Top of page

Collection Veterans History Project Collection

« Back to In Country: Stories from the Vietnam War page

Cleveland King Jr. at time of interview

Veterans History Project Service Summary:

  • War or Conflict: Vietnam War, 1961-1975
  • Branch of Service: Marine Corps
  • Service Unit/Ship: C Company, 1st Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division
  • Battles & Campaigns: Khe Sanh
  • Location of Service: Dong Ha, Vietnam; Quang Tri, Vietnam; Khe Sanh, Vietnam; LZ Stud, Vietnam
  • Highest Rank: E-4
  • Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/116213

View full service history

"I can say [basic training] didn't get us ready for Vietnam." (Video interview, 4:41)

Georgia native Cleveland King Jr. enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1968 and moved up in leadership during the year he spent in Vietnam. He served as a radio operator in locations ranging from Dong Ha to Quang Tri and LZ Stud, and was wounded during the Battle of Khe Sanh. While he experienced racial discrimination and felt the opposition expressed from civilians at home, he did all he could to lift and speak up for those serving around with him no matter their rank or position.

Interview / Recording

Transcript

        Loading...

About this Item

Title

  • Cleveland King, Jr. Collection

Names

  • King Jr., Cleveland
  • The United States of America Vietnam War Commemoration
  • Galloway, Joe

State of Residence at Time of Collection Donation

  • Alabama

Headings

  • -  King Jr., Cleveland
  • -  Vietnam War, 1961-1975 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Marine Corps.

Repository

  • Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Gender

  • Male

Race

  • Black or African American

Status

  • veteran

Service History

  • Vietnam War, 1961-1975

    • Branch of Service: Marine Corps
    • Service Unit/Ship: C Company, 1st Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division
    • Location of Service: Dong Ha, Vietnam; Quang Tri, Vietnam; Khe Sanh, Vietnam; LZ Stud, Vietnam
    • Battles & Campaigns: Khe Sanh
    • Highest Rank: E-4
    • Dates of Service: 1968-1969
    • Entrance into Service: Enlisted
    • Military Status: veteran
    • Service History Note: The veteran served as a radio operator.

Materials

  • Video: Digital File [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 2018-11-03)
  • Manuscript: Clippings [6 items] -- Typewritten document (collected 2012-2015)
  • Manuscript: Military Papers [2 items] -- Typewritten document (collected 1969)

Collection Number

  • AFC/2001/001/116213

Online Format

  • online text
  • video

Additional Metadata Formats

Rights & Access

Using VHP Material in Publication or Exhibition

The Veterans History Project (VHP) at the Library of Congress collects, preserves and makes accessible the firsthand recollections of U.S. military veterans who served from World War I through more recent conflicts and peacekeeping missions, so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand what they saw, did and felt during their service. The Veterans History Project Collection includes oral histories along with documentary materials such as original letters, diaries, photographs, and memoirs.

Veterans and interviewers contribute these materials to the Library for scholarly and educational purposes, retaining any copyright they may hold. Therefore, permission must be obtained before using the interview or other materials in exhibition or publication. Researchers or others who would like to make further use of these materials should contact the Veterans History Project for assistance.

As a publicly supported institution, the Library generally does not own rights to material in its collections. Therefore, it does not charge permission fees for use of such material and cannot give or deny permission to publish or otherwise distribute material in its collections. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item from the Library’s collections and for securing any necessary permissions rests with persons desiring to use the item.

Please contact us with questions.

Obtaining Copies of VHP Materials

In order for VHP materials to be duplicated, we must receive written permission from the interviewee for you to obtain a copy of the recording unless the proposed use is limited to personal use, research, or other uses permissible by copyright law. If the interviewee is deceased, their next-of-kin may grant written permission.

Please contact VHP for assistance if you need to contact a veteran for permission to use their materials in exhibition or publication, or if you have received permission from the veteran and need access to high-resolution copies of VHP collection materials.

Citing VHP Materials

Please use the following formats when citing Veterans History Project materials (substituting the appropriate name and collection ID number).

Materials as a whole:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Manuscript material:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Memoirs (MS02), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Transcript (MS04), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Correspondence (MS01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Recording:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Audio recording (SR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Video recording (MV01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Photograph:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Photographs (PH01), photographer unknown, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Photographs (PH03-PH14), Ralph Williams photographer, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Computer file:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Computer file (CF01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Artifact:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Artifact (AR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

King Jr., Cleveland, The United States Of America Vietnam War Commemoration, and Joe Galloway. Cleveland King, Jr. Collection. 1968. Personal Narrative. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.116213/.

APA citation style:

King Jr, C., The United States Of America Vietnam War Commemoration & Galloway, J. (1968) Cleveland King, Jr. Collection. [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.116213/.

MLA citation style:

King Jr., Cleveland, The United States Of America Vietnam War Commemoration, and Joe Galloway. Cleveland King, Jr. Collection. 1968. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.116213/>.