Document Type
Oral History
Interviewer
Gary Waters
Interview date
6-22-1999
Interview location
Abbot, Maine
Time
00:45:51
Files
Download Transcript (1.5 MB)
Streaming Media
Abstract
Charles Runnels, interviewed by Gary Waters in Abbot, Maine on June 22, 1999. Runnels discusses growing up in Bethel, Maine and attending Gould Academy; being recruited to play football at UMaine but losing the offer due to a low SAT score; graduating on June 13, 1965, and going on active duty with the Marine Corps on August 30, 1965. He relates his experience meeting his new drill sergeant and wondering “when the bad stuff starts;” and taking comfort in the rule that “even if they do kill you they aren’t allowed to eat you…;” graduating as an infantry rifleman; and going through tactical training. Runnels tells of being assigned to the 1st MP [Military Police] Battalion; going through MP training in California; receiving physical training in a steam-filled hold aboard ship; landing off Red Beach at Danang; feeling the soles of his boots sticking to the hot steel of the ship’s deck; and the smell of Vietnam; the process of setting up the battalion base camp; the difficulty men faced adjusting to the climate, heavy work, and disrupted sleep cycles; staking “scud showers;” going on patrol near the Danang River and frequently being appointed to walk point. Runnels speaks extensively about reassignment of Charlie Company following Prairie One and being sent to occupy Hill 43 and the surrender of a group of North Vietnamese soldiers sick with typhus; the use of signal flares—green flares marking friendlies and red marking enemy troops; his feelings about the ARVN in comparison to “Montagnard” troops; being sent to Okinawa to refit; going to the Philippines; his experience in Operation Deckhouse IV and Operation Beacon Hill; and memories of the White House Bar. Text: 61 pp. transcript, 2 pp. administrative. Audio: mfc_na4506_01A&B, mfc_na4506_02A&B. Time: 02:19:28. Restrictions: No restrictions.
Listen:
Part 1: mfc_na4506_01A
Part 2: mfc_na4506_01B
Part 3: mfc_na4506_02A
Disciplines
Military History | Oral History | United States History
Location
Bethel, Oxford County, Maine
Nation of origin
United States
Home state/Territory
Maine
Gender
Male
Ethnicity
European-American
Occupation
Law Enforcement
Branch of service
U.S. Marine Corps
Service Unit
Company A, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines; 1st Battalion 4th Marines
Dates of service
August 30, 1965-(?) ; 1966-1967, Vietnam
Date of entry
May 10, 1965
Service entry
Enlisted
Location of Service
Da Nang, Vietnam; Phu Bai, Vietnam
Awards & Ribbons
Purple Heart
Wars & Conflicts
Vietnam War
Battles & Engagements
Operation Deckhouse VI; Operation Beacon Hill; Operation Prairie [Operation Firebreak]
Entry Rank
E-1 Private
Highest Rank
E-4 Corporal
Exit Rank
E-4 Corporal
Names
Walter Grover; Henry Godwin; Phil; Paul C.; Lionel Luther Lorenzo Laurence Lawson, III; Walt Smith; Greg “Doc” Long; Bob Broils; Ralph Grant; Sgt. York; Sgt. John Somanski; Lt. Larry Dickenson; Doug Dickie (Medal of Honor); Jerry Ejack; Lyle “Jock” Mahoney; Col. Weston; Melvin Cole; Camillio; Larry Dickenson; Kirk Hanson; Skip Bayer; Lt. House; Bob Bryson; Larry Larson; Heider; Greg Nichols; Lt. Dooley; Lt. Deavitt; Charlie Burgess; Laramie; Benny Grant; Ralph Grant; Gordon Cardinal; Lt. Debert; Phil Avis; Roser; Greg Lyons; Mike Vodie
Locations
Bethel, Maine; Mayville, Maine; Boston; Buford Naval Air Station, Parris Island; Camp Geiger; Camp Lejeune, North Carolina; Camp Margarita; Camp Pendleton; California; San Diego; Japan; Hawaii; Okinawa; Taiwan; Da Nang, Vietnam; Red Beach; Tamaqua, Pennsylvania; Phu Bai; the Rockpile; Wisconsin; Hill 43; Idaho; Bangkok; White Beach, Okimawa; Camp Swab; Delaware; Kin Village; Keelung harbor, China; Subic Bay, Philippines; Quang Ngai ; Chu Lai; My Lai; Cồn Tiên; Ohio; El Toro, California; Rumford; Portland, Maine; Racine Wisconsin
Headings
Vietnam War, 1961-1975; Basic training; Flares; Montagnard; Booby traps; Military casualties; Operational rations
Collection name
Maine Vietnam Veterans Oral History
Collection number
MF224
Item number
NA4506
Recommended Citation
Runnels, Charles, "Charles Runnels, interviewed by Gary Waters, Part 3" (2024). MF087 Vietnam Veterans Oral History. 63.
https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/ne_vietnam_vets/63
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