Section 1: Richard Cunningham grew up in Augusta, Georgia. He, his twin brother, and two sisters were raised by their mother and father. Before he was born, Richard’s father served as a flight instructor during World War II.

Section 2: Richard discusses his motivations to enlist and his boot camp experience. He describes himself as “more or less” a volunteer, noting that he specifically wanted to go into the Air Force. When he enlisted, Richard did not know anything about Vietnam beyond the Gulf of Tonkin and Da Nang. Enlisting in 1965, he did not initially expect to go to Vietnam. While Richard remembers basic training being “kind of a joke,” some fellow enlistees struggled with boot camp. 

Section 3: Richard discusses his arrival at Da Nang, his daily work, and the people he served with. His tour, which began in September 1967, was relatively comfortable; Richard notes that he was treated well as part of the Air Force. He worked as an airplane mechanic yet encountered rocket attacks on 22 occasions. In terms of the diversity of Americans in the war zone, Richard recalls women who served as nurses at the on-base hospital as well as stewardesses on the planes that transported servicemembers to and from Vietnam.

Section 4: Richard recounts life on a base in Vietnam and the Vietnamese people he met as well as unique experiences while in country. Richard rarely left the Da Nang base, traveling exclusively to China Beach and the Navy PX. He nevertheless encountered Vietnamese people who worked on base, such as barbers, and men who served in ARVN. During his tour, Richard’s experiences ranged from the dramatic—surviving a typhoon—to the realities of daily life, such as adopting a local puppy and being rationed six cases of beer each month. He notes the prevalence of alcohol on base, adding that he and everyone he knew came back as alcoholics; the military “made it easy” to drink a lot. At Da Nang, Richard remembers US servicemembers all owning individual refrigerators, purchased at the PX. When he left Vietnam, Richard gave away many of his PX-purchased appliances to whoever wanted them, including a Vietnamese maid. Reflecting on his tour, Richard also recalls a bizarre incident in which a Marine who was refused food by a Vietnamese cook shot the cook.

Section 5: In terms of Agent Orange exposure, Richard’s barracks were across the street from hangars that held planes used for Operation Ranch Hand. He was not concerned at the time about Agent Orange.

Section 6 : Richard delves further into memories of his time in Vietnam. He remembers he and other servicemen drinking, often to excess, adding that they eventually ignored air raid sirens if they were in the middle of sleeping or drinking. Richard recalls humor and television as part of daily life, ranging from the adult magazine Sex to Sexty to the Animals song “We Gotta Get Out Of This Place” (1965) and television shows like I Love Lucy and The Smothers Brothers. Richard adds that “we all had TVs.” On a different note, Richard discusses his experience of the Tet Offensive; although the Da Nang base was “huge,” servicemembers were not completely insulated. They were hit “one or two times by rockets” and the base was closed to all but combat-essential aircraft for several days. Finally, Richard reminisces on difficult memories, including pilot casualties as a result of plane crashes.

Section 7 : In this final section on his time in country, Richard talks about communicating with family back home, amenities on base, and frustrations he faced as an airplane mechanic. He and his wife, who were newlyweds, wrote letters to each other every day. Richard notes that his base had two movie theaters, including one where he saw a John Wayne movie. He bought many items from the PX throughout his time in Vietnam, including alcohol and a 35-millimeter camera. Richard clarifies that he didn’t go on R&R; instead, he flew home on emergency leave to visit his father in the aftermath of repeated strokes. Richard adds on a somber note that this flight home included twelve coffins. On a different note, he discusses the prevalence of prostitution in country, noting that servicemen looked forward to payday so they could visit prostitutes who worked on base. Finally, Richard talks sarcastically about “McNamara’s whiz kids.” He discusses recurring issues with planes that he and his fellow mechanics had to fix, adding that the F-4 Phantoms didn’t have guns on them because of McNamara’s belief that it was the “age of missiles.”

Section 8: Richard talks about life after Vietnam. He describes feeling more affection for his wife and while becoming disillusioned with the war. Despite his own “antiwar” views, Richard is critical of Vietnam veterans who actively protested the war. He has discussed the war with few people; one exception is a Vietnam veteran who served as a combat medic whom he met after the war.

Section 9: Richard has not been to the wall in DC. He regrets not having visited the memorial because he knew at least four people whose names are on the wall.

Section 10: Richard has not been back to Vietnam. He would like to go back to Vietnam now, especially to see Da Nang today. His favorite book about the war was written by his wife’s uncle and is titled Vietnam Convoy Trucker. He also appreciates Full Metal Jacket (1987) for its representation of Da Nang, noting of his experience on base “that happened exactly like they show it.”