- Typewritten document (collected 1966-03-19)

Collection Number

  • AFC/2001/001/76430

Cite as

  • Joseph Horace McHenry Collection (AFC/2001/001/76430), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Online Format

  • image
  • video

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:

Schlichting, Elanna, Joseph Horace McHenry, and U.S. House Of Representatives/Earl Blumenauer. Joseph Horace McHenry Collection. 1965. Personal Narrative. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.76430/.

APA citation style:

Schlichting, E., McHenry, J. H. & U.S. House Of Representatives/Earl Blumenauer. (1965) Joseph Horace McHenry Collection. [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.76430/.

MLA citation style:

Schlichting, Elanna, Joseph Horace McHenry, and U.S. House Of Representatives/Earl Blumenauer. Joseph Horace McHenry Collection. 1965. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.76430/>.