Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans
4:05 | Before he shipped out for Vietnam, Army Air Traffic Controller Arthur Hurst studied the geography and landmarks of the country so he could get oriented more quickly. He was based mostly in the central highlands, and visited many of the restored French air fields. He recalls how some farmers would drop their hoes and rakes and pick up rifles and start firing.
Keywords : Arthur Hurst Vietnam central highlands Fort Benning air traffic control Da Lat Ban Me Thuot control tower RADAR French air strip M-14
The Army evaluated him and sent him to radio school. Then, Arthur Hurst shipped out for Korea, where he was assigned to Headquarters of a tank battalion on the line. He enjoyed working with the sophisticated equipment, but the extreme weather was miserable.
In Korea he had learned to speak a little Korean but Vietnamese was a different story and the tonal language eluded him. Army Air Traffic Controller Arthur Hurst loved working with the Montagnards on joint operations and he marveled at how they would bring along the whole family and maybe some ducks. Less pleasant are the memories of talking to doomed pilots on the radio.
After his Vietnam tour, Arthur Hurst continued stateside as an Army Air Traffic Controller. Then he had to go on temporary disabled status when he developed lung problems from handling Agent Orange at air fields in Vietnam. He responded to new medications but was forced to retire form the service. He describes how he was exposed and how he could spot booby traps when he was there.
To Arthur Hurst, Vietnam was a very beautiful country and he really liked the people, too. He liked Korea and the Koreans as well, but that country was quite barren when he served there. He recalls a civilian nurse and a missionary family who encountered the cruelty of the Viet Cong.
In Korea, he had switched from Radio Operator to Radio Repairman with a little on-the-job training. After that tour, Arthur served at Ft. Hood for a while and then tried his hand at civilian work. He reenlisted and learned avionics repair and then applied for air traffic control school to learn that valuable skill.
