Section 1: Bill Miller discusses growing up in a military family and his father’s World War II service, including his time as a Prisoner of War (POW). Bill was at college, on academic probation, when he was drafted.

Section 2: Bill received two separate draft notices at his school and home addresses and opted to join the Army, as it offered perks such as the best base pay and shorter time in service. He recalls boot camp and the extent to which fellow trainees struggled. His specialized training, which included radio communications, took him to Fort Dix. Bill did not expect to go to Vietnam, hoping instead he would spend his three years in Germany, where he was initially stationed.  

Section 3: Bill arrived in Vietnam on January 10, 1968—less than three weeks before the start of the Tet Offensive. He was in Pleiku during the Offensive, where he initially entered a bunker with his shoes on the wrong feet. For the rest of his time in Vietnam, he was a communications sergeant who frequently went on patrol. Bill discusses one of his assignments—defending a small nuclear test reactor from the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese. He recalls the demographics of those he served with, including relatively few people who had attended college. 

Section 4: Recalling his time in country, Bill reflects on growing up around Filipino and Japanese Americans and how this shaped his attitudes toward Vietnamese people; he emphasizes his respect for Vietnamese soldiers and their military experience. Bill discusses encounters with dangerous animals in the jungle, including large snakes. He notes that Commanding General William Westmoreland referred to the Vietnamese Rangers as “chicken thieves” because they were often under-provisioned and forced to live off the land. 

Section 5: Bill vividly remembers Agent Orange being sprayed “just like rain” and enumerates his own complications, ranging from type 2 diabetes to twenty skin cancers.  

Section 6 : Bill recalls important friendships with American soldiers and his Vietnamese interpreter, Dong. After staying in touch with Dong for more than a year after Bill left Vietnam, they lost contact. In 2006, Bill learned that Dong had spent seven years in a reeducation camp before leaving Vietnam as one of the “boat people,” eventually settling in Fort Worth, Texas. Through a mutual acquaintance, Bill called Dong and a week later visited him in Texas. They and their wives remain friends today.  

Section 7 : Addressing connections between Vietnam and home, Bill talks about writing letters to his family and making memorable purchases in country. He notes that he didn’t tell his family what he was doing in Vietnam for over forty years. Among the items he bought in Vietnam was a rifle he stowed in the overhead compartment on his flight home.  

Section 8: Bill reflects on his life after Vietnam, including civilian hostility towards Vietnam veterans and aspects of his service he shielded his family from. While at college, wearing his old Army jacket, Bill had a confrontation with another student that turned violent and resulted in a short-term suspension. Years later, at a military reunion, Bill’s wife learned that her husband had held one of the most dangerous jobs in Vietnam. 

Section 9: Bill describes his strong feelings towards the Wall in DC, noting that it took him a long time to visit and that it was the first time his children ever saw him cry. He knows many names on the wall but believes it is incomplete and should include those who died from wounds after the fact

Section 10: In this final section, Bill talks about his positive feelings towards Vietnamese people and the Rangers. In his final reflections on the Vietnam War, Bill both affirms that he would “fight with them [the Rangers] again” and notes that he had shrapnel removed from his back just last year.