James Hallowell Holcombe's interview for the Veterans History Project at Atlanta History Center

We welcome your comments on this interview at VeteransHistoryProject@AtlantaHistoryCenter.com
Catalog Number: VIS 201.0650
In this interview, James Hallowell Holcombe relates his experiences in the United States Army in Vietnam. He grew up as an Army dependant and lived in New York, Alaska, and Korea. At the time of the draft lottery, he enlisted and signed up for Officer Candidate School. He states that his father had been in Vietnam in 1951 and described it as an agrarian country. He reports that his unit traveled light and that the deep jungle through which they traveled was so thick they had to move single-file. He tells how the monsoons changed they way they operated, especially sleeping arrangements. He describes losing men from his unit. He discusses wildlife in the area as well as pranks they played. He relates the experience of a helicopter crash. He tells of his post-war family and career. He visited the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., but has no plans to return. He describes the relationships among the men of his unit.