Document Type

Oral History

Interviewee name

Denis Fortier

Interviewer

Kellie Pelletier

Interview date

7-8-1999

Interview location

Lewiston, Maine

Time

00:47:01

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Abstract

Denis Fortier, interviewed by Kellie Pelletier at Lewiston, Maine on July 8, 1999. Fortier discusses his life prior to joining the Air Force after he lost his draft deferment for being an 8th grade English teacher, his experience in basic training, being tapped to teach English in a spring 1969 structured Fortier program for Vietnamese pilots and navigators in Saigon, being disappointed he wasn’t stationed state side or in Europe, being unprepared for the culture shock of arriving in Saigon, spending a year teaching English in Saigon, the Aural-Oral structure of the English language program. He describes his perception of Saigon, what he learned from his students about Vietnamese history, what he learned about Vietnamese culture, the students he befriended, being assigned to Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama for two and a half years, his experiences returning home to anti-war sentiments, going to graduate school at Columbia using the GI Bill, graduating in May 1974, his thoughts and feelings about the Vietnam War in retrospect. Text: 30 pp. transcript. Time: 01:34:48.

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Part 1. mfc_na4493_01A
Part 2. mfc_na4493_01B

Disciplines

Military History | Oral History | United States History

Birth date

July 8, 1999

Location

Lewiston, Androscoggin County, Maine

Nation of origin

United States

Home state/Territory

Maine

Gender

Male

Ethnicity

European-American

Ethnic group

Franco-American

Occupation

Education Specialist, Maine State Department of Labor

Branch of service

U.S. Air Force

Service Unit

Military Assistance Command of Vietnam

Dates of service

May 1969-May 1973, Vietnam, September 1969-September 1970

Date of entry

May 16, 1969

Service entry

Enlisted

Location of Service

Tan Son Nhut Air Base, Saigon

Wars & Conflicts

Vietnam War

Entry Rank

E-1 Airman Basic

Highest Rank

E-4 Senior Airman

Exit Rank

E-4 Senior Airman

Names

John Libretto

Locations

Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas; Maxwell Air Force Base, Montgomery, Alabama; Long Binh; Tan Son Nhut Air Base; Hawaii; Travis Air Force Base, San Francisco; Boston

Headings

Vietnam War, 1961-1975; Terrorism; Culture shock; English language instruction; Cultural diplomacy; Stars and Stripes (Newspaper)

Collection name

Maine Vietnam Veterans Oral History

Collection number

MF224

Item number

NA4493

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Denis Fortier, interviewed by Kellie Pelletier, Part 1

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