Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans

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Lee Riley

Vietnam | 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment

Lee Riley was a poor kid from a large family when he joined the Marines. Some of his older brothers had served in other branches but it was the Marines for him because he thought they were so cool. It wasn't cool what a particular sergeant did to him at boot camp. (4:36)
No problem. Lee Riley didn't mind at all that he had to go to Vietnam. He was a true Marine. Just tell me where to go. But when he got there, the first thing that happened was very troubling. (4:43)
Saddle up! The Marines were used to helicopters but this time they were ordered to board trucks. Hue City was under siege as the Tet Offensive raged across the entire country. Lee Riley recalls that they were under fire the minute they got there and it didn't let up for months. (5:12)
It was a war every day. For Lee Riley and the other Marines in his unit, there was no let up in the fighting. The battle for Hue City was long and brutal but at least Gen. Westmoreland removed the restrictions under which they were operating. (5:36)
Why would you extend for another six months in Vietnam? Lee Riley did and his reasoning may surprise you. They made an MP out of him for that period and it suited him just fine. He ran into a Vietnamese boy who explained to him exactly why America would fail in Vietnam and it had the ring of truth. (5:10)
Lee Riley is still not back from Vietnam. When he returned, he went straight to the VA and told them he was not the same person who left. Besides the PTSD there was the Agent Orange, the Camp Lejeune water and a slew of related health issues. But the reunions of his unit give him something to hold on to. (5:02)
Leland Kindred

WWII | 86th Combat Mapping Squadron, 7th Air Force

Leland Kindred shares his memories and thoughts during the final days of World War II in the Pacific. (4:33)
Leland Kindred recalls his closest call during an air raid on the island of Saipan. (3:03)
Leland Kindred, a B-24 pilot, remembers taking part in a raid during the invasion of Iwo Jima. (2:50)
Leland Kindred recalls buzzing his hometown during an aircraft training mission. (1:58)