Collection:LPB

Genre: Interview

Place Covered: Monroe, Ouachita Parish, Louisiana, Vietnam

Copyright Holder: Louisiana Educational Television Authority

Date Issued: 2017-10-11

Duration: 00:15:58

Subjects: Vietnam War, 1961-1975 | United States. Army | Military | Veterans

Contributors:

• Ryan, Herschel Interviewee

An oral history interview conducted on October 11, 2017, with Herschel Ryan of Monroe, Louisiana. Ryan served in the United States Army during the Vietnam War. He discusses: his commission as a 2nd Lieutenant following his ROTC training; attending flight school; his role as a helicopter pilot; being shot during a mission; losing his eye and hand; his bad memories of the war; the helicopter as the main mode of transportation in Vietnam; the changing attitudes towards Vietnam veterans; the comradery of the aviation unit; his unique experience of being treated like a war hero when he returned home; and the differing views of the Vietnam War.