Part of the Bellingham/Mendon Veteran’s Oral History Project
Interviewer: Marjorie Turner Hollman
Recorded at ABMI Cable 8 Studios, Bellingham, MA
Video uploads to Youtube thanks to Amy Haug, Bellingham, MA
Thomas G. Donnelly grew up in the Boston area and entered the U.S. Navy in 1954. He was stationed on the USS Coral Sea, an aircraft carrier. He witnessed plane crashes, weathered storms, traveled to Europe and visit Cuba just prior to the revolution in that country. He carried his camera with him regularly, and during this interview shared some of the photographs he took during his time of service.
After his discharge from service he has continued to give back to the community by serving on the volunteer fire department, and is a volunteer van driver for the Bellingham Senior Center.
The Bellingham/Mendon Veteran’s oral History Project is supported in part by a grant from the Bellingham Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency."
Wayne Morey grew up on a farm in the Milford, MA area, and joined the Navy in hopes of receiving the help he needed to get further education. He became Fire Control technician, which he learned had nothing to do with putting out fires. Instead of fighting fires, his responsibilities involved running the radar equipment on the USS Leyte, an aircraft carrier. Wayne shares stories of life aboard ship, details of early computers that ran equipment, learning trigonometry from a determined teacher, travels abroad, learning to not be wasteful, and finding ways to give back.
The Bellingham/Mendon Veteran’s oral History Project is supported in part by a grant from the Bellingham Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency."
Vietnam Era:
Part of the Bellingham/Mendon Veteran’s Oral History Project
Interviewer: Marjorie Turner Hollman
Recorded at ABMI Cable 8 Studios, Bellingham, MA
Video uploads to Youtube thanks to Amy Haug, Bellingham, MA.
Bruce W. Lord was drafted in February, 1966 and sent to Vietnam. He served with the 44th Med Brigade. He spent a year in Vietnam, initially stationed in Saigon, later moved to long Bihn. His official work was clerical, but Bruce took on the job of producing a weekly newsletter, “The Mover” as a method of maintaining communication with the various medical units spread throughout the country. In this interview he talks of daily military life, experiences that made it clear they were living in a war zone, the black market, people he met and ways he spent his spare time. Throughout the interview are photos Bruce took during his year in Vietnam. At the conclusion Bruce spends time talking about returning to a changed country that did not welcome back those who served in the military in Vietnam.
"The Bellingham/Mendon Veteran’s oral History Project is supported in part by a grant from the Bellingham Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency."
Part of the Bellingham/Mendon Veteran’s Oral History Project
Interviewer: Marjorie Turner Hollman
Recorded at ABMI Cable 8 Studios, Bellingham, MA
Video uploads to Youtube thanks to Amy Haug, Bellingham, MA.
Bellingham, MA resident Bill Vicini joined the Air Force in 1964 and served in Vietnam in the Field Maintenance Squadron with the 14th Air Command in Nha Trang. Besides keeping equipment in good repair, Bill provided aircraft crash recovery. In this interview he describes living conditions in Vietnam, challenges of living in a tropical climate, his duties as part of the crash recovery crew, enemy attacks on the base and more. When Bill returned to civilian life he continued to serve the community, working with the Fire Department and the school system here in Bellingham, MA. He presently works with disabled veterans, coordinating transportation of veterans to medical appointments, as well as aiding veterans in applying for benefits.
This program is supported in part by a grant from the Bellingham Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency."
Interview for the Bellingham/Mendon Veteran’s Oral History Project
Interviewer, Marjorie Turner Hollman
With support from ABMI Cable 8 in Bellingham, MA
Video uploads to Youtube thanks to Amy Haug, Bellingham, MA.
Bellingham, MA resident Robert P. Bartlett served as a medic in the U.S. Navy Reserve and was deployed with the U.S. Marines to Kuwait in 1991 in Desert Storm. In this brief oral history, Bartlett mentions the draft lottery that took place during the Vietnam War. Because of his low lottery number, Bartlett enlisted in the Navy rather than being drafted by the Army.
