Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans
5:04 | Growing up with polio could have meant Bill Knowlton would’ve been unlikely to ever serve in the military, but in his favor he was able to join the Army after he got fed up working on Wall Street. Being placed in Airborne really gave him a love for the Army so he decided to take on more responsibility and go to Officer Candidate School. (Interview conducted at, and with the assistance of, The Veterans History Museum of the Carolinas.- https://theveteransmuseum.org/)
Keywords : New York City NY Wisconsin Ft. Campbell 101st Airborne Division Ft. Bragg short OCS (Officer Candidate School) Hawaii Ft. Benning
Coming out of Officer Candidate School, Bill Knowlton would be assigned to the Special Forces which had already done a lot of work in Vietnam. In fact, some members had already done multiple tours there, and he recalls the tragic story of one who was trying to go back to support his comrades. After another long stint of training, he’d get his orders to Vietnam. (Interview conducted at, and with the assistance of, The Veterans History Museum of the Carolinas.- https://theveteransmuseum.org/)
When Bill Knowlton arrived in Vietnam, he found himself under fire in no time. His assignment was to assist the locals in developing and defending their livestock and agriculture from the Viet Cong, He remembers calling for support during one firefight and seeing something he’d never seen before. (Interview conducted at, and with the assistance of, The Veterans History Museum of the Carolinas.- https://theveteransmuseum.org/)
Bill Knowlton got a new assignment after working on Revolutionary Development. Sent to Detachment A4, he’d end up joining a group that would fight in the Battle of Nui Coto. The Composition Force made up of Vietnamese and other mercenary groups of Southeast Asia would go up against entrenched NVA and VC soldiers. (Interview conducted at, and with the assistance of, The Veterans History Museum of the Carolinas.- https://theveteransmuseum.org/)
Bill Knowlton recalls leading a very successful ambush on a supply line moving through Cambodia. (Interview conducted at, and with the assistance of, The Veterans History Museum of the Carolinas.- https://theveteransmuseum.org/)
Bill Knowlton tells some stories about the men he served with during his time with 5th Special Forces and the sort of conditions they had to work through at their camp. (Interview conducted at, and with the assistance of, The Veterans History Museum of the Carolinas.- https://theveteransmuseum.org/)
When his tour was ending, the Special Forces camp was being transitioned to be operated by the RFPFs. While they were doing training in the field, a MAC-V group came to be pinned down and Bill Knowlton recalls taking a group of men to pull them out, for which he was awarded the Silver Star. (Interview conducted at, and with the assistance of, The Veterans History Museum of the Carolinas.- https://theveteransmuseum.org/)
On his second tour in Vietnam, Bill Knowlton was sent to the 3rd Battalion, where he was tasked with cleaning out ambush sites. He was promoted to Company Commander where he visited his platoons and taught them how to fight. (Interview conducted at, and with the assistance of, The Veterans History Museum of the Carolinas.- https://theveteransmuseum.org/)
Bill Knowlton was sent to the Battle of Whiskey Mountain on the outskirts of Phan Thiet. The fighting was extremely close due to the heavy bamboo, and quickly he lost his platoon and squad leaders. He recalls the extreme consequences of this battle, which earned him his second Silver Star. (Interview conducted at, and with the assistance of, The Veterans History Museum of the Carolinas.- https://theveteransmuseum.org/)
Bill Knowlton tell the story of a close friend of his, Terry Weaver, who was paralyzed by a flechette round during battle. That didn’t stop him from living a great life after the war. (Interview conducted at, and with the assistance of, The Veterans History Museum of the Carolinas.- https://theveteransmuseum.org/)
When Bill Knowlton returned home from Vietnam, he didn’t shy away from letting people know he was a veteran. (Interview conducted at, and with the assistance of, The Veterans History Museum of the Carolinas.- https://theveteransmuseum.org/)
Bill Knowlton wants people to know about the caliber of men he served with in Vietnam and how we should hold them in our memory. (Interview conducted at, and with the assistance of, The Veterans History Museum of the Carolinas.- https://theveteransmuseum.org/)
