Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans

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Fred Fletcher

Korea | D Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Regiment, 1st Division

It took a while for the doctors to figure out what had happened when Fred Fletcher was knocked out by a projectile which hit him in the back of the head at the Chosin Reservoir. He recovered and made the Marine Corps a career, although he feels the Corps pulled a fast one on his last assignment. At least the deal made him a Captain. (2:40)
Fred Fletcher tells the story of his surprising meeting with the parents of Ray Fairchild, who was killed next to him at the Chosin Reservoir. It took a couple of amazing coincidences to make it happen. (2:56)
Fred King

WWII | 45th Infantry Division

Fred King breaks a soldier’s rule and gets a humorous surprise. (2:04)
Fred King shares an experience of being overrun by a German assault in Anzio (3:00)
Fred King shares how he was wounded while barely avoiding death in Anzio (1:44)
Fred King recounts various events while stuck on the frontlines at Anzio for five months. (8:03)
Fred Kroesen

WWII | 63rd Infantry Division

Fred Kroesen grew up next to a National Guard armory with a horse drawn field artillery unit. His first job was exercising the horses, but when World War II came along, he became an infantry officer in time to join the push across Europe. (3:02)
After working in the Pentagon Force Development Office to build up manpower in the military, Fred Kroesen got a combat assignment as a brigade commander in Vietnam. The enemy faded away on his first operation, making it the greatest training exercise he had ever seen. By the time his tour was over, he was sure that the war was won. (6:51)
On his second Vietnam tour, Fred Kroesen returned to command the troubled Americal Division, which was still receiving a lot of negative attention in the wake of the My Lai incident. As the war wound down and the division had returned to the States, he remained with the dwindling and restrained American force and was saddened when the enemy overran a town that he had restored during his first tour. (8:19)
As a longtime commander of troops, Fred Kroesen knew the rotation scheme during the Vietnam War was a terrible decision. Of particular concern was the use of untested NCO's which made the commander's job a lot more difficult. (3:34)