Rev. Mr. Elbert R. “Bert” Brewster, interviewed by Stephen Rees in Waterville, Maine, July 7, 1999. Brewster discusses his youth and being born a month following his father\u27s death; his brother who was 16-years older, going into World War II; admiring his brother\u27s service but still attempting to waylay being drafted himself; gimmicks used by young men to escape the draft including gaining weight and reporting while badly hung over in order to appear unhealthy; going into the service with a group of men from around New England; reporting to Fort Dix; becoming ill with pneumonia during basic training; handling fear during training; the importance of his religion and going through 12-weeks of medical training to become a corpsman and avoid having to kill; green underwear being an early indicator you were being sent over; being bullied by other recruits; running out of food and water on the troop ship General Blaxford on the way to Vietnam; landing in Saigon; setting up an aid tent in Vietcong territory; the lack of water for bathing and laundry; repeatedly losing his rifle in camp; becoming less religious but continuing to refuse to shoot people; his routine duties; PX supplies and working in the PX; the Black market; the impact of his friend Jesse Miller\u27s death; mail and receiving a Dear John letter; and life after returning home. Text: 34 pp. transcript. Total time: 01:07:08.
Listen
Part 1: mfc_na4490_01A Part 2: mfc_na4490_01Bhttps://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/ne_vietnam_vets/1018/thumbnail.jp
