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Catalog number: VIS 201.0595
In this interview, Jim Torbert recalls his service as an Army assault helicopter pilot during the Vietnam War. He describes growing up in a suburb of St. Louis, Missouri, where he and his family were very active in the Baptist Church. He recalls his involvement in sports in school, explains his reasons for joining Army ROTC in college, and comments on the reaction of his family. He recalls his first duties in an Army diesel engine locomotive repair shop and his later advanced helicopter training. He remembers his first impressions of Vietnam and describes the different types of missions in which his unit participated. Their primary duty was to support the 5th Special Forces (Green Berets) and he describes their procedures for inserting and recovering troops. He remembers an incident when he retrieved a crippled helicopter and describes some of the equipment the Special Forces team used, including using mirrors to communicate and a "Maguire Rig" to evacuate wounded soldiers. He remembers his return home and explains his reasons for leaving the Army.