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Description

Oral history interview of Mr. Wallace O. Wildenradt. Interview conducted by Sharon Rodriguez at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida on 03/13/2018.

Log

0:01 Introduction; 0:40 Background and childhood; 2:10 Time before entering the Army; 2:30 Draft notice at 21; 3:38 Basic Training at Fort Gordon, Georgia; 4:30 Fort Dicks, New Jersey: Advanced training; 5:20 Job specs; 6:20 Being sent to and arriving in Vietnam; 8:00 Job in Vietnam; 9:25 Landing-Ship Tanks (LSTs); 10:52 Time in Cam Ranh Bay; 11:35 Interaction with fellow comrades; 12:14 Typical day in Cam Ranh Bay; 13:00 Interacting with locals; 17:30 Imminent threats; 18:00 Working with Japanese troops; 18:49 R&R: Tokyo, Japan; 21:55 Experiencing a demonstration in Japan; 24:15 Receiving a warm welcome home and feelings on negative welcomes; 25:25 Personal thoughts on the Vietnam War; 28:05 Losing friends to the war; 32:00 Most memorable experience in Cam Ranh Bay; 35:15 Next assignment: Phan Rang/ first impressions; 36:24 Comparison to Cam Ranh Bay; 37:20 Typical day in Phan Rang; 38:15 Activities on time off; 40:25 Interacting with locals in Phan Rang; 40:55 Communicating home; 41:25 Second time in Tokyo; 43:11 Being in a combat zone; 44:50 Commendations; 45:00 Leaving the Army; 45:10 Time after the service; 51:00 Job at the space center; 51:51 Transition into civilian life; 52:35 Applying military service to civilian life; 53:35 Final thoughts; 54:40 Closing remarks.

Date of Birth

1944-08-18

Place of Birth

Daytona Beach (Fla.)

Gender

Male

Race

White - Non Hispanic

Home State

Florida

War or Conflict

Vietnam Era

Status

Veteran

Begin/End date of Service - 1st

1965-09-07

Type

Video; MovingImage

1967-09-08

Entrance into Service

Drafted

Branch of Service

U.S. Army

Unit of Service

123rd Transportation Company

Location of Service

Fort Jackson (S.C.); Presidio of Monterey (Calif.); Fort Benning (Ga.); Goodfellow Air Force Base (Tex.); Fort Richardson (Alaska)

Highest Rank

Specialist; E4

Prisoner of War

No

Service Related Injury

Unspecified

Battles

Unknown

Medals

National Defense Service Medal; Vietnam Service Medal; Vietnam Campaign Ribbon; Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation; Army Marksmanship Qualification Badge (Rifle)

Achievements

Movement Specialist, tasked with moving supplies and munitions from the beaches to various units inland.

Note

"I am a 1973 graduate of UCF (then Florida Technological University), Bachelor of Arts in Communication." - The veteran. Medal details: National Defense Service Medal; Vietnam Service Medal with 2 bronze service stars; Vietnam Campaign Ribbon; Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation with Palm; Army Marksmanship Qualification Badge (Rifle).

City of Birth

Daytona Beach

Country of Birth

US

Interviewer

Rodriguez, Sharon

Interview Date

Spring 3-13-2018

Location of Interview

University of Central Florida

Subjects

Wildenradt, Wallace O.; Vietnam War, 1961-1975 -- Personal Narratives; United States. Army

Collection Description

Contains logs, audio and video recordings of interviews with Central Florida's veterans as part of a history class project for the students at the University of Central Florida (UCF). The UCF Community Veterans History Project(CVHP) started in fall 2010. It collects, preserves, and makes accessible to the public the experiences of Central Florida's veterans so that future generations will better understand the realities of conflict. It is a collaborative endeavor supported by multiple departments and offices at UCF. The veterans' histories are archived and made digitally available through the UCF library and selected materials are contributed to the Veterans History Project at the Library of Congress.

Contributor Affiliation / Organization

RICHES; University of Central Florida

Contributors

Rodriguez, Sharon

Length of Interview

55 Minutes

Publisher

Department of History, University of Central Florida

Type

video

Rights

All rights are held by the respective holding institution. This material is posted publicly for non-profit educational uses, excluding printed publication. For permission to reproduce and/or for copyright information contact Special Collections and University Archives, University of Central Florida Libraries, (407) 823-2576. http://library.ucf.edu/about/departments/special-collections-university-archives/

Repository

University of Central Florida Libraries, Special Collections & University Archives

Contributing Project

UCF Community Veterans History Project

Document Type

Interview

Semester

Spring

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