Interview, James McDermott, USA

James McDermott (1944 – 2013) was born in Georgia, but lived in the Rochester area for most of his life. He graduated from high school in 1964 and enlisted in the United States Army. He completed basic training at Fort Dix, New Jersey, then joined the 25th Division in Hawaii, where he specialized as a truck driver. McDermott spent two years driving trucks in Vietnam and reached the rank of Specialist 4th class. He was honorably discharged from the Army in January 1967. After his service, he returned to Rochester, where he worked in construction and became active with the Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter 20. McDermott passed away on July 28, 2013.

In this interview, McDermott reflects on his training in Hawaii and notes that daily life in Vietnam consisted of hours of boredom interrupted by moments of sheer terror. He recalls being under attack and going on “search and destroy” missions, and shares a story about delivering ice cream by helicopter to servicemen in the field. McDermott reports that he was not upset by war protesters, but that he thinks people should blame the government, not the soldiers, for the war. He explains that he struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after returning home from Vietnam, and he feels that the war cost him his marriage because he was gone for so many years. He talks about how his exposure to the herbicide Agent Orange left him with a minor disability, and says that he tried to re-enlist in the military during the first Gulf War, but was turned away because he was too old. McDermott also discusses his involvement with the local Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter 20, and his participation in their Veteran’s History Project to interview World War II veterans.