Oral history of Sam Conn
Clemson University Libraries. Special Collections and Archives A video recording of an interview conducted by Daniel Redmond with Major Sam Conn on April 11, 2024. Born on June 19, 1940, Conn joined the United States Army through ROTC at Middlebury College. After completing Officer Candidate School he was assigned as a platoon leader in the 197th Infantry Brigade.
In 1963, Conn deployed to Vietnam as an advisor to a Vietnamese infantry battalion in the Mekong Delta. He recounts the brutal realities of early counterinsurgency warfare, describing encounters with Viet Cong tactics, village executions, and gruesome battlefield practices. His experiences hardened his tolerance for mistakes as he witnessed war crimes, including the desecration of enemy bodies for trophies. He returned to Vietnam for a second tour serving with a Ranger battalion, earning the nickname Mr. Napalm for his frequent use of airstrikes.
2024-04-11
Oral history of Miles Nuckolls
Clemson University Libraries. Special Collections and Archives A video recording of a virtual interview conducted by Carter Walsh with Staff Sergeant Miles Nuckolls in 2024. Born August 11, 1989, Nuckolls enlisted in the United States Army in 2008.
After completing basic and medical training at Fort Sam Houston, he attended Airborne School at Fort Benning, where he was assigned to the 173rd Airborne Brigade in Italy. In November 2009, he deployed to Afghanistan, where he operated as a platoon medic in the Paktika Province. He recalls many night operations and long-range reconnaissance missions and notes that his unit did not suffer any fatalities during the deployment. Following Afghanistan, Nuckolls was reassigned to Fort Bragg, where he worked with an engineer unit, a transition he found frustrating due to its slower operational tempo. In 2014, he returned to Italy, where he participated in North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) training missions across 24 countries, working alongside allied forces to improve combat readiness. Leaving the Army in 2017, he soon after began pursuing a history degree at Clemson University.
2024
Oral history of Charles Norton
Clemson University Libraries. Special Collections and Archives A video recording of an in-person interview conducted by Austin Mall with Lieutenant Colonel Charles Norton on April 1, 2014. Born on December 30, 1922, Norton served in the United States Air Force across three major conflicts: World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, he knew he had to serve in the military and was determined to fly.
Norton recounts the grueling experience of flight training, where instructors pushed cadets to their limits, and his training in jump school at Fort Benning, Georgia and Lawson Army Airfield. He describes the immense relief of finally earning his wings and the heartbreak of seeing others wash out. During and after World War II, he was stationed in Europe, where he helped establish early airline operations. His service continued into the Korean War, and later in Vietnam, where he commanded the 51st Bombardment Squadron, a B-52 squadron, leading bombing missions from bases in Guam.
2014-04-01