PLEASE READ: The purpose of this questionnaire is to help prepare for the interview.  It is our expectation that by reading these questions, your memory of events will improve by giving these issues some thought.  In addition, your brief (single-sentence) responses will help us prepare for the interview so we can ask you questions more relevant to your specific experiences. Some of these questions might not pertain to your personal experiences. Please ignore them. If you do not feel comfortable answering any particular question, please feel free to ignore it as well. It is not required that you answer every question on this questionnaire in order to participate in the Oral History Project. We will only discuss those events and issues with which you are comfortable. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact the Archive of Modern American Warfare at amaw@ttu.edu or call 806-834-5971.  When complete, please attach this file to an email message and send to the email address above or print and mail to the following address:

The Archive of Modern American Warfare
Texas Tech University
Math Building Room 4
Box 41045
Lubbock, TX  79409
Attention:  Oral History Project
Thank you!

The Archive of Modern American Warfare 
Texas Tech University
Oral History Project
Veteran Questionnaire

Please use the back of this questionnaire or attach additional sheets if you need more space.
Please answer the questions in as much detail as you feel comfortable.

1.	Name:

2.	Address:

3.	Phone:

4.	Email:

5.	Date of Birth:

Military Bio

6.	Branch(es) of Service:

7.	Dates of total service:

8.	Units of assignment during your military career/experience (please include dates and places if possible):

9.	Dates of Service in country. If possible, please list tours individually and units in which you served.  This will help us better understand your experience and better organize our interview with you. Feel free to attach additional information as needed.

10.	Reasons for enlistment/commission (e.g. volunteer, draft, benefits, family tradition, etc,):

11.	Where did you serve in country? (base, village, town, area, etc.)?

12.	MOS(s)/AFSC:

13.	Job Description:

14.	Positions and ranks held:

15.	Major events/engagements/campaigns in which you were involved:

16.	Awards and citations received for service:

17.	Retired or discharged?  Type of discharge?

18.	Rank at discharge/retirement?

19.	Do you belong to any veterans’ associations? Please list them and the length of your membership.

Training

20.	Age and hometown at time of entry into service: 

21.	Place of Boot Camp/Basic Training/Initial training:

22.	Place of Advanced Training/Technical School:

23.	Describe your Basic and Advanced training. Was the training good/bad/adequate?

24.	How professional and well-equipped were the instructors that trained you?

25.	Did your training prepare you for the duties you were expected to perform in country?  If not, how and why?

26.	Did the facilities and equipment used in your training prepare you for the duties you were expected to perform in country?

27.	What was your daily routine during Boot/Basic/Initial/Technical training?

28.	What kind of weapons training did you receive?

29.	Do you remember any particular incidents that occurred during boot/Basic/Initial/Technical training?

30.	How well do you think your training in each of these areas prepared you for your service in country?

31.	How did your trainers enforce discipline during your training?

32.	During training, did you or any of your fellow trainees get wounded?  How and why?

33.	Was anyone ever killed while you were in training?  How and why?

Service/Combat

34.	Did you volunteer to go in country? If so, why?

35.	What did you think and how did you feel when you learned you were going in country?  What did members of your family think?

36.	Was your unit’s mission related to combat or combat support?

37.	What weapons and equipment did your unit possess and do you think they were adequate for your actions in country?  If not, why?

38.	Did your weapons and equipment change from operation to operation?

39.	When, where, and under what circumstances did you first encounter the enemy in combat?

40.	Evaluate the enemy’s fighting ability.

41.	How did his fighting ability compare with your initial expectations?

42.	What were the strengths and weaknesses of the enemy soldiers you encountered?

43.	What sorts of equipment and weapons did enemy units you encountered use?

44.	Which enemy weapons were considered the most lethal?

45.	Describe the bravest action (friendly or enemy) that you witnessed while serving in country.

46.	What were the standard battle tactics employed by your unit and do you think they were effective?  Why or why not?

47.	 Did your unit ever change tactics?  If so, under what circumstances?  If not, why not?

48.	Which weapons did your unit most effectively employ?

49.	Were there weapons that you wanted but did not have?  Which weapons were they and why did your unit not have access to them?

