Interview with Stewart Eugene Koontz, March 16, 2022

Interview Summary

Stewart Koontz was born in Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania. He grew up in a military family, as his father was a WWII Veteran and his brother, Pete, was in the Army. He avoided the draft until he was 19 years old. He enlisted in the army in 1968 and served for 20 months. He went to military school for stock Control and Accounting, then on to Mechanized Stock Control. Eventually, he entered the NCO Academy so he could get the Infantry MOS of 11B. He then joined the 75th Rangers as an LLRP (long-range reconnaissance patrol) in Team 22. He earned the Combat Infantryman Badge, 4 Bronze Stars for Valor, 2 Army Commendation Medals, the Air medal plus several others. Stewart recounts the events that lead to him joining the Army, what took place in Vietnam and Germany, the social movements of the anti-war movement and civil war movement, and how these events affected his life and those around him.

Interview Keyword

Vietnam anti-war LLRP combat draft civil rights wall

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Interview Usage

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