Collection:LPB

Genre: Interview

Place Covered: Monroe, Ouachita Parish, Louisiana, Vietnam

Copyright Holder: Louisiana Educational Television Authority

Date Issued: 2017-10-11

Duration: 00:20:46

Subjects: Vietnam War, 1961-1975 | United States. Air Force | Military | Veterans

Contributors:

• Edwards, Arthur Interviewee

An oral history interview conducted on October 11, 2017, with Arthur Edwards of Rayville, Louisiana. Edwards served in the United States Air Force during the Vietnam War. He discusses: his decision to volunteer; his assignment as a Sergeant in the 823rd Combat Security Police Squadron; his participation in a special operation called Operation Safeside; his role as a security alert team leader at Phu Cat Air Base; his experience of having a machine gun explode near his face; the terrifying experience of having to jog 20 miles to return to the air base before nightfall after missing a shuttle back to the base; his saddest memory of the war; how his combat experience changed his life; his advice for young people interested in joining the military; and his writings about post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Edwards also reads his original composition, “PTSD Blues.”