This week covered the VLP Project on Clifford Wayne Smith including
meeting with classmates assigned to the group. The group established that the
theme that could be the center of the video pertained to the negative stigma
surrounding Vietnam and its veterans. Veterans such as Clifford Wayne Smith not
receiving much praise for his actions despite the large sum of medals he
acquired during his service. The group cautioned about coverage of Mr. Smith
due to his recent death in December and wanted to reach out to the family about
his service. In light of his death, the video may transition from the negative
stigma of Vietnam towards a positive message about supporting U.S. veterans and
respect their service unlike how Mr. Smith was treated upon returning home. Mr.
Smith, a veteran that saved multiple American soldiers’ lives, should not be
treated as a joke where young men slam books behind him to make him jump. The
video should seek to improve and further dissuade people from acting like that
towards our veterans. Noticeably, a large authority was held by the family of
Mr. Smith as they could have documentation of his correspondence, pictures of
him, and other memorabilia. However, due to his recent death, these materials
may be inaccessible. Overall, the group’s discussion was beneficial in
beginning to plan the video for the VLP project.
Reviewing Clifford Wayne Smith’s oral history conducted by the
university drew much of my interest. His background was very average such as only
acquiring a high school diploma. Noticeably Mr. Smith drew the most emotion
during the portions of the interview that brought him back into combat. He
staggered with statements and vividly remembered such memories that made me
feel empathy towards the veteran. Smith’s oral history provides perspective of
the soldiers serving in Vietnam such as dealing with rain for twelve hours a
day, lugging a forty to sixty-pound rucksack, and some interaction with the
local Vietnamese. While the group discussed his service, an aspect that may be
prioritized is how these soldiers lived on a daily basis. Smith provides
insight on a typical day of guard duty in the night and then active patrols
throughout the day to find enemy contact. Even when discussing his role in saving
his and two other platoons from the North Vietnamese solder, the other soldiers
were relaxing and not paying much attention to the road they were guarding. Veterans’
daily lives should be included as every day is not some packaged action-packed adventure
that the media portrays active service as.
In addition, the oral history signified how emotional Mr.
Smith was about his service and his reception upon returning home. Initially,
Mr. Smith was very calm and made a few jokes in the beginning such as
discussion of being drafted, NCO school, and first impressions of Vietnam. As
the interview delved deeper into Vietnam, he was becoming more emotional regarding
his injury and return home. It was morbid to hear a veteran discuss how people
treated him as a joke, using books to trigger him. Mr. Smith also stayed in
touch and remained in contact with veterans providing evidence that veterans
enjoy at least some contact with one another. Mr. Smith finished the interview
by stating that serving in the military should be required as according to him
it makes people responsible. Mr. Smith’s contribution to the United States as a
Vietnam veteran remains a key aspect of honoring him through this project.
The aspects of the project I desire to cover includes his
day to day life in Vietnam and the sense of how an average man can be a hero.
Clifford Smith graduated with only a high school degree which was a normal
occurrence within the time. While being accepted into the NCO school and being
trained as an infantry mortar man, his service in Vietnam only saw his role as
an infantry company. His first experience in combat involved saving three
platoons from being discovered by eliminating an enemy combatant. A simple task
of eliminating an enemy that had massive consequences if left alone that
propelled Mr. Smith to be nominated for the Bronze Star. While not receiving
said medal, Mr. Smith clearly deserved praise for his actions yet was denied. My
goal at the end of the VLP project is to have hopefully honored Clifford Wayne
Smith than how he was treated when he returned home.
Works Cited:
Central Florida, RICHES of, "Smith, Clifford Wayne interview" (2014). Veterans Oral Histories. 244. https://stars.library.ucf.edu/veteransoralhistories/244
