Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans

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Ron Schuh

Vietnam | 13th Tactical Fighter Squadron

You were supposed to get your choice of assignments during a second tour. That's what F-4 pilot Ron Schuh kept telling the sergeant on the other end of the phone. He finally got his assignment to Thailand, but it wasn't his old squadron, so he figured out a way to get there. The wing commander at the time was not very good so the guys harassed him. (4:53)
Ron Schuh kept a tape recorder in the cockpit of his F-4 and it was only recently that he digitized the tapes and began to relive his missions over Southeast Asia. One of them was air support for the Son Tay raid, which failed to find the POW's to be rescued. (2:24)
Ron Schuh was based in Thailand, where he flew F-4 Phantoms in missions over the whole of Southeast Asia. He tells the story of the visit of legendary fighter pilot Robin Olds to his base. A good time was had by all, and the renowned ace even saved Ron's hide in a briefing. (6:20)
Ron Schuh served two tours in the skies over Southeast Asia and he has some pointed words of advice for our political leaders. He says we learned from our lessons in Vietnam for a while, but we have slipped back into a strategic dysfunction. He remembers a mission briefing which exposed a major shortcoming, the training for combat. (7:26)
Ron Sherman

Vietnam | 45th Military Intelligence Detachment, 1st Military Intelligence Battalion (Air Reconnaissance Support)

Photographer Ron Sherman signed up for the Officer Candidate School with the Signal Corps in order to be able to work in his area of expertise instead of being drafted. Though he dreamed of being a Life Magazine photographer, he prepared at Fort Bragg to head into Vietnam as a part of the military intelligence aerial reconnaissance team. (6:01)
Ron Sherman's main job in Vietnam was to develop the rolls of film shot by reconnaissance planes and make prints for the photo interpreters to examine. He used a camera himself, sometimes flying in helicopters or small planes. A question from his commander about pilots carrying hand held cameras led to a shopping trip to Tokyo. (5:45)
Ron Sherman went to Vietnam on a ship and he spent the time reading about the country and the people, trying to get a feel for where he was going. His post in Saigon was a photo lab operation, so he was able to enjoy the city a little, at least before the Tet Offensive. He recalls watching fireworks turn into hostile fire, but it was the 1st Cavalry's response that nearly got him. (3:06)
After some kind words for Good Morning, Vietnam, photo officer Ron Sherman recalls a special mission he was given which involved a trip to Thailand. Pilots had spotted something strange in the A Shau Valley. What was it? (4:43)
Ron Sherman laughs when he recalls a wild night with an Australian Special Forces unit during his Vietnam tour. No way to keep up with those guys. His best day there, though he didn't know it at the time, was when he received a fateful box of cookies. (3:58)
Ron Sherman got the news of his father's death the same month a close friend died in the siege of Khe Sanh. Eager to leave Vietnam, he still had some time to serve when he got home. Posted to a Nike base near his home in Cleveland, he faced a worse task than any he had faced back in the war. (5:38)