Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans
6:18 | After his training was finished, Kirk arrived in Pleiku, Vietnam. He was then stationed officially in An Khe, Vietnam and was told that his first mission would quite literally be the next day.
Keywords : David Kirk Pleiku Vietnam airplane stationed An Khe Vietnam first mission monsoon artillery Prisoners Platoon Gene Allen George Porter Bob Bowman Doctor Pusey RTO(Radio Telephone Operator) Company Commander Richard Shuy captain NVA (North Vietnamese Army) Song Mao Vietnam
David Kirk is originally from Alum Creek, West Virginia, and his father was stationed in the Philippines and Europe during World War II. Kirk never thought about also joining the military, and was instead drafted around the time of the Vietnam War. He went to Fort Jackson, South Carolina for basic training and Fort Polk, Louisiana for jungle training.
Kirk remembers a close call that he had, as well as a few other mishaps during his missions, such as trouble with his radio.
Kirk didn't have a lot of wildlife experience, but he remembers one time with a cobra encounter. When he returned back to the United States, he went to work for a friend of his in their beauty shop right in his hometown. He gives his reflections and final thoughts about the Vietnam War, and how he wants people to remember it.
