Interview with Thomas G. Riffe, July 13, 2018
Project: Kentucky Honor Flight Veterans Oral History Project
Interview Summary
Thomas G. Riffe served in the 12th Data Processing Unit in Saigon, Vietnam during the Vietnam War. In this interview, Riffe discusses his decision to return to Vietnam as an employee of a private contractor after his tour of duty with the military. He talks about his job duties as a data analyst working with the information gathered from the Hamlet Evaluation System, or Strategic Hamlet Program. He describes the purpose of pacification programs in Vietnam, including attempting to destroy the Viet Cong infrastructure by giving the local Vietnamese citizens resources to build schools, homes, and more. He talks about some of the problems with the program. Riffe talks about the lack of trust between the various factions collaborating on the Hamlet Evaluation System, including the U.S. military, U.S. Aid, the C.I.A., and the various Vietnamese factions. He talks about how these groups formed Civil Operations and Revolutionary Development Support (CORDS) and talks about its intended purpose. He talks about how the media's sensationalized coverage of the Tet Offensive turned the tide of the war and the anti-war movement.Interview Accession
Interviewee Name
Interviewer Name
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Interview LC Subject
Civilians in war. Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam) Military life. Soldiers. Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Veterans--United States Vietnam War, 1961-1975. Marriage Private military companies. Defense contracts. United States. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam. Civil Operations and Revolutionary Development Support United States. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam. Civil Operations and Rural Development Support. Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Civilian relief News media Politics and war. Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Mass media and the war Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Press coverage. War casualties.Interview Rights
All rights to the interviews, including but not restricted to legal title, copyrights and literary property rights, have been transferred to the University of Kentucky Libraries.Interview Usage
Interviews may only be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries.Restriction
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All rights to the interviews, including but not restricted to legal title, copyrights and literary property rights, have been transferred to the University of Kentucky Libraries.
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Riffe, Thomas G. Interview by Jeffrey Suchanek. 13 Jul. 2018. Lexington, KY: Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries.
Riffe, T.G. (2018, July 13). Interview by J. Suchanek. Kentucky Honor Flight Veterans Oral History Project. Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries, Lexington.
Riffe, Thomas G., interview by Jeffrey Suchanek. July 13, 2018, Kentucky Honor Flight Veterans Oral History Project, Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries.
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Persistent Link for this Record: https://kentuckyoralhistory.org/ark:/16417/xt744j09zp47