Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans

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Ron Rutowski

Vietnam | 2nd Battalion, 60th Infantry, 9th Division

During a firefight, Ron Rutowski was put in a tough spot after his M16 jammed. Fortunately, he had air support that helped him remain safe from VC fire. (9:07)
While stationed at base camp, Ron Rutowski and his unit constantly had VC trying to infiltrate their camp. During one of these, he took flak from a Claymore and had to go to the hospital to get his wounds treated. (5:42)
Ron Rutowski tells of the medals that he and his unit received for their time in Vietnam and what it was like to transition back to American life. (4:48)
Ron Rutowski remembers some humorous events that happened in Vietnam as he was trying to pass the time. (4:48)
For Ron Rutowski, remembering his fallen friends is one of the hardest parts about remembering his time in war. The guilt of losing fellow soldiers never leaves you. (7:10)
Ron Rutowski gives his opinion on who the Vietnam veterans are and the importance of respecting the men who served there. (2:28)
Ron Schuh

Vietnam | 13th Tactical Fighter Squadron

Ron Schuh always wanted to be a fighter pilot. Nothing else would do. He thought he had an appointment to the Air Force Academy, but that didn't work out so Air Force ROTC was the starting point for him. (4:49)
Commissioned out of Air Force ROTC in 1967, Ron Schuh was assigned to fly the F-4 Phantom. He was lucky to get the new F-4E model which had an internal rotating gun, something that was left out of the early models because, "The Air Force doesn't dogfight, anymore." Guess again! They were tangling with MIG's over Vietnam. (4:00)
When new F-4 Phantom pilot Ron Schuh got to his base in Thailand, he quickly found out that he knew nothing. On an early mission, he asked his crew mate what were those white puffy things? They're shooting at us! That was the first time he saw ground fire. He became part of a new program which used F-4's as a Forward Air Controller platform. It was too dangerous over North Vietnam for the small unarmed aircraft. (4:30)
F-4 pilot Ron Schuh was either working air strikes or flying low looking for targets of opportunity. He took hits from AK-47's and every kind of anti-aircraft fire. There were a lot of close calls but he was never shot down. He did suffer weight loss from the stress and the environment until he was almost grounded. (6:38)