Interview with Richard Stone, December 14, 2017

Partial Transcript: The following interview was recorded on December 14th, 2017 in the studio of the Scott County Public Library.

Segment Synopsis: Stone discusses his childhood and his educational background at the State University of New York as well as at the University of Kentucky. He also talks about his father's career as an engineer and the experience with the military his father gained during World War II.

Keywords: 64th Transportation Company; Agricultural science; Campus; Convoy truck drivers; Corps of Engineers; Dispatchers; Engineers; Fathers; High schools; Horses; Lieutenants; New York Daily News; New York Times; Newspapers; Overseas duty; Paper copy; Photographs; Physical education instructors; Possibility; Race horses; Semesters; Service; Sports section; State University of New York; Students; Supplies; University of Kentucky

Subjects: Draft.; Fort Belvoir (Va.); Long Island (N.Y.); Sadieville (Ky.); United States. Army.; Veterans.; Vietnam War, 1961-1975; World War, 1939-1945

Partial Transcript: And so then y, y, you quit school and you were aware of, of what the possible consequences--

Segment Synopsis: Stone discusses his parents' feelings towards him being drafted, as well as how he weighed his options: be drafted or flee to Canada.

Keywords: Advanced training; Agriculturally backwards; Animal science; Basic training; Central Highlands; Concerns; Domino effect; Draft notices; Drawbacks; Fathers; Government; Greetings; Horse racing; Horses; Learning experience; Military experience; Mothers; Optimistic; Passports; Physical; Protests; Racetracks; State University of New York; Tet Offensive; Threats; Trips

Subjects: Cam Ranh Bay (Vietnam); Canada.; Detroit (Mich.); Draft resisters.; Draft.; Pittsburg (Pa.); Pleiku (Vietnam); United States. Army.; Vietnam War, 1961-1975; Washington (Pa.)

Partial Transcript: So, let's--y, y, you're inducted, you pass your medicals and--

Segment Synopsis: Stone discusses his experiences during his basic training as well as how he managed to avoid drawing attention to himself. He also talks about the fake Vietnamese village that was constructed at Fort Jackson, as well as the professions of his fellow trainees.

Keywords: Accents; Armed services; Attorneys; Basic training; Camping; College diplomas; Doctors; Drill sergeants; Exercises; Formations; GEDs; Guns; Hand-over-hand; Help; Ho Chi Minh; Hunting; Middle; Military experience; Preparing; Recruits; Rifle ranges; Running; Scare tactics; Signage; Teaching; Tests; Truck drivers; Vietnamese villages; Weapons

Subjects: African Americans.; Basic training (Military education); Fort Jackson (S.C.); Military bases.; United States. Army--Military life.; United States. Army--Reserves; United States. Army.

Partial Transcript: And so, you get out of basic training and you had an assignment as a truck driver.

Segment Synopsis: Stone discusses the advanced training he was required to go through before leaving for Vietnam, as well as the journey to Vietnam and the central highlands once he arrived.

Keywords: Advanced training; Airplanes; Airports; Answers; Barracks; Basic training; Big rigs; Bombs; Breakfast; Buses; Central Highlands; Driving; Firing; Heat; Heavy duty truck driver's licenses; Humidity; Impressions; Jeeps; Leave; Memory; Military Occupational Specialty (MOS); Molotov cocktails; Nights; Paperwork; Private flights; Roll call; Single trucks; Steps; Stink; Tests; Tracers; Tractor trailers; Waste; Weapons; Wire mesh; Woods

Subjects: Cam Ranh Bay (Vietnam); Culture shock.; Military bases.; Pleiku (Vietnam); Travel.; United States. Army--Military life.; United States. Army.; Vietnam; Vietnam War, 1961-1975; War.

Partial Transcript: So, you're up in, in, in Pleiku then and that's, that's where you're operating out of?

Segment Synopsis: Stone talks about his experiences driving trucks in convoys to retrieve supplies from the coastal port of Qui Nhơn, Vietnam. He also discusses the glimpses into the lives of the civilians of Vietnam on the convoys.

Keywords: 64th Transportation Company; An Khê pass; Armor plates; Attacks; Big rigs; Black top; Businesses; Coastal ports; Convoys; Dirt; Double clutch; Driving; Empty; Enemies; Enemy; Escorts; First sergeants; Flat beds; Floorboards; Foreign; Fuel; Gasoline; Gravel; Gun truck crews; Gun trucks; Hauling; Helicopters; Industry; Jet fuel; Kerosene; Loaded; M-16; Maintenance trucks; Motor pools; Narrow; On-the-job training; Orders; Oxymoron; Pictures; Roads; Sandbags; Shacks; Shifting; Spacing; Spare tires; Split shifts; Stupid; Supplies; Tankers; Tanks; Tractor trucks; Trailers; Trucks; Weather; Windows

Subjects: An Khê District (Vietnam); Civilians in war.; Pleiku (Vietnam); Qui Nhơn (Vietnam); Travel.; United States. Army--Military life.; United States. Army.

Partial Transcript: Let's talk about that 'cause you did have some interaction with, uh, the Vietnamese--

Segment Synopsis: Stone discusses the adventures he had while exploring the local villages in Vietnam, as well as the conditions on his base compared to those of the Air Force bases.

