William E. Washington
Washington
William E.
MD
Vietnam War, 1961-1975
Army
First Sergeant
Fort Jackson, South Carolina; Fort Lewis, Washington; Bainbridge Island, Washington; Greenland; Germany; Dong Ha, Khe Sanh, Fubi, Vietnam; Germany; Fort Bliss, Texas
Unknown
Veteran
"Coming back was not what I thought soldiers coming back from the war would receive." (Audio interview, 30:08)
Coming of age in Baltimore in the late 1950s, William E. Washington chose to join the military over working for a local industrial company, in hopes of learning some type of profession. Instead, he made the military a career. This choice transformed him from a self-described “street-wise smart kid” to a First Sergeant in the Army. In his interview, he describes highlights of his nearly 25 years in the military, including work on a Nike Hercules crew, deployments to Greenland and Germany, and service as a battalion ammunition officer in Vietnam.
Vietnam War: Looking Back
Attending public school in Baltimore; part of the first integrated high school class in Maryland; reasons for joining the military; did not want to work in industry in Baltimore.
Job as a crew member working on Nike Hercules missiles.
Witnessing racism in the military, but still felt it was a place of great opportunity; deployment to Vietnam; providing infusion of new troops to units already there.
Experiences during siege of Khe Sanh; time of awakening for him in regards to the nature of the war; change of attitude.
Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
https://memory.loc.gov/diglib/vhp/story/loc.natlib.afc2001001.05457/
DLC-AFC
2023-06-05
loc.natlib.afc2001001.05457