INTERVIEW LOG Name of person(s) interviewed: Roy Roberts
Other people present: Dee Roberts
Researcher: Kyla Roberts
Date of interview: 5/23/16
Location of interview: Richland, Washington
Special conditions (noise, interruptions, etc.): Slight background noise, wind chimes
General description of contents: His experiences in the army and what he did.
Length of interview: 22:01
TOPIC SUMMARY Time and Contents
00:01-0:18 Introduction
00:19-1:17 What branch of service, where he served, rank, when he served
1:18- 2:00 Was he drafted or enlisted, where he was and why he decided to enlist
2:20-4:05 Boot camp, what time period he served in, his jobs while he was in the service
4:20-5:29 Jumping out of airplanes, how he stayed in touch with his family
5:30-8:00 The food, what he did every day, did he feel pressure or stress
8:01-9:05 How he entertained himself, the day his service ended, what he did when he returned
9:06-10:08 What his colonel wanted him to do, friendships he made.
10:11-12:40 What careers he perused when he got out, his views on the military,
12:50-14:55 Story about staying in the mountains for a week.
15:00-16:42 His moms view on him being away and getting a letter from the military about being on standby for the Vietnam war.
16:50-20:30 Anything he wanted to add that wasn’t covered(what he liked to do when he was on leave, being left behind, the big cannons damaging his hearing)
20:35-21:33 How old he was, when he served and how he felt about it overall.
21:38-22:01 If he enjoyed being the army and how he feels about it.
Mr. Roy Roberts Interviewed by Kyla Roberts, 2016
Mr. Roy Roberts grew up in California.
When he was 17, he and his friend decided to enlist in the Army. While Roy got in and went off into the Army, his friend wasn’t allowed in due to flat feet.
While Roy was in the Army, he got to jump out of airplanes and work in an office some of the time.
He has stories about his company leaving him, being lost in the mountains and his mom writing to his colonel because she was upset that he wasn’t writing to her.
Roy was in the Army from 1959-1962 and had a lot of experience while he was there. He wasn’t in any combat or wars, but when Roy returned home, he received a letter from the army saying he was on standby for the Vietnam War. Roy never had to go, though. Roy’s colonel wanted him to stay in the Army but he didn’t want to do that. His time in the Army didn’t change his views on it overall but he doesn’t think it was the best experience.
Roy married Dee Roberts and had two children, Dana and Jonathan. Roy and Dee began attending college, but Roy then decided that he wanted to be a Pastor instead. They eventually moved to the Tri Cities and still live there today.
Today, Roy tells his stories from his times in the Army to his grandchildren. Some of his grandchildren have decided to go into the military themselves.