Section 1: Mike Hart grew up in Aiken, South Carolina, alongside two younger brothers and a younger sister. Until 1951, when the family settled in Aiken, Mike’s father was a Marine Corps drill instructor at Parris Island; Mike’s mother was a schoolteacher. During World War II, his father was stationed at Pearl Harbor when it was attacked in 1941 and later served at Guadalcanal. In 1963, Mike started college at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and later transferred to the University of South Carolina Aiken for the 1964–65 school year. After Mike’s first attempts at college, his father suggested he “find something permanent,” which Mike took to mean the military. 

Section 2: Mike joined the Air Force in 1965, deciding against enlisting in the Marines. He adds that having been raised by a Marine Corps drill instructor, he knew that he didn’t want the Marine life. He expected to serve in Germany or France, not Vietnam. While Mike had a smooth boot camp experience, he remembers a cadet who was not well liked having a rough time. 

Section 3: Mike was terrified when he landed in Vietnam at Ton San Nhut in 1966. After the nighttime landing, he was assigned to a base in Quang Tri, fourteen miles from the North Vietnamese border. Mike worked as a rear gunner involved in intelligence gathering. He primarily conducted visual reconnaissance, such as bomb damage assessment, and reported to Air Force Command in Saigon at the end of each day. Mike recalls the diverse people he served alongside—Americans and Australians—as well as Vietnamese people on base, such as mamasans. 

Section 4: Mike’s memories range from witnessing Vietnamese poverty and death to conducting reconnaissance and encountering bizarre wildlife. He recalls children begging for cigarettes and candy; he notes that those under the age of six lacked basic clothing, such as diapers and pants. Once, while gathering intelligence, Mike saw an elephant and was subsequently asked by command if it had pack marks—a sign that the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) had used the elephant to transport supplies. In terms of wildlife, he also saw a worm as big as a snake when his bunker filled with water. Reflecting on the hardships of GI life, Mike attests that he was the hottest and coldest he has ever been when he was in Vietnam. Finally, he details his encounters with death in country, as well as a Vietnamese POW.

Section 5: Mike remembers seeing Agent Orange being sprayed. He explains that one of his tasks was marking areas to be defoliated.

Section 6 : Mike reflects on the horrors of war, coping mechanisms while in country, and the joy and relief of returning home. He and fellow servicemen would play games and listen to music together to escape the war. The most beautiful thing Mike saw in Vietnam was the plane parked outside of Da Nang that would take him home. Despite his eagerness to leave, he remembers Vietnam being beautiful, minus the B-52 pockmarks and Agent Orange defoliation. Finally, he recalls a particular incident in which enemy forces broke into a jail near his base, which escalated into a full-blown attack on the base itself.

Section 7 : Mike reminisces about experiences in country, including receiving letters, enjoying entertainment on base, and shopping for souvenirs. He looked forward to receiving packages from his wife, which often included home-made cookies. One package arrived crushed beyond recognition; undeterred, Mike found a spoon and ate the powdered cookies. While Mike was at Quang Tri, a USO show came through, as did movie star Robert Mitchum, who played poker with troops on base. Mike recounts buying a watch at the PX, as well as stereo equipment and pearls for his wife; he also bought souvenirs for his family, including Vietnamese dresses and dolls.

Section8: Mike reflects on the years after his service. He believes that his father was proud of him even though he never said it. In terms of postwar family life, Mike remembers that his younger brother, a Marine, received orders for Vietnam but managed to get rerouted to Okinawa. Mike did not know any antiwar veterans but did know intelligence personnel who were sent to Columbia to visit the UFO—the first GI coffeehouse. Mike returned to college to finish his degree in 1969 and graduated from the University of South Carolina in 1971. He notes that many eventual Vietnam veterans, like him, started college in 1963, served in Vietnam, and finally graduated in 1971. Mike adds that his status as a Vietnam veteran was a non-issue on campus, in contrast to depictions of campus life on television. Since the war, Mike has not spoken very often about Vietnam, nor has he re-read the letters he wrote to his wife while in-country. 

Section 9: Mike has been to the wall in DC. He adds that he wanted to go several times; when he finally visited, he “sat there and cried like a baby.” In response to the wall’s initial controversy, Mike notes that everything about Vietnam was controversial.

Section 10: Mike has not been back to Vietnam and does not plan to return. He adds that the only part of Asia he would like to visit is where his father served—Guadalcanal. In closing, Mike shares that his favorite movie about the Vietnam War is We Were Soldiers (2002).