Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans

SEARCH RESULTS

my selections

10,329
Videos
49
Photos
148
Docs

Search Again

advanced search

Jack Swallows

Vietnam | 2nd Battalion, 12th Marine Regiment

Only one letter home to his mom from Vietnam has survived, and in that letter, Marine forward observer Jack Swallows said that tomorrow's patrol was going to be nothing, a cakewalk. It didn't work out that way. (3:08)
His last post as a fire direction officer was at An Hoa. Jack Swallows remembers a mission there which had a small battery moving to a ridiculously exposed position. It was close to time to go home and he was inundated with pleas to extend his tour. (4:37)
It was early in his tour when Jack Swallows ran into a fellow Marine officer he knew in basic school. He gave him his best advice on what he would face in Vietnam, but it did no good. (4:34)
Jack Swallows remembers two things from his Vietnam tour that he probably shouldn't have done. One involved birthday cake and one involved an unexploded artillery round. (4:18)
Artillery guys never got time off. Forward observer Jack Swallows had to move to a new infantry unit when the unit he was attached to was moved to the the rear. At least his Vietnam tour was early in the war and he did not have to face the fierce fighting that Marines were confronted with later in the war. (5:40)
They tried everything to get him to return to active duty, but Jack Swallows was done with Vietnam. He remembers how the South Vietnamese Army let him down every time, and how the other side had flawless intelligence. (5:26)
Jack Swickard

Vietnam | 118th Assault Helicopter Company

Jack Swickard was from a military family and when the time came to be drafted, he enlisted beforehand as a matter of honor. He selected the warrant officer program that put him on track to be a helicopter pilot. First up was basic training, where he found the DI's to be quite entertaining. (4:08)
It was a memorable arrival at Mineral Wells for Jack Swickard, who checked into a hotel that turned out to not be a hotel. Once flight school began, he was at the mercy of higher ranking individuals who liked to make him snap to attention. (5:02)
During helicopter flight training, Jack Swickard's first instructor pilot really had it in for him, writing him up with pink slips for no reason. After he went through a check ride with another instructor, he was able to fix the situation. (2:09)
The group of new pilots was split up for the flight to Vietnam and Jack Swickard was on the first plane out. He was a little miffed that he was on the way while the other guys were partying in San Francisco. When he reached Honolulu, an engine failure gave him his revenge. (5:55)