Document Type
Oral History
Interviewer
John Springer
Interview date
7-7-1999
Interview location
Lewiston, Maine
Time
00:47:43
Files
Download Transcript (680 KB)
Streaming Media
Abstract
NA4503 Robert L. “Bob” Towle, interviewed by John J. Springer in Lewiston, Maine on July 7, 1999. Towle talks about entering the military before finishing high school at the suggestion of a judge who offering one of two options; going into basic training, advanced training, then jump school to prove himself; serving 20 months in the 82 Airborne stateside before being sent to the 509th 82nd Airborne Germany, then to the 25th Infantry in Vietnam. Towle speaks at length about his training experiences; being rendered “a non-person” within 90 minutes of reporting for basic training; compares enlistment with a jail sentence; life in training being “at the whim” of whoever happened to be in charge; and recounts his memories of his basic military training and how his socioeconomic and background attitude shaped his experience. Towle speaks about his pride graduating from jump school and how that accomplishment earned him benefits and status that other soldiers didn’t receive, particularly related to the uniform and the biggest thrill of his life being the moment he received his wings. He recalls being sent to Washington, D.C. to do riot control following the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. carrying unloaded M14 rifles while civilian police shot at will; being forced to shoot a man who allegedly came at him with a machete while attempting to loot a liquor store and the emotional turmoil he experienced in the aftermath; being in Germany when the population was anti U.S. military; the power wielded by the military police. Towle discusses his ongoing fear of the Military Criminal Investigation Division and the lack of a statute of limitations for things “that happened over there that you can’t talk about,” including “Zippo raids” and mock VC villages. Towle talks about his work driving a resupply truck and using sandbags to protect the occupants from [improvised explosive devices], the emotional change he experienced between the shooting in Washington, D.C. and shooting men during combat; reaching the point he refused to return to duty and receiving a medical discharge; the psychological impact of losing patriotic idealism, facing the reality of war, and actively blocking social attachment; the Viet Cong’s guerrilla tactics as psychological warfare; post-traumatic stress; a fireworks display triggering a flashback; going to Togus for treatment; the negative impact of “John Wayne Syndrome” on Vietnam Veterans; the psychological impact of hypervigilance; the lack of military support for returning Vietnam Veterans; returning stateside with no money or ticket home; waiting in airports for days trying to catch a military flight home, “That was my thank you for a job well done.” Text: 42 pp. transcript. Time: 02:18:19.
Listen:
Part 1: mfc_na4503_01A
Part 2: mfc_na4503_01B
Part 3: mfc_na4503_02A
Disciplines
Military History | Oral History | United States History
Birth date
April 18, 1950
Location
Auburn, Androscoggin County, Maine
Death date
August 26, 2007
Location
Augusta, Kennebec County, Maine
Nation of origin
United States
Home state/Territory
Maine
Gender
Male
Ethnicity
European-American
Occupation
Roofing and Siding Contractor
Civic groups
Androscoggin Red Cross; Vietnam Combat Veterans; Buckfield Rescue
Branch of service
U.S. Army
Service Unit
82nd Airborne Division; 2nd of the 509th Parachute Infantry; 25th Inf. Div.
Dates of service
October 10, 1967 – September 30, 1971, 1970-1971, Vietnam
Date of entry
October 10, 1967
Service entry
Enlisted
Location of Service
Fort Benning, Georgia; Fort Dix, New Jersey; Fort Bragg, North Carolina; Germany; Vietnam
Wars & Conflicts
Vietnam War
Entry Rank
E-1 Private
Highest Rank
E-4 Specialist
Names
Richard Nixon; Lydon B. Johnson; Martin Luther King, Jr.; Lieutenant William Calley; Ho Chi Minh; John Wayne; Walter Cronkite; Dick Towle
Locations
Auburn, Maine; Germany; Fairville, North Carolina; Fort Benning, Georgia; Florida; Laos; Cambodia; Presidio, California; Fort Lewis, Washington; Washington, D.C.; Davis Mountain; Togus, Augusta, Maine; Kosovo; Falkland Islands
Headings
Vietnam War, 1961-1975; United States Army; Race relations; Military education; Dominance (Psychology); Race riots; My Lai Massacre, Vietnam, 1968; Zippo raids; Post-traumatic Stress
Collection name
Maine Vietnam Veterans Oral History
Collection number
MF224
Item number
NA4503
Recommended Citation
Towle, Robert L., "Robert L. “Bob” Towle, interviewed by John J. Springer, Part 2" (2024). MF087 Vietnam Veterans Oral History. 67.
https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/ne_vietnam_vets/67
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