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Logan Fitch at time of interview

Veterans History Project Service Summary:

  • War or Conflict: Vietnam War, 1961-1975; Cold War
  • Branch of Service: Army
  • Service Unit/Ship: J6 Headquarters, Military Assistance Command, Vietnam; 2nd Battalion, 503rd Parachute Infantry, 173rd Airborne Brigade; 85th Ordnance Battalion; Detachment A, Berlin Brigade; B Company, 2nd Battalion, 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 8th Infantry Division; 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (1st SFOD-D)
  • Location of Service: Saigon, Vietnam; Fort Bliss, Texas; Xuan Loc, Vietnam; Landing Zone English, Vietnam; Fort Carson, Colorado; Fort Ord, California; Hanau, Germany; Fort Irwin, California; Fort Benning, Georgia; Berlin, Germany; Fort Bragg, North Carolina; Tuscaloosa, Alabama; Mainz, Germany; Bad Tolz, Germany; Nacogdoches, Texas
  • Highest Rank: Major
  • Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/91031

View full service history

"I said [to myself], Logan, if you're going to make it, you need to get out of here now." (Video interview, 01:03:40.0)

A self-described "wild kid," Major Logan D. Fitch enlisted in the Army in 1961 at the age of 17, seeking escape from his small town life in Colorado. Thus began a storied military career, one that would involve service in Vietnam, becoming an officer, and eventually, to command of a squadron of the elite Special Forces known as Delta Force. In 1980, he served as Squadron Commander during Operation Eagle Claw, a failed attempt to extract the hostages being held at the American embassy in Tehran. His oral history includes his thoughts on what went wrong during the operation, as well as recollections of his Vietnam combat experiences, Ranger training, and as a Military Freefall Parachutist.

Interview / Recording

Transcript

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[ Biographical information ]

About this Item

Title

  • Logan D. Fitch Collection

Names

  • Fitch, Logan D.
  • Shorak, B.J.
  • National Court Reporters Association (NCRA)
  • Ellis, Al

Home State

  • Texas

Headings

  • -  Fitch, Logan D.
  • -  Cold War -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Army.
  • -  Vietnam War, 1961-1975 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Army.

Repository

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

Gender

  • Male

Race

  • White

Status

  • veteran

Service History

  • Cold War

    • Branch of Service: Army
    • Service Unit/Ship: 85th Ordnance Battalion; Detachment A, Berlin Brigade; B Company, 2nd Battalion, 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 8th Infantry Division; 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (1st SFOD-D)
    • Location of Service: Fort Carson, Colorado; Fort Ord, California; Hanau, Germany; Fort Irwin, California; Fort Benning, Georgia; Berlin, Germany; Fort Bragg, North Carolina; Tuscaloosa, Alabama; Mainz, Germany; Bad Tolz, Germany; Nacogdoches, Texas
    • Highest Rank: Major
    • Dates of Service: 1961-1982
    • Entrance into Service: Enlisted
    • Military Status: veteran

  • Vietnam War, 1961-1975

    • Branch of Service: Army
    • Service Unit/Ship: J6 Headquarters, Military Assistance Command, Vietnam; 2nd Battalion, 503rd Parachute Infantry, 173rd Airborne Brigade
    • Location of Service: Saigon, Vietnam; Fort Bliss, Texas; Xuan Loc, Vietnam; Landing Zone English, Vietnam
    • Entrance into Service: Enlisted
    • Military Status: veteran

Materials

  • Video: DVD [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 2012-06-24; 2012-06-24)
  • Manuscript: Biographical information [1 item] -- Typewritten document (collected 2012)
  • Manuscript: Transcript [1 item] -- Transcription of video recording (collected 2012-08-31)

Collection Number

  • AFC/2001/001/91031

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:

Fitch, Logan D, B.J Shorak, National Court Reporters Association, and Al Ellis. Logan D. Fitch Collection. 1961. Personal Narrative. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.91031/.

APA citation style:

Fitch, L. D., Shorak, B. J., National Court Reporters Association & Ellis, A. (1961) Logan D. Fitch Collection. [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.91031/.

MLA citation style:

Fitch, Logan D, et al. Logan D. Fitch Collection. 1961. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.91031/>.