Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans

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Ron Sherman

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

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)
It was Max Cleland who got photographer Ron Sherman involved with a Vietnam Veterans group. Not even the former Georgia Secretary of State could put the Veterans Administration right, though, in his view. He laments that we got involved in that war at all, and points out the only thing that would be different had we not done so. (5:23)
Ross McKimmey

Vietnam | 1st Aviation Battalion, 1st Infantry Division

After joining the Army at an early age, Ross McKimmey decided to go to flight school in Fort Hood, Texas. After that, he was sent to Vietnam to take photographs of the airfields in Vietnam. (5:57)
Ross McKimmey recounts his time above Vietnam. (3:37)
While assigned to take photographs over Vietnam, Ross McKimmey had the chance to fly a multitude of different aircraft that helped them achieve the mission at hand. He describes various situations he found himself in while on reconnaissance missions, including discovering a huge number of NVA trucks, almost being shot down, and being approached by an enemy jet. (9:24)
Passing time in Vietnam was crucial to staying sane while on the base or in the big cities. Coming back from war, Ross McKimmey didn't feel the scorn from the anti-war protests that some of his fellow soldiers did. Mr. McKimmey also discusses the differences between his three tours in Vietnam. (4:52)