What were some of the pranks that you or others would pull?

Interview Project: You will be required to conduct one personal interview of a Vietnam
War-era person (anyone who was alive and aware during the war is fine). You can choose to
interview anyone who has memories of the Vietnam War. In addition to providing the
person’s name, age, and occupation, have them answer questions and summarize their
responses in 4-5 pages (please include the questions that you used). BE SURE TO INCLUDE
YOUR OWN THOUGHTS AND WHAT YOU LEARNED. You can design your own interview
questions, but I have provided the following questions for you that you can use (YOU WILL
HAVE TO MODIFY THESE IF YOUR PERSON IS NOT A VETERAN):
Segment 1: For the Record: Record on tape (or notebook) the date, place of the interview,
the name of the person being interviewed, and the names of the people attending the
interview, including the interviewer and his or her affiliation or relationship to the
interviewee. Ask the veteran what branch of the service he or she served in, what war, rank,
and where he or she served.
Segment 2: Jogging Memory: Were you drafted, or did you enlist? Where were you living at
the time? Why did you join? Why did you pick the service branch you joined? Do you recall
your first days in service? What did it feel like? Tell me about your boot camp/training
experience(s). Do you remember your instructors? How did you get through it?
Segment 3: Experiences: Which war(s) did you serve in (WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, the
Persian Gulf)? Where exactly did you go? Do you remember arriving and what it was like?
What was your job/assignment? Did you see combat? Were there many casualties in your
unit? Tell me about a couple of your most memorable experiences. Were you a prisoner of
war? Tell me about your experiences in captivity and when freed. Were you awarded any
medals or citations? How did you get them? Higher ranks may be asked about battle
planning. Those who sustained injuries may be asked about the circumstances.
Segment 4: Life: Ask questions about life in the service and/or at the front or under fire. How
did you stay in touch with your family? What was the food like? Did you have plenty of
supplies? Did you feel pressure or stress? Was there something special you did for “good
luck”? How did folks entertain themselves? Were there entertainers? What did you do when
on leave? Where did you travel while in the service? Do you recall any particularly humorous
or unusual event? What were some of the pranks that you or others would pull? Do you have
photographs? Who are the people in the photographs? What did you think of officers or
fellow soldiers? Did you keep a personal diary?
Segment 5: After Service: Appropriateness of questions will vary if the veteran had a military
career. Do you recall the day your service ended? Where were you? What did you do in the
days and weeks afterward? Did you work or go back to school? Was it supported by the G.I.
Bill? Did you make any close friendships while in the service? Did you continue any of those
relationships? For how long? Did you join a veterans organization?
Segment 6: Later Years and Closing: What did you go on to do as a career after the war? Did
your military experience influence your thinking about war or about the military in general?
If in a veterans organization, what kinds of activities does your post or association have? Do
you attend reunions? How did your service and experiences affect your life? Is there
anything you’d like to add that we haven’t covered in this interview?
Thank the veteran for sharing his or her recollections.

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