Personal Narrative Manuscript/Mixed Material Photo, Print, Drawing Robert G. Geisler, Jr. Collection

Veterans History Project Service Summary:

War or Conflict: Vietnam War, 1961-1975
Branch of Service: Marine Corps
Unit of Service: Company F, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment; Marine Corps Reserve
Location of Service: Phu Bai, Vietnam; Da Nang, Vietnam; Chu Lai, Vietnam; Camp Pendleton, California
Highest Rank: Corporal

"My buddies said that I shouldn’t write and tell you what’s going on in the field. I feel better telling you, because it sort of gets it all off my mind." (Letter to his family, 5/16/1967)

Writing to his parents from Vietnam in 1966 and 1967, Marine Corps Corporal Robert G. Geisler, Jr., offered up all of the brutal details of his combat experiences, describing the high incidence of booby traps, mines, and casualties, and the impact that witnessing such violence has on his state of mind. His correspondence gives the sense of a very young man (he was 19 when he departed for Vietnam) who coped with the horrors of war by sharing them with his family. Despite all that he sees in country, his commentary also hints at a spirit that remains hopeful, such as when he describes the camaraderie between members of his unit. Eight weeks before he was scheduled to leave Vietnam, he was seriously wounded while on patrol; though he never saw combat again, he survived, and returned home to his family.