Major General Raymond “Fred” Rees, Interviewed by Sadie Wilson, 2017
INTERVIEW LOG Name of person(s) interviewed: Major General Raymond “Fred” Rees
Other people present: Tucker Wilson, Mary Len Rees
Researcher: Sadie Wilson
Date of Interview: May 29th, 2017
Location of Interview: Helix, Oregon
Special conditions (noise, interruptions, etc.): Clock ringing, phone
General description of contents: Why/ how he joined the army, his experiences in Germany and Vietnam, how he’s stayed in touch, and his thoughts about his service and how it’s impacted him
Length of interview: 26:21
TOPIC SUMMARY Time and Contents 00:05- 00:48 Introduction, When/where he served
00:48- 2:05 Were you drafted or did you enlist? Why did you choose the branch you did?
2:05- 4:40 Do you recall your first days of service/ training? Were these first days difficult or easy? Do you remember any of your instructors?
4:40- 9:07 Where did you serve? Did you see combat during that time and what were the casualties like? What were some of your most memorable experiences?
9:07- 9:43 Were you awarded any medals or citations?
9:43- 11:14 How did you stay in touch with your family? How often were you able to contact them?
11:14- 14:08 During your service, did you ever feel any stress or pressure? Were there any humorous situations you encountered?
14:47- 17:37 What did you think of your fellow officers and soldiers? Are there any people you’ve kept in touch with?
17:37- 19:05 Do you recall the day your service ended? What did you did in the days and weeks after?
19:05- 20:56 Did your military experience change your thinking about war or the military in general? How did your service and experiences affect your life?
20:56- 26:21 Is there anything else you would like to add?
Major General Raymond “Fred” Rees Interviewed by Sadie Wilson, 2017
For my Oral History Project, I had the privilege of interviewing Major General Raymond “Fred” Rees. He has been a neighbor of mine my whole life; however, he is generally in the area of Washington, D.C. since he has been working in the Pentagon for some time now, and I was lucky enough to catch up him while he was back for Memorial Day weekend.
Major General Rees was born in Helix, Oregon on September 29th, 1944. At the beginning of the interview, he told me he has served in the United States Army as well as the National Guard, and has been stationed in Germany during the time of the Cold War and in Vietnam during the Vietnam War.
He told me that he had chosen to join, and his reason was that he got a nomination to West Point and got commissioned there in the active service, as well with the fact that he had some family influence as well. He was initially interested in being in the Air Force and flying, but after some time, he decided he wanted to work with people and machinery more, so he chose the army instead.
Rees is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Major General Rees said on his first day there that it was very intense for everyone, and that it definitely wasn’t easy, but he had anticipated what to expect beforehand.
After this, he went on to talk about his time in Germany during the Cold War. Most of his time was spent on the border conducting patrols; however, he did tell me of a “humorous” story that took place at a base called Camp Eagle. The perimeter had watchtowers, barbed wire, and also tear gas. An electrical storm one day set off the tear gas, and a fellow comrade was in the shower when this happened, and the tear gas got into his eyes, thus causing him to run into a nearby telephone pole. Major General Rees noted to me it may not seem very humorous, but at the time it was to them.
After his time in Germany, he served in Vietnam where he was a reconnaissance troop commander for the 1st airborne division. He told me he would run patrols with his men in tanks and also go out in helicopters to where conflicts were. After this, I found out that he only got to contact his family once roughly every 2 months through the use of letters or MARS.
I asked him about if he has stayed in touch with anyone he knew from his time serving. Major General Rees told me that one of his lieutenants went through a sort of “yearbook” that was made that had everyone’s pictures and names, and proceeded to try and contact all of them in hopes of a reunion; and now about every two years they hold one. And after serving 47 years (1966-2013) he held a celebration in honor of his service and being “retired;” however, Major General Rees is still currently working for the Pentagon as a Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army providing oversight over the uniform military.
I asked him if his time serving changed his thinking about the service, military, veterans, etc. He informed me that it didn’t really change his thinking, but enforced his thinking and strengthened his thoughts that people of the United States shouldn’t take for granted how lucky we are. Related to this, Major General Rees told me that his experience serving has definitely been rewarding for him.
The last thing he discussed with me was the state partnership program present in the United States. Around 2011-2012, Oregon had the opportunity to partner with Vietnam, and he said that because he had served in Vietnam he wanted to be involved with it. He said that the man he was dealing with was Lieutenant General Kwei, and coincidentally enough, they had both been serving in their perspective armies at the same time, fighting against one another, and he said it was ironic because so far into the future they were working to create a partnership (he noted it has gone very well).