Interviewer
Jacob Haber
Files
Description
James R. Peterson describes growing up in Choteau County, Montana, after his parents immigrated to the United States from Sweden. He talks about attending the University of Montana during the beginning of the Vietnam War, and explains how a financial emergency resulted in him being drafted. He talks about being assigned to learn Vietnamese before he was stationed in Di An, Vietnam. Peterson recalls working closely with U.S. and Vietnamese security forces to identify and eliminate the Vietcong. He also mentions being awarded a bronze star for meritorious achievement during his four-month service. Peterson concludes by noting the importance of linguistics to military operations as well as the positive effects that come with learning another language and culture.
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Document Type
Oral History
Subjects
Vietnam War (1955-1975); Vietcong; Central Intelligence Agency [CIA]; Federal Bureau of Investigation [FBI]; United States Army; Linguistics, military
Original Date
11-23-2012
Time Period
Twentieth century
Geographic Coverage
Montana
Language
eng
Original Collection
U.S. Military Veterans Oral History Collection, Archives and Special Collections, Mansfield Library, University of Montana-Missoula
Digital Publisher
University of Montana--Missoula. Mansfield Library
Rights
Copyright to this collection is held by the interview participants and by the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, University of Montana-Missoula. Permission may be required for use. For further information please contact Archives and Special Collections: (406) 243-2053 / library.archives@umontana.edu
Oral History Number
OH 439-001
Media Type
Sound; Text
Original Format
1 sound file (00:56:17 min.) digital + 1 transcript (12 p.: 28 cm.)
Digital Format
audio/mp3; application/pdf
Run Time
00:56:17 minutes
Local Filename
OH_439_001.mp3; OH_439_001.pdf
Citation
Peterson, James R., "James R. Peterson Interview, November 23, 2012" (2012). U.S. Military Veterans Oral History Collection. 3.
https://scholarworks.umt.edu/militaryveterans_interviews/3