Justin+G.+and+Tom+P.

Justin G. and Tom P.

Raymond Spencer Private First Class (Pfc) served in vietnam, Landing Zone 'X-Ray' in the Battle of la Drang. Company 'C' 2nd Battalion 5th Calvary 1st Calvary Division. toc =**History**=

The Vietnam War was the longest fought war in U.S. history, it lasted from 1957-1975. This war started because the North Vietnamese were communist and they were trying to take control over South Vietnam which were non-communist. The U.S. got involved because we had a policy to stop communism in the Asia area.

Effects of the war- Casulties that occured from this war. The Vietnamese suffered a lot of losses. The North Vietnamese had one million dead and around 600,000 wounded. The South Vietnamese had lost approximately 224,000 people and over one million were wounded. The U.S. lost around 58,000 dead and 300,000 wounded. Money the U.S. spent on the war has been totaled to around 200 billion dollars, and over two million people served in this war.

Battalion our veteran was in. Our veteran was in Company 'C' 2nd Battalion 5th Calvary 1st Calvary Division. This calvary known as the 5th calvary originated in 1861. This division was reassembled for the Vietnam War. Mostly used as Air clavary, doing most of their mission in helicopters. This calvary was used in twelve campaigns in Vietnam. In the 1970's used as tank battalion, in the 80's this became an elite mechanized infantry unit.

Our veteran was in one important battle. It was one of the first battles of the Vietnam War. He was in a part called Operation 'X Ray', which was a part of the Battle of la Drang. America suffered many casulties in this operation, the U.S. had lost 234 and 242 were wounded. This battlefield was approximately the size of an odd football field. At the time of 10:48 the first battalion arrived at this landing zone(our veteran was not in this battalion). This battalion attempted to secure the landing zone. At this point about 1,600 North Vietnamese rushed around 200 American soldiers. The Americans took position and were trying to attempt to hold back the Vietnamese. Our veterans Battalion arrived at Landing Zone 'X Ray'. They then took up positions at the South end of the battlefield. They were eventually attacked by over 200 Vietnamese soldiers. They were in a fire fight when Company 'C' called in an airstrike wiping most of the Vietnam soldiers out, making them withdrawl. This operation lasted about three days, and during the second day this company was attacked again at 6:20 a.m. This sneak attack resulted in many casulties for the U.S. After about and hour Vietnam soldiers made it to Charlie company's line killing and striping soldiers of their weapon and supplies. After this ambush Charlie company called in another airstrike resulting in most of the Vietnam soldiers dieing. After the second night the landing zone was secured thanks to reinforcements.

Medals our veteran won, our veteran won the Purple Heart, which is when a soldiers gets wounded in war. He also got a Vietnam service metal, which is if you were in the Vietnam war you got one. He also has other metals for being an infantryman.

Sites used for information:

"Vietnam Battles" http://www.vietnam-war.info/battles/sige_of_khe_sanh.php "Vietnam" http://en.wikipedia.org/Vietnam "Vietnam war casualties" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_War_casualties#Battles "Vietnam War tactics" Thomas V. Dibacco, Lorna C. Mason, Christian G. Appy. History of The United States Volume 2 Civil War to the Present. McDougal Littell In Evanston, Illinois. "Company 'C'"www.globalsecurity.org/military/agency/2-5cav.htm [|"Operation 'X Ray' http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_la_Drang]

=**Interview Tips**=

Be prepared with pre-interview contact. Do a lot of research on your topic so you are ready to discuss it. Prepare your questions in advance, try to avoid on the spot questions unless the come up on the spot. Bring a note pad and two pencils. Take notes during the interview. If you can, tape the interview. To start the interview be casual, don't bombard them with questions. Keep the questions as short as possible! Let the person answer the question, give them time to respond. Be a good listener but if they go on two long, be polite and ask them another question closely connected to what they are saying. Try to get definite answers and facts from the person. Note the way they move around or lack of movement when they answer the question, basically their characteristics at the time. After the interview, try to reconstruct it and review it with your notes and the tape. __stringers.media.mit.edu/interview.htm__

"A narrative essay is a piece of writing that recreates an experience through time. A narrative essay can be based on one of your own experiences, either past or present, or it can be based on the experiences of someone else. In addition to telling a story, a narrative essay also communicates a main idea or a lesson learned." Have a good understanding of what you are writing, and it's importance. Make an outline of your writing before you write. Start with a paragraph about it's importance.* __[|www.writeexpress.com/narrative-essay.html]__ Use the senses in a narrative. Chronological order is important. Don't overwhelm the reader with to many idea's, it takes their imagination away. Know what point of view you are writing in. Make sure your story has a great climax, the better the climax the better the story. [|www.engl.niu.edu/wac/narr/_how.htm]

Interview Review
[|Abbondondelo, Joseph A Interview.] Three good things. 1. Great introduction to the video, very eye catching. 2. Let the veteran talk and answer the questions to his liking. 3. Asked good interview question, no yes or no questions were asked. Three bad things. 1. Started right away with the questions making no effort to make the veteran comfortable. 2. He interrupted the veteran while he was thinking and asked the question again. 3. Shot the video in a place where glare was present. Interview Questions


 * How did you join the military.(The veteran was drafted)
 * Where did you take basic training.
 * What conflict/war were you in.
 * What branch of the military were you in.
 * Did you earn any metals during the war, if so what for.
 * (Since he has a purple heart) How did that injury occur.
 * How did you get your infantry metals.
 * What battles/mission were you in.
 * What were the missions like.
 * What was the main objective of Operation X-Ray
 * How did you land at Landing Zone X-Ray
 * How did the war effect you.
 * Did you stay for the full battle or were you forced to leave early due to injury.
 * Did you have any family you left behind.
 * How did leaving your family effect you over seas.
 * What was your regiment/division.
 * What was your job/position in the war.
 * Did you have any brothers or sisters in the war.
 * How old were you when you were drafted.
 * If you were in any specialized training, could you please explain what you did.
 * In your mind, what was the most difficult thing about the war.
 * What was the brightest moment, if there was any.
 * Were you in the front lines right away, or stationed farther away from the battle.
 * What was it like when you came home, did your family throw you a party, or were they unaware about the entire situation.
 * How did the war effect you and how you went about your daily life.
 * Did you know any famous veterans of the war, if so who.
 * Who were your commanding officers during the war.