Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans

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Al Brown

WWII | H Company, 30th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division

As Al Brown's unit moved North from Italy into the Rhone Valley, the Germans fought very skillful delaying actions. Digging in near Belmont, France, he noticed an officer and a radio operator casually sitting in the open. Before long, they were all running. (8:22)
When the war ended, Al Brown experienced high and low emotions. Happy for victory and sad for fallen comrades, and even for the Germans. The turmoil followed him on the trip home in the form of a raging hurricane. (5:13)
As the Victory Ship entered New York Harbor, the fog cleared just in time for Al Brown to see the Statue of Liberty. It was a good feeling to be home. (3:45)
Al Carter

Korea | 244th Infantry Regiment, 40th Infantry Division

Al Carter was sixteen before he moved from the farm to town and got to know electricity and and running water. Then he entered the Army and got to know the 4.2 inch mortar. (2:59)
Before Al Carter could reach the front lines in Korea, he had to go through a hurricane at sea which made everyone sick. Then he had to ride underpowered Korean trains, which would often not make it up a hill, roll back and have to build up more steam for another try. (5:11)
Like many soldiers, Al Carter had no idea where he was or what unit he was going to be in when he got to the Korean front. He considered it lucky when he was assigned to a mortar platoon. Stoically turning down a Purple Heart turned out to be not so lucky. (6:42)
It was cold in Korea but Al Carter says that a body gets used to it and that he was prepared from the tough basic training. His unit moved a lot on the front, but he never saw Korean towns or cities, only the lonely front, where all the civilians had been evacuated. During this time, a Korean friend he met after the war was fleeing the North. (5:48)
For six months, Al Carter had served in a mortar platoon in combat all along the front in Korea. Then the cease fire came and for longer than that, the unit did everything they had been doing except fire their weapons. (3:10)
Al Copeland

Vietnam | A Company, 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 199th Light Infantry Brigade

He felt he owed it to the country, so Al Copeland volunteered early for the draft. He was infantry all the way, and after basic training and jungle training in the cold rain, he was ready for Vietnam. (5:25)
He was apprehensive, of course, especially after somebody told him he wasn't going to last because of his height. Al Copeland entered Vietnam as a replacement and began to learn the art of the ambush. After dealing with the mosquitos, he had to deal with the booby traps. (4:29)