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Description
Oral history interview with Ben Whisenant. Interview Conducted Brandon Nightingale at Trevor Colburn Hall, UCF, Orlando, Florida on October 10, 2018.
Log
0:37 Birth and Childhood; 0:58 Siblings; 1:05 Parents Career; 1:15 Education; 1:30 College; 1:56 Describing Time in College; 3:01 Master’s Degree; 3:50 Receiving Commission; 3:53 ROTC; 4:45 Why He Joined; 5:39 Why He Wanted to Be A Pilot; 7:40 Age When Joined; 7:44 Station After Training; 9:00 Health Issues in The Military; 10:41 Duty Station in Rio Grande Valley; 11:27 Memorable Experiences; 11:48 Re-stationed To Waco For Training School; 13:09 1st Impression of The Environment & Climate; 18:00 Military Stories; 19:52 Typical Day in The Air Force; 23:00 Flying Airplanes; 23:58 Belgian Congo; 24:27 Travel to Libya; 27:12 REF Units; 27:23 Duties; 29:53 Describing Flying Planes; 32:00 Contacting Family Back in The United States; 33:46 Family in Service; 35:01 Meeting Locals in England; 41:29 Air Force at NC State; 42:30 Life Back in America; 47:04 Reassignment in The Philippines; 54:27 Interaction with Locals in The Philippines; 56:58 Possible Brain Aneurysm in Vietnam; 1:01:50 Presidential Inquiry; 1:05:05 Air Force ROTC Headquarters Stories; 1:17:36 Working in The Pentagon; 1:23:10 Working with Top Secret Material; 1:24:30 Talking About Awards and Medals; 1:25:39 Life After Service; 1:26:02 Work as Assistant Director of Education; 1:30:01 Became A Stock Broker; 1:31:26 Talks About Service Members He Stays in Contact With; 1:32:30 Wrap Up.
Date of Birth
1935-07-22
Place of Birth
Morganton (N.D.)
Gender
Male
Race
White - Non Hispanic
Home State
North Dakota
War or Conflict
Vietnam Era
Status
Veteran
Begin/End date of Service - 1st
1958-01-01
Type
Video; MovingImage
1978-01-01
Entrance into Service
Commissioned
Branch of Service
U.S. Air Force
Unit of Service
8th Fighter Squadron, Davis Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona 420th Air Refueling Squadron, RAF Sculthorpe England, 8th Tactical Bomb Clark AFB Philippines/ Vietnam
Location of Service
Rio Grande Valley (Colo.-Mexico and Tex.); Waco (Tex.); England; Philippines
Highest Rank
Lieutenant Colonel; LtCol
Prisoner of War
Unspecified
Service Related Injury
Yes
Battles
Unspecified
Medals
Unspecified
Achievements
1st Air Force ROTC Commander at the University of Central Florida (Formerly F.T.U)
Note
Minor 10% Disability; BS / Business Administation Marketing @ UNC Chapel Hill; MS / Counseling and Guidance @ Troy University - Troy, Alabama. Flew Combat Missions in Vietnam and doing the Ho Chi Minh Trial - Mostly at night after supply and ammo trucks.
City of Birth
Morganton
Country of Birth
United States
Interviewer
Nightingale, Brandon
Interview Date
Fall 10-16-2018
Location of Interview
Trevor Colburn Hall, University of Central Florida
Subjects
Whisenant, Bennette "Ben" E.; Vietnam War, 1961-1975 -- Personal Narratives; United States. Air Force
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
Nightingale, Brandon
Length of Interview
93 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
Recommended Citation
Central Florida, RICHES of, "Whisenant, Bennette "Ben" E. interview" (2018). Veterans Oral Histories. 613.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/veteransoralhistories/613