Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans

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Mike Vining

Vietnam | 99th Ordnance Detachment

Vietnam was a testing ground for all sorts of new weapons and tactics. Mike Vining details the implementation of a new experimental type of ammunition, the XM-74, and how it’s chemical components presented an extreme hazard for his EOD team when one got loose. (10:58)
Mike Vining describes some classified munitions he had to deal with at Fire Support Base Audie after the enemy attacked and artillery was called in to stop them. (2:20)
There wasn’t much that would save you if munitions were detonating by you, and Mike Vining details the one time he wore a flak jacket in Vietnam. (1:33)
After his tour in Vietnam, Mike Vining returned to the civilian world and landed a job in a factory. The shift was fine and the pay was right, but the working conditions were plenty dangerous. Despite the Army’s reduction in force, he was able to reenlist, but on one condition. (9:15)
Operating stateside, Mike Vining’s EOD unit was tasked with assisting the Secret Service with large scale events. During a Presidential election event where Senator Bob Dole was visiting Quincy, IL, the town would be rocked by a nearby explosion and subsequent bomb threats. (Part 1 of 2) (7:48)
The Secret Service had removed Senator Dole, but Mike Vining and his team were left in Quincy, IL to deal with the remaining bomb threats which ended tragically. (Part 2 of 2) (10:52)
Mike Vining was looking for a change in his military career, and he wanted to put in to be a Special Forces Medic. At that time, Charlie Beckwith was developing a new unit based on his experiences with the British SAS, and Vining’s EOD experience would be a critical part of this new experiment, now known as Delta Force. (15:10)
Mountain climbing was more than a pastime for Mike Vining, who describes how it served as an escape as well as a professional skill. (3:54)
In 1983, the U.S. engaged in a mission to rescue a group of medical students on the island of Grenada, which had recently undergone a Marxist coup. The Special Operations community was still young on the heels of Operation Eagle Claw, and Mike Vining discusses his role in the mission. (13:01)
Mike Vining discusses his upcoming book, “Blasting Through,” where he’ll go into more details about his career, leadership, having and being a mentor, and his thoughts on moral injury. (8:26)