Oral history of Ralph Keith
Clemson University Libraries. Special Collections and Archives A video recording of an interview conducted by Sheryl Moss with Ralph Keith on April 8, 2024, in Townville, SC. Keith was drafted into the United States Army in 1969 amid the Vietnam War.
Keith deployed to Vietnam in 1970 with the 199th Infantry Brigade. Initially assigned to a line company, he was soon wounded by friendly fire, sustaining permanent hearing loss in his right ear. He was reassigned to headquarters company, where he established forward firebases, constructed defensive positions and managed maps. Keith talks about the harsh conditions of Vietnam from extreme heat and heavy rains to mosquito infestations. Returning to the United States in 1971, Keith pursued his dream of becoming an architect, earning a degree from Clemson University in 1975.
Oral history of John McIntyre
Clemson University Libraries. Special Collections and Archives A video recording of an in-person interview conducted by Austin Mall with Staff Sergeant John McIntyre on March 31, 2014. Born on February 2, 1922, McIntyre served in the United States Army during World War II. After enlisting in 1942, he trained as an engineer and led a squad that cleared mines and booby traps following the D-Day invasion.
McIntyre recounts landing on Utah Beach after D-Day, removing explosives set to deter Allied forces, and following the Third Army through France. He helped construct a staging area in Marseille for troops bound for the Pacific, though the war ended before deployment. Returning home in 1945, he used the GI Bill to attend Clemson University, where he studied textiles before opening his own business and caring for his family, with which he returned to Normandy decades later.
2014-03-31
Oral history of Howard Raines
Clemson University Libraries. Special Collections and Archives A video recording of an in-person interview conducted by Will Hines with Private First Class Howard Raines on July 13, 2013. Born on April 7, 1923, Raines was drafted into the United States Army in 1944.
In early 1945, Raines deployed to Europe, arriving in France before being transported by cattle car train to the front lines in Germany. He was assigned to an anti-tank unit as an ammunition handler for a 105mm anti-tank gun tasked with supporting roadblock positions against potential German tank movements. After Germany's surrender, Raines was stationed in Waiblingen and later Heidelberg, where he spent several months guarding captured SS troops.
2013-07-13