1. What is your name?

Bill McBride
2. Branch of service he/she served in?

USMC
3. What was your rank?

1st Lieutenant

4. Were you drafted or did you enlist?
I enlisted in 1958

5. Where were you living at the time?
Mill Valley, CA

6. Why did you join?
Graduated from high school, didn't have anything planned. originally joined a reserve unit and then shipped over into the regular Marine Corps after bootcamp.

7. Why did you pick the service branch you joined?
Had several friends in the Marines. Wanted to be in the toughest and the "best".

8. Do you recall your first days in service?
Pretty much like they were yesterday.

9. What did it feel like? although it was a bit scarey...the unknowns and all the rumors about boot camp, it was very rewarding and challenging. i felt like i was with "family". the main theme in the beginning was reducing everyone to a common level...physically, mentally, emotionally. when this was completed, the program focused on rebuilding the group into a "team", stressing both individual competence, physical and mental toughness, and teamwork....the team can do more than the collection of individuals. this was done through a lot of close order drill, obstacle course, physical training, classwork, etc. the drill instructors were (for the most part) very professional and good role models.

10. Tell me about your boot camp/training experience(s).
It was very demanding, both physically and mentally. We were constantly on the go...very little free time. Marine boot camp is legendary. Look at the boot camp scenes in "Full Metal Jacket" to get an idea. It is not too far off.

In addition to boot camp,I had a lot of other training in many subjects at various schools and units before I went to Vietnam. This included basic officer Infantry training at Quantico Virginia and Vietnamese Language training at Monterey, CA. I felt i was well prepared from a training and basic leadership perspective when i left for vietnam in june of 1967.

11. How did you get through it?
Gutting it out, taking it seriously, swallowing pride, studying hard, being a good listener, asking questions, trying to emulate others whom i admired/respected.

12. Where exactly did you go?
Initially to Phu Bai, Vietnam. later to quang tri and dong ha (northern areas of south vietnam).

13. Do you remember arriving and what it was like?
It was very hot, rained a lot, muddy, muggy, very green, lots of farmers out in the fields, a hustle and bustle in the small villages along the major roads. lots of kids giving thumbs up or "v" signs along the roads. sprawling bases, living in cramped, extremely hot tents, px with basic necessities, lots of music of all genres. dark, foreboding mountains, heavily forested. lots of rivers, streams, creeks. most of the population was concentrated on a small strip of flat land between the sea and the mountains.

14. What was your job/assignment?

Initially i was a platoon leader and patrol leader in a usmc ground reconnaissance unit. i had a small platoon (15 marines) that was divided into two patrols. one of the two patrols was usually in the field, and the other back at the base area. the patrols lasted anywhere from 3 to 6 days, depending on a lot of factors.

later i was a company executive officer and later company commander...all with the recon unit.

15. Did you see combat?

yes

16. Were there many casualties in your unit?

we had a lot of casualties...both killed and wounded during my tour....about 40% of the entire unit was either wounded, kia, or mia during the period 1965-1969. The book by larry vetter "never without heroes" has the details. it is out of print, but a local library might have a copy or be able to get one. i think the casualty rate in the regular line infantry units was probably about the same during that period.

17. Tell me about one of your most memorable experiences.

2-3 august 1967, my seven man patrol "partyline one" was on patrol in the ashau valley region. we were discovered by local farmers and pursued by nva soldiers and locals. the helicopter that came in on an emergency extraction was hit by an rpg while in the zone, and rolled over. 3 of my patrol were killed along with the helo crew chief. the rest of us were wounded. we were extracted by a second bird a short while later. we were not able to recover the bodies of those killed. they were eventually recovered in 1997 by a casualty recovery team.

18. Were you a prisoner of war? Tell me about your experiences in captivity and when freed.
no

19. Were you awarded any medals or citations?

yes, bronze star and purple heart, along with the standard campaign medals awarded to many of the units/individuals at that time

20. How did you get them?

bronze star and purple heart from the incident mentioned in question 17

21. How did you stay in touch with your family?
primarily by letters, sometimes by mars radio

22. Did you have plenty of supplies?
yes, for the most part.

23. Did you feel pressure or stress?
certainly. combat is extremely stressful, as were the periods getting ready for patrols, etc.

24. Was there something special you did for "good luck"?
not really...tried to pay attention to detail

25. How did people entertain themselves?
the normal things...listened to music, cards, chess, reading, sports, talking

26. What did you think of officers or fellow soldiers?
i admired and respected almost all of them. the few bad apples were not really a problem for the most part.

27. Do you recall the day your service ended?
i stayed in the marines until 1983. i remember the day the vietnam tour ended very vividly.

28. Where were you?
san antonio, texas

29. What did you do in the days and weeks afterward?
i was working at the time and raising a family.

30. Did you make any close friendships while in the service?

yes, many.

31. Did you continue any of those relationships?

i have maintained contact with a number of marines and others that i have known from pre-vietnam, vietnam, and post-vietnam.

32. Did you join a veterans organization?
i was in the purple heart association for a few years. i also joined our recon battalion association.

33. What did you go on to do as a career after the war?
mostly worked as a test engineer for a research organization.

34. Did your military experience influence your thinking about war or about the military in general?
yes, most definitely. it is a life shaping experience.

35. If in a veterans organization, what kinds of activities does your post or association have?
annual meetings and a news letter. some small locally organized get togethers from time to time

36. Do you attend reunions?
yes, infrequently

37. How did your service and experiences affect your life?

it made me realize and appreciate the way of life we have as americans. it taught me not to sweat the "small stuff", it made me leery of the promises and rhetoric of politicians, journalists, "experts", and others. it made me appreciate the sacrifices of my fellow service members and their families.