Larry Phillips Interviewed by Julianne Davis, 2017
INTERVIEW LOG
Name of person(s) interviewed: Larry Phillips
Other people present: None
Researcher: Julianne Davis
Date of interview: May 29, 2017
Location of interview: Helix, Oregon
Special conditions (noise, interruptions, etc.): In the background you can hear some vehicles drive by, children outside, and some birds outside.
General description of contents: My grandfather who decided to enlist in the U.S. Army and was send to Vietnam where he stayed for almost 3 years.
Length of interview: 17 minutes and 40 seconds.
TOPIC SUMMARY
Time & Contents
0:00-0:32 He gives a very brief description of his childhood and what he did before he enlisted into the army.
0:34-1:15 He talks about what occupation he chose when he had enlisted and when he was sent to Fort Lewis and what he went through.
1:16-1:48 He then goes to talk about being shipped to Vietnam and his positions while there.
1:49-3:20 Larry talks about his trip to Vietnam and the places they stopped at. He then goes on to talk about where people were sent.
3:22-4:20 He then starts to talk about what the living conditions were like.
4:21-4:35 He starts to describe the food and what it was like from them.
4:37-7:56 He then starts to talk about the action that he experienced.
7:58-8:42 He talks about his family and how they felt about him enlisting.
8:43-10:12 Larry goes on to talk about why he was in the army for as long as he was and talks about his brother.
10:15-10:43 He goes to talk about his education after the war.
10:44-12:11 Some of the bad experiences he went through while in the service. Larry also talks about his PTSD during and after Vietnam. He also talks about some tasks that he didn’t enjoy.
12:13-12:37 Larry talks about what he did after his service.
12:38-13:53 He talks about the places he visited while enlisted.
13:54-14:45 Larry talks about how he was treated when he came home from Vietnam.
14:46-17:40 Larry talks about why he enlisted and why he thinks others should enlist.
Mr. Larry Phillips Interviewed by Julianne Davis, 2017
Larry Phillips was born in Salem, Oregon and grew up with seven other siblings. He graduated high school at the age of 17 and enlisted in the U.S. Army at the age of 19.
He was sent to Fort Lewis for his training. He was already experienced with vehicles but the military gave him even more, including information that he could work with.
He had already taken a mechanic class in high school it helped him have an understanding of what he was doing. His occupation was motor part repairmen. Larry had also taken a typing class his senior year of high school and because he did this he also became a company clerk (OGT). When Larry decided to enlist his family was extremely worried and they really didn’t want him to go. His mother had begged him not to go and his brothers wanted to almost enlist but some of them weren’t of age and the others already had careers and families. Larry decided to enlist for many reasons but one major reason was to improve him and to help serve his country. After boot camp, he was sent to Vietnam and was stationed outside of Da Nang. He didn’t have much time to sightsee unless it was while heading to Vietnam or when he was on his way home. Larry often sent letters home to his parents but after his parents had passed away he kept the letters but they were lost in a fire a few years afterward. He often wrote to his parents about what was happening because his father was worried about him. His father would hear something on the news that would worry him but letters from Larry helped him understand deeper what was happening.