Interview With a Participant in the Korean War and Vietnam - Paper Example

Robert: Army?

Interviewer: Why?

Robert: Because the Navy wouldnt take me. The reason they didnt take me they thought I was too young but the army took me.

Interviewer: How old were you when you went in?

Robert: 14 years.

Interviewer: 14 years old. Did you remember your first day in service?

Robert: I used to make sure I was always on time I wouldnt be recognized for being too young. I took my birth at night when everybody was asleep because I didnt have even have pubic hair you know. I kept up with most of them I had to craze. So I was way ahead of most of them.

Interviewer: oral to from high school?

Robert: Yeah.

Interviewer: Okay. Do you remember anything about boot camp or the training when you first got in? Do you remember boot camp?

Robert: Yeah it was supposed to be eight weeks, but it took six weeks and the seventh and eighth week we supposed to go out on the deep wagon but they cruise California and they took us all out for two weeks and then it was time for me finish basic in the eighth weeks they brought us back gave our orders and moved us out. Something that was in my favor they didnt know how old I was.

Interviewer: so go ahead and list which wars did you serve?

Robert: The Korean War and one year tours in Vietnam.

Interviewer: Two tours in Vietnam? Do you know exactly where you went on Korean War?

Robert: In the Korean War I went to Komalale where 187 airports.

Interviewer: Do you remember arriving there how was it like?

Robert: Yeah. We got into a replacing Company, and they were a lot of people the line was about 50 yards long, and then they put us in trucks to move after we were assigned our unit. Vietnam was different I went straight to Madrid King 191, and this is the first tour I was with civilians. I spent one year living with civilians in the village. And on my second tour, I worked in a hospital. I was the security MCO. It got blown up, and they wanted me there to make the place more secure because I was there before. I had to put up a lot barbered wire fences, burn a lot of grass, clear the field you know, built bunkers.

Interviewer: Would you say that was probably the most memorable experience in Vietnam or was your best?

Robert: It wasnt the most memorable because I was shot twice by snipers and I was ambushed once.

Interviewer: You were a prisoner of war. Were you?

Robert: Never I had one bullet left I was gonna use that one.

Interviewer: so when you were ambushed you werent really caught?

Robert: No werent caught. We kept falling back and then we started running backward away from the ambush.

Time: 05:32 12:15 (Robert F Orozco Copy)

Interviewer: So where you awarded any medal in Vietnam?

Robert: Yeah. I got the bronze star that the highest and I also the Army Commendation.

Interviewer: And then you basically earned those by doing your job there, you didnt kinda do anything like more heroic?

Robert: Yeah

Interviewer: Were you ever injured? I mean you were shot at but did you get shot?

Robert: They missed me. I ran like hell

Interviewer: what about how did you stay in touch with the family when you were in Vietnam?

Robert: The first year I did writing, and I could write everywhere in the jungles, and you could drop mail by.

Interviewer: How was the food like in Vietnam?

Robert: The food we ate was from the civilians. We ate a lot of pigs, fish, and Shrimps. A lot of rice.

Interviewer: so fish and shrimp were there in the land like they were catching?

Robert: yeah. The boats used to come in.

Interviewer: Do you feel you had plenty of supplies there?

Robert: Yeah we had plenty of suppliers the only backup we had was spooky. Surprise c47 we called them 'spooky,' anytime we got shot at we called 'spooky,' and it came in spraying with that dangling head.

Interviewer: So like you when you were there in Vietnam how did you keep entertained like women?

Robert: Drinking.

Interviewer: Drinking?

Robert: So the first time there was a seven men team the radio man, rifle specialists, heavy weapons specialists and then the wedge. We werent allowed to drink we were always alert when dark at night. We didnt even play a record coz there was no electricity we had a generator but was only charged batteries for the radios so it could last all night and then in the morning, they turned it off.

Interviewer: What about like guitar did you play music in that?

Robert: No. we didnt. During the day I was a medic, during the day, I would have civilians they were bringing little kids just injured. I would take care of them every day I would see three or four, some of them with cold becoming big fevers.

Interviewer: Can you name some other places you traveled to while you in the army?

Robert: no. I cant even pronounce the names.

Interviewer: While at least the countries.

Robert: There was Kantu the little village was named Oman. And on the second tour, I was stationed inand I used to travel from which is right on the ocean. is in a mountain zone.

Interviewer: You went around the world did you say you went to Germany or you went to?

Robert: I been to Ukraine, Korea, Vietnam, Philipines and then over here I went to the state I have been to Washington State and then to Georgia, Carolina and Panama. And then in Germany, I have been to , Denmark, Spain, and France. And I was stationed in Germany thats where I broke my leg in Germany.

Interviewer: Did you end up keeping a personal diary?

Robert: No they told us not to keep diaries, I lot of guys did break the law, but in case you got captured they were told not to keep diaries.

Interviewer: What about pranks? Did you do pranks on each other?

Robert: Oh yeah.

Interviewer: Can you name one that you used to do?

Robert: We used to take all the spray gunner in the bed and tie them with a string and then a guy would come in drunk at night and lie on it, they would break the string and fall down. Or either tie a bed up on the raft the whole bed, and he would be looking for it

Time: 00:32 05:15 (Robert F Orozco Copy 2)

Interviewer: So how many years of services did you in the army?

Robert: I spent twenty years in four months. And I got retired than a year, and two months later they called me right back and sent me into Vietnam again. I spent two years and eight months.

Interviewer: So I guess for a total of twenty-two years?

Robert: 23 something.

Interviewer: Did you remember the day I guess you ended. Do you remember that day?

Robert: Yeah. The fastest charge from retirement was always nice but then on the second after they call back in. I wasnt supposed to go in for two years, but they kept saying they needed me and they kept extending me six months. On the second six months, I question them you know why are you extending me when I only signed up for two years. They told me there was nothing I could do. So I went and saw Henry b. Gonzales the current congressman. When they called operations in the Pentagon he told them my story, and they told him to give me an order and go home and stay home, and they would go and have an investigation to why they kept me illegally, they supposed to go through the Pentagon before they could extend me. I went home that day, and twenty days later they sent me a discharge and another medal that the brown star recommendation this are all written ups they gave me. I was a

Interviewer: soon as you got the army did you stay home? What did you do? Or you kinda stayed off?

Robert: No. No. I stayed off work till I got my discharge then I took my discharge to the post office, and they gave me my job back because I was already working when they recalled me?

Interviewer: So did you actually use the ?

Robert: Yeah. I went two years to college.

Interviewer: Two years? What college did you go to?

Robert: . College. I took business administration and also technology. And then I ran out of time, so I went to work and helping I also got a promotion. I became the station manager when I retired.

Interviewer: So would you happen to say you had some close friendship in the services

Robert: Oh yeah. When I go to the 82nd, I was 16 years old. The last part was 1949, and I stayed there from 1933 May I think it was and I got orders to go Korea war. I was there by three months before the war ended and I stayed there till they removed all equipment back to Japan. Then I spent the other rest of my time in Japan. It was a total of two years between Korea and Japan.

Interviewer: That friend that you saw in Vegas?

Robert: Yeah he was one of my banker mates.

Interviewer: How many years as it been since you seen him?

Robert: It was 49 years.