WEIDNERSTEPHEN

Interview with Stephen Weidner, 1974

 

1974-04-26

 

Interviewer: Van Mullem, Lynn

On the tape of this interview with Stephen Weidner, Vietnam veteran, the sound quality is poor. He was in Vietnam from June 1969-June 1970. His mother was a nurse, from Mexico; his father in in the United States Navy, previously in Vietnam 1966-1967, involved in building airstrips and housing. His sister was 21, in the Navy Corps, a WAVE in the Great Lakes and Portsmouth; his brother was 10 at the time. His grandfather was in the Navy in 1917-1918. He had always wanted to be an officer in the Navy, like a family tradition. He and a buddy signed up together and together went to Parris Island to the recruit depot. Trained as a machine gunner, he was assigned to the First Marine Division, which everyone knew went to Vietnam. He discusses the distrust the Marines had of Vietnamese people, given the guerrilla warfare and what he called "sandbagging," not following orders.

Stephen Weidner; Lynn Van Mullem; Vietnam veterans; Veterans; Vietnam War; United States Marine Corps; First Marine Division; Combat; Viet Cong; Vietnamese people; Machine gunners

 

California

© San Diego State University. All rights reserved.

 

 

English

 

Audiotape

01:25:15

No

 

 

 

Audio

MP3

102.68 MB