- Collection:
- Veterans History Project: Oral History Interviews
- Title:
- Oral history interview of Willie James Maffett
- Creator:
- Luton, Frank
Maffett, Willie James, 1949- - Publisher:
- Atlanta, Ga. : Kenan Research Center
- Date of Original:
- 2015-05-18
- Subject:
- Vietnam War, 1961-1975--African Americans
Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
Tomahawk (Guided missile)
United States. Army--Transportation
United States. Army--Equipment and supplies
United States. Army. Light Infantry Brigade, 196th - Location:
- United States, Georgia, Chattahoochee County, Fort Benning, 32.35237, -84.96882
United States, Georgia, Liberty County, Fort Stewart, 31.87217, -81.61001
United States, South Carolina, Richland County, Fort Jackson, 34.04757, -80.83335 - Medium:
- oral histories (literary works)
- Type:
- MovingImage
- Format:
- video/mp4
- Description:
- In this interview, Willie Maffett recalls his experiences serving in the United States Army in the Vietnam War. He describes growing up in rural Alabama and his father's gentle leadership. He remembers attending segregated schools and how his father organized the first bus service for African American school children in their community. He attended college as a student athlete, but dropped out to earn enough money to continue attending and recalls getting his draft notice. He enlisted in the Army in order to secure his choice of duty stations and describes the induction center and his subsequent basic training in great detail. He recalls his first assignments in Germany, serving as a truck driver and as a courier. He remembers getting orders to Vietnam and describes his duties there, training Vietnamese soldiers to manage US Army maintenance records on their vehicles and heavy equipment. He recalls the Vietnamese people who worked in Army camps and how they were sometimes treated by US troops. He describes an incident when a Vietnamese woman hid him and his friends from North Vietnamese troops, saving their lives. He remembers racial tensions in Vietnam and the propaganda used by the North Vietnamese to encourage African American troops to rebel. He expresses his feelings about his service and his pride in being a Vietnam veteran.
196th Light Infantry Brigade; 606th Ordnance Company; 190th Military Police; PTSD; convoy; maintenance data specialist; motor sergeant; motor pool; jungle training; II Corps; "cat eyes"; Lawson Junior College; Vietnamization
Willie Maffett served in the United States Army in the Vietnam War. - Metadata URL:
- http://album.atlantahistorycenter.com/cdm/ref/collection/VHPohr/id/804
- Additional Rights Information:
- This material is protected by copyright law. (Title 17, U.S. Code) Permission for use must be cleared through the Kenan Research Center at the Atlanta History Center. Licensing agreement may be required.
- Extent:
- 1:13:10
- Original Collection:
- Veterans History Project oral history recordings
Veterans History Project collection, MSS 1010, Kenan Research Center, Atlanta History Center - Contributing Institution:
- Atlanta History Center
- Rights:
-
