Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans
2:34 | Mike Peterson came from a military family, but enlisted in the Marines with a certain degree of doubt. After a rocky start in training, he finds his place as a radio operator.
Keywords : Field Radio Operator Marines Smedley Butler M1 Thumb Garand Thumb M-14
Mike Peterson arrives in Vietnam on the eve of the Tet Offensive, and wakes up in the middle of the night amid gunfire and chaos. A careless lifer causes a massive explosion that levels the local hooches.
Peterson learns about the Combined Action Program from an article in Life Magazine, and joins the CAPs after his first tour. His platoon comes to accept the complicated nature of their relationship with the locals, which ultimately leads to betrayal - and the death of a comrade.
Haunted by the fall of Saigon - and the death of a friend for which he wrongfully shouldered the blame - Peterson unpacks his service pistol and contemplates suicide. He manages to turn his life around; he meets his wife and returns to Vietnam for a chance to heal the scars of war.
Though he started as a true believer, Mike Peterson gradually became disenchanted with the Marines, and the Vietnam War. His reflections and research on Vietnam - and how the war was waged - lead him to the sober realization that we have become reckless with American lives.