Keywords: Air Force bases; Barracks; Beds; Candy; Children; City; Cokes; Convoys; Driving; Fighters; Goats; Interactions; Kids; Motor scooters; Mount Yard Village; Parlors; Reed straws; Rice wine; Roads; Shacks; Soda; Soft serve ice cream; Visiting

Subjects: Civilians in war.; Military bases.; Pleiku (Vietnam); United States. Army--Military life.; United States. Army.; Vietnam War, 1961-1975

Partial Transcript: Yeah, so, and, you got, so, you got off driving a tr, truck at some point?

Segment Synopsis: Stone talks about switching jobs in Vietnam and having a more relaxed life working in an office. He also discusses what he would do during his shifts to pass time. He comments on the race relations inside the military base, as well as his relationship with those higher up in the chain-of-command.

Keywords: Accidents; Anti-war; Aware; Barracks; Books; Bunkers; Chain-of-command; Christmas; Communications; Communications centers; Company; Cooks; Dinners; Drivers; Driving; English; Fences; Fields; Fights; First sergeants; Headquarters barracks; High schools; Illuminate; Intellectual; Interest; Jobs; Knowledgeable; Letters; Lieutenants; Lists; Local runs; Long runs; Magazines; Medical calls; Midnight chow; Mileage; Mortars; Motor pools; Newspapers; Night dispatchers; Nights; Officers; Offices; Orders; Paperwork; Reading; Records; Republic of Vietnam television; Rotation; Sergeants; Sitcoms; Situation; Star and Stripes; Televisions; The Atlantic; The New Yorker; Threats; Triptychs; Trucking companies; Trucks; Work

Subjects: African Americans.; Military bases.; Nixon, Richard M. (Richard Milhous), 1913-1994.; Politics and war.; Race relations; United States. Army--Military life.; United States. Army.; Vietnam War, 1961-1975

Partial Transcript: So, uh, how much communication did you have with your family back home while you, you were over there?

Segment Synopsis: Stone discusses the various ways in which he and his family kept in touch while he was in Vietnam. He also talks about asking for a subscription to a newspaper about horses.

Keywords: Brothers; Canada; Cassette tapes; Colleges; Family; Family news; George Washington University; Grade schools; Handwriting; Horse business; Horse racing; Riots; Tanks; Tape recorders

Subjects: Communication.; Families.; Letters.; United States. Army--Military life.; United States. Army.; Vietnam War, 1961-1975

Partial Transcript: So, you're, uh, so, I mean, we've talked about what you did over there driving a truck and then, eventually moving into dispatching.

Segment Synopsis: Stone discusses the process of returning to America, as well as a war souvenir that he returned home with. He also comments on the living conditions of the officers who went to college and received a four year degree.

Keywords: Active duty; Air conditioning; Airplanes; Airports; Cambodia; Commercial; Cooks; Date of departure; Discharge; Distaste; Drop; Flights; Food; Fool; Girlfriends; Helicopters; Home; Japan; Leave; Linda Stone; Paperwork; Problems; Protestors; Rides; Rifles; Service; Short timers; Soldiers; Speech; Stable; Stations; Steak dinners; Trailers; Trips; Uniforms; War souvenirs; Women

Subjects: Cam Ranh Bay (Vietnam); Fort Lewis (Wash.); Pleiku (Vietnam); Travel.; United States. Army--Military life.; United States. Army.; Vietnam; Vietnam War, 1961-1975

Partial Transcript: So, uh, what was that like coming home?

Segment Synopsis: Stone discusses what he did after returning to the United States of America, as well as some of the things that happened in Vietnam that followed him home.

Keywords: Address; Airways; Alcohol; Boxes; Brothers; Buzz; Cars; Certificates; Checks; Cocaine; Company; Cousins; Engineers; Family; Farmers; Folks; Habits; Home; Horse business; Horses; Jewelry; Jewelry company; Jobs; Linda Stone; M-16; Mail; Marijuana; Marlboro; Meetings; Military script; Money; Motor homes; Noses; Opium; Orders; Packages; Plastic; Race horses; Racing stables; Records; Ring sizers; Salesman; Soldiers; State University of New York; Study; Tests; Transitions; Triptychs; Trouble; Velvet; Vials; Volkswagen; Water buffalo; Wife; Work

Subjects: African Americans.; Careers; Drug abuse; Drugs.; Families.; Marriage.; Travel.; United States. Army--Reserves; United States. Army.; Vietnam

Partial Transcript: And then you, eventually, wound your way back up here in, in Kentucky again.

Segment Synopsis: Stone outlines his career in the horse business and how his career led him and his wife back to Kentucky to live.

Keywords: Castleton Farm; Curtains; Farm managers; Farms; Harness drivers; Home; Horse business; Horses; Houses; Jobs; Octagon; Race horses; Route 62

Subjects: Careers; Farms.; Sadieville (Ky.)

Partial Transcript: Well, I want to ask you now kind of, as we're gonna wrap stuff up here.

Segment Synopsis: Stone talks about the attitude he has towards being drafted and going to Vietnam, as well as his experiences with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Keywords: 'Loony'; 'Old man'; 'Rednecks'; 4th of July; Beds; Central Highlands; Cleanse; Culture; Documentary; Fields; Fireworks; Independent; Ken Burns; Linda Stone; Men; Military experience; Newspapers; Picture; Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD); Railroad tracks; Roads; Trains; Transgender; Women

Subjects: Draft.; Pleiku (Vietnam); Post-traumatic stress disorder.; United States. Army.; Vietnam War, 1961-1975; War.