John Francis Dowd's interview for the Veterans History Project at Atlanta History Center

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Catalog Number: VIS 201.0624
In this interview, John Francis Dowd relates his experiences in the United States Army during the Vietnam War. He describes his family, including his father, who fought in World War II and later became a professor of educational psychology. He tells of studying forestry in California and rock climbing in Colorado. He explains how he entered the Army and of being trained for potential riot control after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated. He describes his entry into Vietnam and what his duties were, including acting as an advisor to a Vietnamese Ranger group. He recalls excursions into Cambodia and being wounded. He discusses his next assignment working in a NATO training exercise where he parachuted into Bavaria. He also trained with Greek Special Forces. He describes his post-military education where he earned advanced degrees in hydrology at Yale University. He displays several mementos, including his fathers Combat Infantry Badge and jump wings.