Interview, Thomas Gleason III, USA

April 9, 2013
Audio

Born in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1948, Thomas Gleason grew up in Baltimore and in Rochester, New York. He graduated from Kendall High School in 1966 with the intention of becoming a teacher, but he was unprepared for college and soon dropped out. He began working as a machinist and was drafted into the United States Army in February 1968. Gleason served in Vietnam as part of the Army Medical Corps. After finishing the last 18 months of his tour in Kansas in 1971, he returned home to Rochester and became a career reservist. He served as a firing range instructor for 22 years and retired from the Army in 1992, having attained the rank of sergeant first class. In addition to his military career, Gleason also worked for the United States Postal Service. He became a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and the Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA), Chapter 20, and began marching with the VVA color guard in 1993.

In his interview, Gleason discusses boot camp, where he struggled to put on weight so that he would not be sent home. He describes his work at a field hospital on the United States Marine Corps base in Chu Lai, near North Vietnam, where he did everything from stand guard to sterilize medical equipment. Gleason explains that he had a difficult transition back to civilian life after the war and that he sought out ways to recreate the military lifestyle at home. He joined a unit of evacuation hospital reservists in Webster, New York, and later enrolled in drill sergeant school so that he could rise through the military ranks. Gleason explains that he finally retired from military service in 1992 after being unable to pass the physical training required to participate in the Gulf War. He expresses regret over this decision and wishes he had remained in the military longer. He finds solace in marching with the VVA color guard, noting that it makes him happy to be in uniform again.

Content Tags

Decades

  • 1960s
  • 1970s
  • 1980s
  • 1990s