Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans

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Ralph Colin

Vietnam | 3rd Battalion, 39th Infantry Regiment, 9th Infantry Division

During his first firefight, as Viet Cong tracers streaked over his head, Ralph Colin remembered something a sergeant said to him back at Fort Ord. It rang true at that moment. There was a lot to learn. How to slog through deep mud. How to spot booby traps. And, most importantly, who not to trust. (4:15)
Ralph Colin had been doing a good job, maybe too good, he thought. They made him point man so he was leading the way. He was working it jointly with a partner on the day they found a booby trap the hard way. (4:23)
Soon as he had recovered from his wounds, Ralph Colin was back at point. Fortunately, the first few outings resulted in no firefights. His unit had gone from riding in Tango Boats to riding in helicopters. Even though you had to hang on for dear life, the best spot to ride was right by the door. (6:12)
Ralph Colin knew what was coming when he saw the marking round hit the mud right next to his squad. They all started running as he frantically called in to try and stop the friendly artillery barrage. But he couldn't relay his position because the enemy was surely listening in. That's when he became a Code Talker. (5:35)
President Nixon had started the draw down so Ralph Colin could start thinking about going home. First they housed him for a few weeks on a troop ship in the Delta, which beat life in the bush by a lot. Then they flew him to Hawaii, where he spent his last couple of months in the Army. Then it was home to family. (8:31)
The longer you were there, the more you learned. As a squad leader in Vietnam, Ralph Colin was responsible for his men and when a new guy wasn't going along with the program, it took some strong words to set him straight. (6:01)
Ralph Dunlap

WWII | Amphibious Reconnaissance Battalion

Like so many young men following the attack on Pearl Harbor, Ralph Dunlap was eager to join the fight. And like so many mothers, his would not sign for him, so on his eighteenth birthday, he enlisted in the Marines. (This interview made possible with the support of COL ROBERT W. RUST, USMCR (ret.) in honor of LtGen Lawrence Snowden & LtGen George Christmas.) (5:20)
Newly minted Marine Ralph Dunlap was sent from Camp Lejeune to Hawaii, where he volunteered for the Amphibious Reconnaissance Battalion, a highly specialized force that approached beachheads ahead of landings to assess the obstacles and dangers. This required some Olympic class swimming. (This interview made possible with the support of COL ROBERT W. RUST, USMCR (ret.) in honor of LtGen Lawrence Snowden & LtGen George Christmas.) (6:26)
After training in Hawaii, Ralph Dunlap headed for Saipan to reconnoiter the beachhead. He was part of an elite Marine reconnaissance unit that, under cover of night, approached the shore in rubber boats and swam in to assess the defenses. They had to do this, not only on Saipan and Tinian, but on the many small islands that surrounded them. (This interview made possible with the support of COL ROBERT W. RUST, USMCR (ret.) in honor of LtGen Lawrence Snowden & LtGen George Christmas.) (6:58)
After witnessing an amusing incident involving sake on Saipan, Ralph Dunlap thought he might be headed back to Pearl Harbor, but the destination was a little island called Iwo Jima. His usual reconnaissance mission was to scout out beachheads before invasion, but there, he was needed on shore to assess the situation out in front of the lines. (This interview made possible with the support of COL ROBERT W. RUST, USMCR (ret.) in honor of LtGen Lawrence Snowden & LtGen George Christmas.) (4:59)