A Minnesota PBS Initiative
They Handed Out Medals Like Popcorn
Bill Driver was drafted at age 25 1/2, just before the cut off age of 26. One of his jobs in Vietnam was writing commendation citations, and he even wrote a glowing citation of himself. He notes that medals were handed out frequently and to everyone to keep morale up during a difficult war.
Bill's story was captured with the help of TPT's Minnesota Remembers Vietnam team.
I was writing medals virtually for anyone who did anything, even the cooks for peeling potatoes.
Biographical Details
Submitted From: St. Paul, MN
Primary Location During Vietnam: Ft. Belvoir, United States 
Story Subject: Military Service
Military Branch: U.S. Army
Dates of Service: 1969 - 1971
Unit: Engineer Battalion, Personnel Actions
Specialty: Accounting Specialist
Story Themes: 1969, 1970, 1971, Army, Army Commendation, Bill Driver, Commendation, Deferment, Donald Rumsfeld, Draft, Fort Belvoir, Lyndon Johnson, Power Of Storytelling Interviews, Saint Paul, St Paul, The Things They Carried, Tim O'Brien, Virginia, William Driver, William Westmoreland
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