Interview, Stephen G. Conner, USA

Stephen Conner (b. 1949) was born and grew up in Brockport, New York, where he worked on his neighbor’s dairy farm. He was drafted into the United States Army in 1970 and was placed in the Veterinary Corps, a non-combat specialty branch that worked with animal healthcare and food sanitation. Conner worked as a kennel master and veterinary technician in Vietnam. After his honorable discharge from the Army in 1974, he attended SUNY Brockport, graduating in 1976 with a degree in Fine Arts. He held jobs in photography and publishing before settling into the field of Adult Education and, for a time, he served as the Unit Director of the Vietnam Dog Handler Association. Connor was inspired to participate in the Rochester-Monroe County Vietnam-Era Veterans Oral History Project because he believed his experience as a dog handler in Vietnam was an unusual and important story to share.

In his interview, Conner recalls that the early months of his service in the Army were a lot like being in college. He discusses his basic training at Fort Dix in New Jersey and his advanced vet tech training at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC. Connor explains how he was one of a small minority of vet techs who actually went to Vietnam, the majority having remained stateside. He describes the dogs he worked with and how they were used in the war, as well as their life expectancy and how canine deaths were handled. Connor also discusses his daily life on base, a foot injury he had, and how he liked to listen to music in his downtime.