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Catalog number: VIS 508.008
This interview is conducted by the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, Atlanta Branch.
In this interview, Raymond Curtis recalls his experiences serving in the United States Air Force during the Vietnam War. He explains his reasons for enlisting in the Air Force; his basic training in San Antonio; and his first duty station at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. While there, he recalls that the beaches were segregated, forcing him and other African American servicemen and women to travel to beaches further away for recreation. He describes an assignment in the Dominican Republic during which they witnessed local insurgents spraying a bridge with gunfire as they were about to cross. He describes his time in Vietnam and relates several incidents including securing a mountaintop installation alone at night; communicating with family at home; and how Black soldiers tended to stay together in off-duty hours. He recalls in detail the tensions between white and Black troops after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated and remembers distinctly seeing the words "Ha Ha Ha, King is dead" written on the walls of a bathroom his unit used. He explains how promotions tended to be racially motivated. He reflects on the military; his feelings about war; how much he enjoyed the Vietnamese town of Da Lat; and how a military draft might be a good thing for many of today's youth who lack direction in their lives. He recalls spending an extra seven days in Vietnam after his tour of duty there ended due to an infection in his foot. He describes his post-military careers.