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Veterans History Project Service Summary:

  • War or Conflict: Vietnam War, 1961-1975
  • Branch of Service: Army
  • Location of Service: Fort Sheridan, Illinois; Fort Knox, Kentucky; Munich and Ansbach, Germany; Fort Monroe, Virginia; Vietnam
  • Highest Rank: Colonel

View full service history

"Chaplains, if they ever get into a combat position, are really in the way." (Audio Interview, 13:59)

Born in Vienna, Austria in 1931, David Lapp came to America in 1940 with his family, fleeing persecution by Nazi Germany. He volunteered as a rabbi for the Armed Forces in 1957, stating he felt he owed a debt to his adopted country. His first choice was the Navy, but he was persuaded that he would encounter more Jewish personnel in the Army. Though he hadn't taken a chaplain course, his Christian colleagues helped him adjust to Army life. He served one year (1966-7) in Vietnam as a deputy chaplain; his boss was a Catholic priest. He spent much of his time flying to camps around the Central Highlands, always returning to his base for Friday Sabbath. He also worked on building relations with the locals: lecturing at a seminary, helping to build a nursery, and bringing food and clothing to villages. Lapp managed to keep kosher, thanks in part to packages from the States and a vegetarian diet in country.

David E. Lapp Collection
Interview / Recording

About this Item

Title

  • David E. Lapp Collection

Names

  • Sterman, Helen
  • Goodman, Lana
  • Touro College, New York, New York
  • Lapp, David E.

Home State

  • NJ

Headings

  • -  Lapp, David E.
  • -  Vietnam War, 1961-1975 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Army.

Notes

  • -  Veteran was born in Vienna, Austria.

Repository

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

Gender

  • Male

Status

  • Veteran

Service History

  • Vietnam War, 1961-1975

    • Branch of Service: Army
    • Location of Service: Fort Sheridan, Illinois; Fort Knox, Kentucky; Munich and Ansbach, Germany; Fort Monroe, Virginia; Vietnam
    • Highest Rank: Colonel
    • Dates of Service: 1957-1982
    • Military Status: Veteran
    • Service History Note: The veteran served as a chaplain.

Materials

  • Audio: Audio Cassette [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 03/17/2006)
  • Photograph: Copy photographic print [1 item] -- Photograph (collected 1968)

Collection Number

  • AFC/2001/001/41878

Cite as

  • David E. Lapp Collection (AFC/2001/001/41878), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Online Format

  • audio

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/xxxx), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Manuscript material:

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

Recording:

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

Photograph:

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

Computer file:

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

Artifact:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/xxxx), 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:

Sterman, Helen, Lana Goodman, New York Touro College, and David E Lapp. David E. Lapp Collection. 1957. Personal Narrative. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.41878/.

APA citation style:

Sterman, H., Goodman, L., Touro College, N. Y. & Lapp, D. E. (1957) David E. Lapp Collection. [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.41878/.

MLA citation style:

Sterman, Helen, et al. David E. Lapp Collection. 1957. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.41878/>.