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Walter Dexter in uniform posing next to a machine gun [1968]

Veterans History Project Service Summary:

  • War or Conflict: Vietnam War, 1961-1975
  • Branch of Service: Army
  • Unit of Service: Company E, 2nd Battalion, 502nd Regiment, 101st Airborne Division
  • Location of Service: Pleiku, Vietnam
  • Highest Rank: E-4
  • Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/80420

View full service history

"... then you just become immune. Things that happen, you just deal with it, whatever happens." (Video interview, 39:05)

In 1966, Walter James Dexter was a 17-year-old high school dropout looking for a fresh start and to escape a difficult family situation. Enlisting in the Army, he had no idea what to expect. Basic training, and then service in a combat battalion in Vietnam, came as a shock. Slowly he adjusted to the close calls and extreme conditions that made up life in the jungle as a member of a platoon. Eventually, he became so acclimated to the routine of search and destroy missions and combat assaults that he chose to serve a second tour in Vietnam as part of the 101st Airborne Division.

Interview / Recording

Transcript

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About this Item

Title

  • Walter James Dexter Collection

Names

  • Dexter, Walter James
  • Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) of Macomb
  • Siemaszko, Susan M.
  • Brusseau, David

Home State

  • Michigan

Headings

  • -  Dexter, Walter James
  • -  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: Company E, 2nd Battalion, 502nd Regiment, 101st Airborne Division
    • Location of Service: Pleiku, Vietnam
    • Highest Rank: E-4
    • Dates of Service: 1966-1969
    • Entrance into Service: Enlisted
    • Military Status: veteran

Materials

  • Video: DVD [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 2011-01-10; 2011-01-10)
  • Manuscript: Transcript [1 item] -- Transcription of video recording (collected 2011-01-10)
  • Computer File: CD [1 item] -- Electronic file of photograph (collected 2011-01-15)
  • Photograph: Digital print [21 items] -- Photograph (collected 1968-1969)
  • Video: DVD [1 item] -- Reference copy (collected 2011-01-10; 2013-10-24)

Collection Number

  • AFC/2001/001/80420

Cite as

  • Walter James Dexter Collection (AFC/2001/001/80420), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Online Format

  • image
  • online text
  • video

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

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:

Dexter, Walter James, Retired And Senior Volunteer Program Of Macomb, Susan M Siemaszko, and David Brusseau. Walter James Dexter Collection. 1966. Personal Narrative. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.80420/.

APA citation style:

Dexter, W. J., Retired And Senior Volunteer Program Of Macomb, Siemaszko, S. M. & Brusseau, D. (1966) Walter James Dexter Collection. [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.80420/.

MLA citation style:

Dexter, Walter James, et al. Walter James Dexter Collection. 1966. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.80420/>.