Personal Narrative Film, Video Manuscript/Mixed Material Photo, Print, Drawing Robert Lee Rice Collection

Veterans History Project Service Summary:
- War or Conflict: Vietnam War, 1961-1975
- Branch of Service: Army
- Unit of Service: 28th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division
- Location of Service: Fort Gordon, Augusta, Georgia; Phouc Vinh, Lai Khe and Quan Loi, Vietnam
- Highest Rank: E-3
A high school dropout who wanted to better his life by joining the Army, Robert Rice got a rude awakening when he shipped off to Vietnam, a place and war he admits he knew little about before arriving there. Getting wounded in combat and nearly dying, going AWOL several times, doing time in the stockade, getting a Dear John letter-Rice's tour of duty was like a laundry list of nearly everything bad that could happen to a man in a war zone. Even after he got back on his feet in the states, the mental turmoil the war had stirred up persisted. He became a minister and worked with convicts, one of whom was the son of a man Rice met in the stockade in Vietnam.
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PlayKnowing he wanted to be a minister, but he lacked education; first impressions of Vietnam 00:09:09.3 - 00:12:24.3
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PlayBeing told not to get too close to other soldiers in case of casualties; involved in Operation Crimp; seeing a news cameraman get killed; finding tunnels, some of them dating from the fighting with the French; rescuing the survivors of an ambush. 00:12:55.7 - 00:21:12.6
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PlayGetting shot in the hip; treated by medic, being left to watch the battle continue; thinking he was going to die; finding peace in a vision of a man who reminded him about all his loved ones back home; attributing his survival to a miracle. 00:21:38.8 - 00:29:35.0
More Resources
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PlayGetting shot in the hip; treated by medic, being left to watch the battle continue; thinking he was going to die; finding peace in a vision of a man who reminded him about all his loved ones back home; attributing his survival to a miracle. Part 2 00:00:00.0 - 00:04:29.7
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PlayBack in the hospital after his wound reopened; going AWOL and getting court-martialed; spending time in the stockade; AWOL a second time, more time in the stockade. 00:14:25.3 - 00:20:28.2
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PlayA Dear John letter; learning the language and the people, feeling more at home in Vietnam; appreciating cultural differences; dealing on the black market; assaulting an officer, escaping custody to go live in Saigon; given a break by a sergeant. 00:25:09.6 - 00:29:42.0
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PlayA Dear John letter; learning the language and the people, feeling more at home in Vietnam; appreciating cultural differences; dealing on the black market; assaulting an officer, escaping custody to go live in Saigon; given a break by a sergeant. Part 2 00:00:00.0 - 00:03:13.5
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PlayGoing home under armed guard; not able to go back to get his personal effects in Saigon; scared about going back to America. 00:04:39.0 - 00:08:21.3
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PlayTrying to get back to Vietnam as a civilian, because he felt it was his home; slow readjustment; coming to understand his survivor's guilt. 00:08:52.1 - 00:15:35.6
About this Item
Title
- Robert Lee Rice Collection
Names
- WRCB-TV Channel 3
- Bowen, Sarah
- Rice, Robert Lee
- Willie, Michael
State of Birth
- TN
Home State
- TN
Headings
- - Rice, Robert Lee
- - Vietnam War, 1961-1975 -- Personal Narratives
- - United States. Army.
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: Army
- Unit of Service: 28th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division
- Location of Service: Fort Gordon, Augusta, Georgia; Phouc Vinh, Lai Khe and Quan Loi, Vietnam
- Highest Rank: E-3
- Dates of Service: 1965-1969
- Entrance into Service: Enlisted
- Military Status: Veteran
Materials
- Video: Betacam SP [3 items] -- Oral history interview (collected 1/16/2003)
- Photograph: Digital print [3 items] -- Photograph (collected 1966 - 2002)
Collection Number
- AFC/2001/001/6050
Cite as
- Robert Lee Rice Collection (AFC/2001/001/6050), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
Online Format
- image
- video