Bartlett was never deployed to Vietnam, and remained in the Navy Reserve for twenty plus years. During his deployment during Desert Strom he served on the front lines, patrolled oil fields, encountered Iraqi forces, and found himself between enemy tanks and US forces. He spoke warmly of discovering an Iraqi doctor who had been working in the US but returned home to visit his parents and was forcibly drafted into Sadaam’s army. He expressed admiration for this doctor and appreciation for his help during Desert Storm. The doctor was returned to the states at the war’s end. He also described treating injured Iraqi soldiers with numerous illnesses and lingering injuries from the Iran-Iraq war.
A father of three young children, Bartlett chose to retire after his deployment to Kuwait. Like many fellow soldiers, Bartlett has spent much of his adult life giving back to his community.
This program is supported in part by a grant from the Bellingham Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency."
Jim Fitzpatrick was drafted into the U.S. Army in July of 1967, and was headed to Vietnam. He became ill just prior to his unit’s departure, and ended up in Korea during the time of the Pueblo incident. Upon Jim’s return to the US he became involved in the anti-war movement, and experienced more violence here in the US than he had seen during his time of service in the Army. His last thought during the interview was of his friend who died, serving in Vietnam.
The Bellingham/Mendon Veteran’s oral History Project is supported in part by a grant from the Bellingham Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency." ABMI Cable8 TV also provides in-kind and monetary support of
this project.
Interview for the Bellingham/Mendon Veteran’s Oral History Project
Interviewer, Marjorie Turner Hollman
With support from ABMI Cable 8 in Bellingham, MA
Video uploads to Youtube thanks to Jean Weidman Bradley
Glenn E. Moody thought his life was going in one direction until he was drafted and ended up serving in the Army in Vietnam from 1969-1970. He shares his thoughts about the war, his experiences, how it changed his family, his life, and his perspective on life.
Turn of 21st century, War on Terror Era:
Interview for the Bellingham/Mendon Veteran’s Oral History Project
Interviewer, Marjorie Turner Hollman
With support from ABMI Cable 8 in Bellingham, MA
Video uploads to Youtube thanks to Amy Haug, Bellingham, MA.
Bellingham, MA resident Linda Calderiso joined the Army as a single mother with two small children. She says that she wanted to do something to make her sons proud of her. She talks about the challenges of boot camp and being so far away from her children, her determination to stay fit once she’d gotten into shape, and her experiences serving as an Emergency Prepared Liaison Officer during the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington. She talks about how her job changed after 9-11 with an increased awareness of the capabilities of emergency prepared liaisons. She also participated in work that addressed sexual harassment in the military after the Tailhook scandal and received an award for her work. She assisted with emergency response during Hurricanes Ivan and jean. Now retired from the Army, Linda serves with FEMA, using her experience with emergency preparedness. Each year she, her husband and a growing number of others band together each September 11 to climb the forty 4000 ft. peaks in New Hampshire, where they collectively post a flag on each peak and spend several hours at those peaks recalling the attacks and remembering those who were lost.
This program is supported in part by a grant from the Bellingham Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency."
Tim Harvey grew up in Blackstone and his family is from Bellingham, his parents have a business in Bellingham. His father served in the Army, but encouraged Tim to join the Marines for the closeness and camaraderie of this branch of the service. Tim went to college, graduated then joined the Marines as an officer candidate. After training and becoming an officer, Tim was deployed to Afghanistan in 2011. He served on two bases, Camp Eddi, a Forward Operating Base, (FOB) and Camp Leatherneck. He describes life on a FOB, security concerns, staying in shape with Marine Martial Arts training, and learning to manage in difficult circumstances. He left active duty in 2012, got an MBA on the GI Bill, and is now serving on State Senator Richard Moore’s staff as his District Director.
The Bellingham/Mendon Veteran’s oral History Project is supported in part by a grant from the Bellingham Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency." Cable8 ABMI TV also provides in-kind and monetary support of
this project.