50.	Did you bring any personal weapons with you in country, or have them sent to you?  If so, what weapons and why?

51.	Were you ever shot down during the war?  If so, were you injured?

52.	If your aircraft was carrying a crew or passengers, were any of them killed or injured?

53.	If you were rescued, please provide the details of your rescue.

54.	If you were captured, for how long did you remain a POW? 

55.	Would you be willing to discuss your other experiences as a POW in an oral history interview?

56.	Were you wounded in country? If so, how, when, and why? Did you require MEDEVAC/DUSTOFF?  

57.	Please evaluate the medical treatment you received at all levels of treatment.

58.	What is your evaluation of allied fighting units and their military and civilian leaders?

59.	 What is your evaluation of American military leadership generally and of your immediate commanders in the field in country?

60.	What is your evaluation of the American strategy employed during the war?

61.	What do you remember most about combat?

62.	If you were a leader or commander, please describe the most difficult challenges you faced while serving in that capacity in country.

63.	Did the leadership and command training you received prior to going in country adequately prepare you for the leadership and command challenges you faced in country?  Please explain.

64.	Did you or your unit ever engage in any kind of civic action in country? For example, did you or your unit help with civilian construction projects, irrigation projects, village and market protection, medical assistance to civilians, etc.? 

65.	Why do you think the US was involved in the country?

66.	During the war, do you think you were accurately aware of the “bigger picture” in the US and in country concerning politics, diplomacy, strategy and where you and your unit fit into them? Please explain.

In Country

67.	Upon arriving in country, what did you think of the indigenous population?  How much contact did you have with them?  Did your opinion change over time?  If so, how?

68.	Did you learn to speak any local languages while serving in theater?  If so, what language(s) did you learn and to what level of proficiency (i.e. pigeon, basic, intermediate, or conversational)?

69.	Describe your daily routine while in country.

70.	Describe your first impressions of the country.

71.	Describe the base in which you lived.

72.	What did you do for recreation?

73.	Describe your living conditions, housing, food, etc.

74.	Describe the most memorable experience from base life in country.

75.	Describe the most humorous experience from base life in country.

76.	Do you remember any type of discrimination or racial tension among enlisted men/women/officers?  Can you provide examples?

77.	Name the song/music that most reminds you of the country. Did you ever see or participate in a USO show(s)?  If so, where and when and who hosted and participated in the show(s)?

78.	Did you ever make use of R&R facilities?  If so, where, when, and for how long?

79.	Did you ever make use of general service facilities (e.g. clubs, libraries, etc…)?  If so, what facilities and what did you think of those services?

80.	Did you correspond with relatives and friends back in the US?  If so, how often did you write?  Did they write in return? 

81.	Did you keep a diary or journal?  If so, do you still have them?  If so, would you be willing to donate a copy to be added to your collection at the Archive of Modern American Warfare?

82.	Did you ever encounter dangerous wildlife in the country?  Were you or anyone in your unit ever attacked or bitten by any animals while serving in country?  Please describe the animals and circumstances.

Post-Service

83.	What did you think and feel about your experiences in country upon leaving?

84.	Have those feelings changed since you left?  If so, how and why?

85.	How were you received upon your return to the United States?

86.	Have you ever been involved in an anti-war demonstration?  When, where, and why?

87.	Have you ever visited any memorials dedicated to those who served in the same conflict as you did? If so, which ones and under what circumstances?  What effects did visiting the memorial have on you?

88.	What do you think and feel about your service in country?

89.	What do you think and feel about US participation in these wars?

90.	Do you think the goals and aims of the US in the country justified the costs of the war?

91.	What do you think about American postwar policy toward the country?

92.	What do you think about US military intervention in other countries?

93.	Should US forces today be used in operations and policies similar to these wars?

94.	Do you believe that you or your children have suffered from any war related health issues?

95.	Did you bring back any souvenirs or pictures from the country?

96.	Have you been back to the country since the war ended?

97.	Would you like to go back?

98.	What did you learn while serving in the country?

99.	Did your service in the country affect your religious beliefs?

100.	Do you suffer any disabilities because of these wars?

101.	Do you believe that the US government took care of its troops in the country?  

102.	Do you think the US government takes care of its veterans today?

103.	Was it difficult for you to adjust to life in the US upon your return home? Please explain.

104.	How has the war most affected your life?

105.	What was your marital status when you went to war?

106.	What is your marital status now?  Do you feel that service in these wars affected your marital status?

107.	Have you ever been diagnosed or treated for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)?

108.	If you had your military experience to do over again, what, if anything, would you change?

109.	Is there anything else you would like to comment about?

When completed, please return as an email attachment to the Archive of Modern American Warfare at amaw@ttu.edu or mail to the following address:

The Archive of Modern American Warfare
Texas Tech University
Math Building Room 4
Box 41045
Lubbock, TX  79409
Attention:  Oral History Project

Thank You!