Oscar Danmier

Proud To Have Served My Country

Oscar Danmier at Fort Polk, Louisiana (1966)

Runge, Texas

March 28, 2015

David Ray Danmier JR

Palo Alto College

History 1302 - Spring 2015

 

INTRODUCTION
TRANSCRIPTION
ANALYSIS
TIMELINE

 

INTRODUCTION

Oscar Danmier was born on September 30th 1944 in Hebbronville, Texas. He is the oldest of three children. He has one brother and one sister, Robert and Bertha. Oscar was raised and spent all of his childhood in Hebbronville. Hebbronville is predominantly Mexican American. He grew up a hard worker and lived there until he graduated and moved to Karnes City, Texas in 1964. In 1965 Oscar worked his first full time job at a fiber glass company. Shortly after moving to Karnes City, Oscar was drafted into the Army on January 2nd 1966 and sent to Vietnam. He fought and remained there until November 17th 1967. After coming back to America, he married Maria Salinas on July 5th 1969. They had their first child David Danmier Senior on May 16th 1970. Three years later they had their second and final child John Danmier on March 4th 1973. In 1970, Oscar and his family moved 5 miles down the road to Kenedy, Texas where they lived until he retired from working at a chemical plant. He and his wife moved to Runge, Texas in 1995 and still live there happily to this day. Oscar Danmier is my grandfather from my father's side.

 

 

TRANSCRIPTION

How was life before the military?
Life was pretty simple. I was just going to school regularly and worked in the summer in the watermelon fields in Hebbronville, Texas to buy clothes for school.

How did your family feel about you having to go to war?
They really didn't want me to go but I got drafted so they didn't have a choice but to let me. They got sick over it. Mom and Dad would both have to go to the doctor to get shots to calm them down because they would get real nervous.

What was your initial reaction when you learned that you were being drafted?
I was working to be able to afford college, but I didn't get to go because after 5 months of working I got my draft notice. I knew they were going to draft me because I wasn't in college so they drafted those people right away. I was ready

Did you take any items from home with you?
I didn't take anything other than my prayer book.

Where did you do basic training at?
I did my basic training at Fort Polk, Louisiana.

What do you remember about your first day of basic training?
There was no sleep. Seven busloads of us went from Alice, Texas to San Antonio and we went through medical exams all day from early in the morning to midnight. After midnight we took a plane to Fort Polk, Louisiana and there we got our clothes and uniforms. We set up our beddings in our barracks and we finally got to eat.

What did you understand about the war before you left to Vietnam?
What I understood was that they were killing a lot of soldiers and I was always asking god to help me make it through.

How was the trip to Vietnam?
We left on November 6th 1966 at 10pm from bus trip. We went to Warner Robins Air Force Base in Georgia. From there we flew to California on a c-130 aircraft. From California we flew to Hawaii, From Hawaii to Guam, and from Guam to the Philippines. From Guam to the Philippines an engine went out on our c-130 and we had a twelve hour delay. After they got the new engine put in we went from the Philippines to Vietnam.

Where was the first place you found yourself at in Vietnam?
We flew into Nha Trang, South Vietnam

What were your duties in the military?
I was a crew chief on a CH47 Chinook. We flew missions from hauling artillery and supplies. We also ran medevac missions and picked up KIAs.

Did you ever encounter any friendly Vietnamese people?
Yes, we had Vietnamese people that worked with us at the base. They would clean our barracks, wash our clothes and do other chores. They were South Vietnamese but it was still scary because they all looked the same. You couldn't tell the difference between a Vietcong and a normal Vietnamese person.

Is there one particular memory that sticks out in your mind?
Yes, we were on a medevac mission on top of a mountain after midnight, we landed and you could tell there was a big battle. We started picking up wounded soldiers and KIAs. After we finished loading up I started closing the back ramp on the aircraft. We were already lifting up and I saw an arm come out from the side of where the ramp was. I yelled to the pilot and told him to set the aircraft back down. I got off and the soldier was lying on the ground, he had gotten his arm blown off in battle and he was holding it in his other hand. He was crying and he told me "please don't let me die". His face and arms were completely covered with leaches. I've had flashbacks from that all of my life.

What memories do you have of your first moments back in the United States?
We landed in Fort Louis, Washington and we got processed out. After that me and six other guys from my crew called a taxi to pick us up outside of the base so that we could go to the airport. Outside of the base entrance Jane Fonda and her demonstrators started spitting on us and calling us killers. That was the thanks that we got for being at war.

Oscar and DJ Danmier- 2014

 

 

ANALYSIS

-The most important points made in this interview are that no matter how hard life may be at times; you have to keep pushing forward and make a conscious effort to evolve as a human being.
-I learned a great deal about my grandpa Oscar Danmier. I knew that he was in Vietnam, but he never spoke about it. This interview was a great chance for me to gain an insight to the things that made him the person that he is today. I learned that he was a crew chief on a CH47 Chinook. I also learned that he had been to various countries around the world. One thing that I learned shocked me and made me pretty angry. My grandfather and some of his fellow soldiers had an encounter with actor and political activist Jane Fonda. Jane Fonda was antiwar. It was my grandpa's first steps back on American soil. He and six of his friends were waiting outside of Fort Louis, Washington for a taxi cab to take them to the nearest airport. Jane Fonda and her followers were waiting near the entrance and they spit on my grandpa and his friends and called all of them killers.
-My view on this topic (Vietnam War) didn't really change much. I knew the war was terrible, because all wars are. I guess you can say it just made me that much more aware of how real it still is for these veterans.
-My grandfather had a very melancholy tone and mood while talking about this. He had no enthusiasm in his voice, and he is usually a very animated person. He became quite angry when telling me about the Jane Fonda incident.
-The stories taught me that all these war veterans still deal with many demons every single day. The easiest of activities can become very difficult for them due to flashbacks.
-I asked my grandmother, father, and uncle about some of the things that my grandfather told me and they pretty much have heard the same things over the years, just not in the great detail as he told me.
-There are many benefits of the oral history process. One benefit is that you can learn some interesting things about your family members and loved ones. The only drawback I can think of is that sometimes recollection can be hard for some. Other than that, I did not have any drawbacks.
-I think oral histories are the most effective and entertaining way of learning about the past. Individuals not only get the chance to learn things that may not have made it to the text books, but they get to learn numerous things about the people around them. There's no better way to learn about the past than to hear it from the mouth of someone who experienced it. While textbooks are effective, they fall short of having firsthand experience (most of the time). Oral histories are much more personal and up close than the traditional ways of learning. This brings a certain excitement while doing the interview and I believe that this energy makes for a great final product once it is all done.

 

 

TIMELINE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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