Interview with James Palmer, April 12, 2022

Interview Summary

In this interview James Palmer discusses his upbringing and experiences during the Vietnam War. Palmer was born in Philadelphia and raised in Langhorne Pennsylvania. Attending University of Pennsylvania's and graduating from the ROTC program as a Lieutenant in 1962, he then went into the reserves to train as a pilot for eight months at the US Army Aviation School in Texas, finishing his training as a gunship pilot he ended up in Vietnam in February 1968, right at the start of the Tet Offensive. He was typically stationed outside Saigon at an eighty mile arc around it. Running supply and rescue missions as a helicopter pilot of the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, he finished his tour a year later in 1969, later going on to graduate law school. He looks back on his service with disappointment at the nation for engaging in the conflict in the first place, and regret of the suffering caused to all.

Interview Keyword

Selective Service (draft) Saigon ROTC 11th Armored Cavalry Brigade Saigon o Saigon Emergency leave Huey Cobras Bell 47 helicopter Veterans Association

Interview LC Subject

Vietnam War, 1961-1975 Vietnam Helicopter pilots Tet Offensive, 1968 Veterans

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Interview Usage

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