Interview, David Stamp, USMC

David Stamp (b. 1943) was born in Brighton, New York, and grew up around Brockport, New York. His father signed him up for the United States Marine Corps when he was 17 years old. He went through basic training at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, in 1961 and was stationed in Japan, Italy, and the United States before being sent to Vietnam in 1967. Stamp served in the Marine Corps for a total of 12 years and was decorated with several awards, including a Combat Action Ribbon, a Purple Heart, a Vietnam Service Medal, and a Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry. After leaving the service, he worked for a brief time in construction before becoming a driver for the Estes Express Lines Trucking Company. Stamp eventually earned his GED and drove trucks all over the East Coast until his retirement in 1999.

In this interview, Stamp explains that he did not want to enlist in the military, but that he was forced into it by his family. Looking back, Stamp feels that the military was a good experience for him and helped him to become more disciplined. It also allowed him to travel around the world. He discusses his position as an Assistant Gunnery Sergeant in Vietnam and talks about the tension between officers and soldiers, who sometimes retaliated against authority. Stamp relates a story in which he was shot after being sent ahead of the rest of his unit as a forward observer. He received a Purple Heart for this injury, and explains that he would have been eligible for two more Purple Hearts, but that he did not apply for them because he did not want to be sent home. He notes that some soldiers would intentionally injure themselves because they did want to be sent home. Stamp shares that he liked being in the Marine Corps, but that he ultimately felt forced out by changes he perceived in the racial dynamics of the military. He explains that after the war, his marriage and family life did not go well and that he had a difficult time adjusting to civilian life. He recalls being spat on and called a baby killer by anti-war protestors and expresses his resentment over being judged by people who did not experience the war as he did. Stamp says he now feels that the war in Vietnam was not justified, but that he is proud to have served his country and to be a Marine. He discusses being active in the local Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter 20, and the support he gets from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and a veterans’ group that helps him cope with his post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).