Top of page

Veterans History Project Service Summary:

  • War or Conflict: Vietnam War, 1961-1975; Korean War, 1950-1953
  • Branch of Service: Air Force
  • Unit of Service: 332nd Air Base Group; 33rd Fighter Wing
  • Location of Service: Pleiku, Vietnam; Dover Air Force Base, Delaware; Clark Air Base, Philippines; Griffiss Air Force Base, New York; Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand; Eglin Air Force Base, Florida; Hurlburt Field, Florida; Lackland Air Force Base, Texas; Lockbourne Air Force Base, Ohio; Okinawa Island (Ryukyu Islands); Johnson Air Base, Japan; Eglin Air Force Base, Florida; Itazuke, Japan; Dover Air Force Base, Delaware
  • Highest Rank: E-9

View full service history

“The growth and the urge and also the spirit of integration really became alive within me” (Interview, 10:51)

Enlisting in 1949 to help pay for his sister’s education, Walter Harold Richardson was on the forefront of the racial integration of the Air Force. He trained with the last all-black flight at Lackland Air Force Base, and was selected as one of 1,500 airmen to begin the Air Force’s integration process. Throughout 30 years of service, he faced discrimination and isolation, but also saw immense change, and viewed every challenge as an opportunity to prove that everyone could work together.

More Resources

About this Item

Title

  • Walter Harold Richardson Collection

Names

  • Ketchel, Carolyn
  • Richardson, Walter Harold
  • Daughters of the American Revolution, Choctawhatchee Bay Chapter, Florida
  • Maney, Caroline
  • Trey Peterson

State of Birth

  • FL

Home State

  • FL

Headings

  • -  Richardson, Walter Harold
  • -  Korean War, 1950-1953 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Air Force.
  • -  Vietnam War, 1961-1975 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Air Force.

Form

  • DVD

Extent

  • 1 item

Repository

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

Gender

  • Male

Race

  • Black or African American

Status

  • Veteran

Service History

  • Korean War, 1950-1953

    • Branch of Service: Air Force
    • Unit of Service: 332nd Air Base Group
    • Location of Service: Lackland Air Force Base, Texas; Lockbourne Air Force Base, Ohio; Okinawa Island (Ryukyu Islands); Johnson Air Base, Japan; Eglin Air Force Base, Florida; Itazuke, Japan; Dover Air Force Base, Delaware
    • Dates of Service: 1949-1967
    • Entrance into Service: Enlisted
    • Military Status: Veteran

  • Vietnam War, 1961-1975

    • Branch of Service: Air Force
    • Unit of Service: 33rd Fighter Wing
    • Location of Service: Pleiku, Vietnam; Dover Air Force Base, Delaware; Clark Air Base, Philippines; Griffiss Air Force Base, New York; Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand; Eglin Air Force Base, Florida; Hurlburt Field, Florida
    • Highest Rank: E-9
    • Dates of Service: 1967-1979
    • Entrance into Service: Enlisted
    • Military Status: Veteran

Materials

  • Video: DVD [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 08/09/2013)

Collection Number

  • AFC/2001/001/92620

Cite as

  • Walter Harold Richardson Collection (AFC/2001/001/92620), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Online Format

  • image
  • 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:

Ketchel, Carolyn, Walter Harold Richardson, Choctawhatchee Bay Chapter Daughters Of The American Revolution, Caroline Maney, and Trey Peterson. Walter Harold Richardson Collection. 1949. Personal Narrative. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.92620/.

APA citation style:

Ketchel, C., Richardson, W. H., Daughters Of The American Revolution, C. B. C., Maney, C. & Trey Peterson. (1949) Walter Harold Richardson Collection. [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.92620/.

MLA citation style:

Ketchel, Carolyn, et al. Walter Harold Richardson Collection. 1949. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.92620/>.