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Brandon Ewers History 1302 J. Manning 11/15/2003 Oral History Interview David Firebaugh: Vietnam War BE: What is your name? DF: David Firebaugh BE: How old are you? DF: 56 BE: What was your life like in High School? (Also where did you attend?) DF: I attended Exeter Township High School near Reading PA. My high school days were very much like others during the early 60’s. I was in the academic pipeline and maintained a high B average. Was a football player and ultimately got a scholarship to college. Also was on the track team, student council, key club, band, and a bunch of other activities. Graduated in a class of 165 people. BE: What did you want to do after you graduated from high school? DF: Attended college at Muhlenberg College, pre-med. Grades weren’t up to standards so I was put on academic probation at the end of my freshman year. With the draft breathing down my neck, I enlisted in the military in August 1966. 10 days after my 19th birthday. BE: Did you ever consider avoiding the draft? DF: No, it was never an issue and it never crossed my mind. BE: What is your opinion of those who fled to Canada to avoid the draft? DF: They have to live with themselves. BE: How did your family feel about you enlisting in the Army? DF: My Mom and Dad were not real happy…. but I think they were very proud. It was my decision… and they respected that. BE: When you were in high school, did you worry about Vietnam? DF: No BE: Prior to entering the war, did u have a common knowledge of what was going on in Vietnam? DF: I was a college student and had read a lot about what was happening in Southeast Asia. I had also read a lot about Vietnam so for an 18 or 19-year-old kid I think I was pretty well informed. Many of my friends’ parents were refugees from communist controlled Eastern European countries. I grew up hearing about what life was like under communism. BE: How long was your boot camp training, and what was it like? DF: I was in Basic training from August 1966 to November 1966. Then I went on to Advanced Infantry Training from November 1966 to February 1967. Basic training is an introduction to military life. It’s tough… a lot of physical conditioning, an introduction to using a rifle… I was trained on the M-14 rifle, bayonet, hand grenades, learning how to defend yourself… stuff like that. In Advanced training you learn a military specialty… in my case the 81-millimeter mortar. BE: Did you feel like you were prepared by the military to go to war? DF: Yes, most definitely. BE: What branch of military were you in and what company? DF: I served in the Army for three years… August 1966 to August 1969. In Vietnam I served as an infantryman with ‘C’ Company, 4th Battalion, 39th Infantry Regiment, 9th Division. BE: Do you recall your first days of service? What did they feel like? DF: Sure…mostly very confusing. You have to adapt to a new life style… a new culture. That is usually pretty confusing but it was also a lot of fun. BE: What were your first impressions of Vietnam? DF: Hot, smelly and frightening. BE: Where were you stationed? DF: In Vietnam our 9th Division’s base camp was called Bearcat and was to the east of Saigon in the jungle and swamps. My unit’s operational areas were the jungles and swamps that bordered Saigon. BE: What was your official rank? DF: It depends. I entered the Army as a Private E-1 and left as a Staff Sergeant E-6. BE: Did you agree with the decision of sending American troops into Vietnam, why/why not? DF: Yes, I thought it was important to help the South Vietnamese people defend their way of life. I thought fighting communism was important… that serving your country was a noble act. BE: What was your position/job in the war? DF: I served with an infantry company. My main job was as an 81 mm mortar crew. If the jungle was too thick to use a mortar then I was a sniper rifleman. BE: How old were most of the soldiers? DF: Most of the guys I served with were from early to mid 20s. BE: What would you carry, when you were in the jungles during wartime? DF: We usually spent a week or more out in the field so we carried pretty much everything we needed. In my backpack would be extra socks and an extra pair of pants. I usually carried about 10 boxes of M-16 ammunition in my pack…each box had 20 rounds. This was in addition to ammunition I already had loaded in the magazines I carried. Each magazine would hold 20 rounds although we usually only loaded 18 rounds. A full magazine had a tendency to jam the M-16. I think I carried about 15-20 magazines. Some of the magazines were kept in two bandaleros that I wore… the rest were in holders that were attached to our web belt. And obviously one magazine was loaded in the rifle. Attached to the web belt or web gear would be a few hand grenades, a first aid kit, usually a few canteens for water. I also had a plastic gallon bladder for holding water. This was attached to my pack…although I learned to carry it inside my pack so it didn’t get torn open be tree braches or thorns. We carried iodine pills to treat any water we got from streams or pounds (sometimes even puddles if we were thirsty enough). I think we carried about four days worth of food… mostly canned food called C rations. We also had this metal plate and cup called a mess kit… had a metal spoon, fork and knife. We were usually resupplied every four to five days via helicopter. Also in our packs would be some empty sandbags… as well as a small shovel tool called an entrenching tool. We used these to dig holes for our night positions. The sandbags would be filled with dirt as added protection. I had a small air mattress that I used to sleep on at night. I used a poncho liner for a blanket…and if it were raining I would use the poncho too. We did not carry tents…to heavy. Most of us carried some soap and shaving stuff in an attempt to try to stay clean…I seem to remember that we all carried a towel around our necks…mainly to wipe away sweat during the day and to wash up with in the morning. And everyone carried bug repellent! The stuff really stunk but it did help to keep the bugs away. It also was great help in removing leeches from your legs…or whatever other body part the leech had attached to. In my pack would be extra cigarettes, probably a flashlight, and some stuff for writing, and I usually carried a book to read. As far as weapons I carried an M-16 rifle and I usually carried an M-72 LAW, which was a disposable rocket launcher. It was good for one shot and then you tossed it. At one point of my tour I served as the radio operator for my platoon, which meant I got to carry a 25-pound radio…called the PRC-25…along with my pack and everything else. I did not carry to many personal items out into the felid…I did carry my wallet in a plastic bag.
Approximate Word count = 5049
Approximate Pages = 20.2
(250 words per page double spaced)
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