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Veterans History Project Service Summary:

  • Service History Note: The veteran served as a helicopter crew chief and door gunner, a first sergeant, a battalion sergeant major, and a post sergeant major.
  • War or Conflict: Afghan War, 2001-; Iraq War, 2003-2011; Vietnam War, 1961-1975
  • Branch of Service: Army
  • Unit of Service: Company A, 4th Aviation Battalion, 4th Infantry Division; 1st Aviation Brigade; Iowa Army National Guard
  • Location of Service: Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri; Fort Rucker, Alabama; Fort Lewis, Washington; Fort Campbell, Kentucky; Vietnam; Iraq; Afghanistan
  • Highest Rank: Command Sergeant Major; Sergeant

View full service history

"A girl turned around in class. I'm 22 years old, been there and back in my mind. She's 18, fresh out of high school. And in the middle of a zoology discussion, she asks me, 'So what's it feel like to kill somebody?'" (Oral history transcript)

Command Sergeant Major Steven Joseph Hyde joined the Army in August of 1965, three weeks after his high school graduation. By January of 1967, he was in Vietnam, serving as a crew chief aboard a Huey helicopter that ferried supplies, ammo, troops, and casualties. Coming home was difficult; though he gave college a shot, ultimately the lack of understanding from his fellow students was too much to bear. Six years later, he joined the Iowa National Guard, and nearly 30 years later, deployed twice to the Middle East following the September 11th terrorist attacks. At the time of his oral history interview, he was pursuing an undergraduate degree in human resource management.

Transcript: XML

About this Item

Title

  • Steven Joseph Hyde Collection

Names

  • Gratias Investigations, Inc.
  • Hyde, Steven Joseph
  • National Court Reporters Association (NCRA)
  • Gratias, Gordon
  • Laura D. McFall
  • Mary Ann Nielsen

State of Birth

  • IA

Home State

  • IA

Headings

  • -  Hyde, Steven Joseph
  • -  Vietnam War, 1961-1975 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Army.
  • -  Afghan War, 2001- -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Army.
  • -  Iraq War, 2003-2011 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Army.

Repository

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

Gender

  • Male

Status

  • Veteran

Service History

  • Vietnam War, 1961-1975

    • Service History Note: The veteran served as a helicopter crew chief and door gunner, a first sergeant, a battalion sergeant major, and a post sergeant major.
    • Branch of Service: Army
    • Unit of Service: Company A, 4th Aviation Battalion, 4th Infantry Division
    • Location of Service: Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri; Fort Rucker, Alabama; Fort Lewis, Washington; Fort Campbell, Kentucky; Vietnam
    • Highest Rank: Sergeant
    • Dates of Service: 1965-1968
    • Entrance into Service: Enlisted
    • Military Status: Veteran

  • Afghan War, 2001-

    • Branch of Service: Army
    • Unit of Service: 1st Aviation Brigade; Iowa Army National Guard
    • Location of Service: Afghanistan
    • Highest Rank: Command Sergeant Major
    • Dates of Service: 1974-2007
    • Entrance into Service: Enlisted
    • Military Status: Veteran

  • Iraq War, 2003-2011

    • Branch of Service: Army
    • Location of Service: Iraq
    • Entrance into Service: Enlisted
    • Military Status: Veteran

Materials

  • Manuscript: Transcript [1 item] -- Transcription of video recording (collected 12/09/2009)
  • Video: DVD [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 11/11/2009)

Collection Number

  • AFC/2001/001/73530

Cite as

  • Steven Joseph Hyde Collection (AFC/2001/001/73530), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

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/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:

Gratias Investigations, Inc, Steven Joseph Hyde, National Court Reporters Association, Gordon Gratias, Laura D. Mcfall, and Mary Ann Nielsen. Steven Joseph Hyde Collection. 1965. Personal Narrative. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.73530/.

APA citation style:

Gratias Investigations, I., Hyde, S. J., National Court Reporters Association, Gratias, G., Laura D. Mcfall & Mary Ann Nielsen. (1965) Steven Joseph Hyde Collection. [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.73530/.

MLA citation style:

Gratias Investigations, Inc, et al. Steven Joseph Hyde Collection. 1965. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.73530/>.