Interview with James J. Satterwhite, Vietnam War veteran. CCSU Veterans History Project скачать в хорошем качестве

Interview with James J. Satterwhite, Vietnam War veteran. CCSU Veterans History Project

Interview conducted by Gregg Cerosky. James J. Satterwhite graduated from West Point Military Academy in 1959 part of a class of 499. His first assignment was in Hawaii, first with the aviation company of the 25th Infantry Division, as an artillery spotter, and next as a Company Commander with the 65th Combat Engineer Battalion. After these assignments he transferred to the Transportation Corps, in order to complete his masters' degree at M.I.T., which he would have been unable to accomplish with the Corps of Engineers and Aviation. After completion of his degree in 1966, Satterwhite was sent overseas to Vietnam. During his first tour of duty he worked with the Research and Development Army Concept Team, where it was his job to distribute the experimental equipment to both Special Forces and regular infantry divisions. This job required that he travel through the entirety of Vietnam, and he saw much of the war and country this way. His second tour of duty began in 1971, and it became his job to begin the process of developing a plan for the evacuation of the army's 3, 000 plus helicopters in Vietnam, among other assignments. During the interview, Satterwhite describes the distinct differences in the atmosphere in Vietnam between the two tours. Upon returning to the United States, he was assigned to teach thermodynamics at West Point. He then taught at Maxwell Air Force Base, before a five year assignment at the Pentagon. He retired from the Army in 1980, and went to work for Sikorski Aircraft, where he held various positions until his retirement in 2002.