Interview with Bert R. Francis and Arlayne Francis, November 27, 2017

Interview Summary

Bert Francis served two tours of duty in the Vietnam War as a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps. In this interview, he talks about joining the Marine Corps and choosing Twentynine Palms, California as his duty station. He and his wife talk about what life was like there before he left for Vietnam, and his wife discusses her life as a military spouse. Bert Francis talks about the types of training he recieved both at Twentynine Palms and elsewhere during his career with the Marine Corps. He describes the promotion system in the Corps, their emphasis on continuing education, and the difference between the Marine Corps and other branches of the military. He discusses the integration of the military and how his job as a recruiter was affected by the civil rights movement and Vietnam War protests. He discusses Marines' awareness of the growing conflict in Vietnam, the types of training he received to prepare him for the war, and the types of weapons and equipment he used in country. Francis discusses the effects of a military draft, and the stereotype of rigidity in the military.

Interview Keyword

Purdue University Military spouses Marine Corps spouses Officers' spouses Strategy. Tactics Combat. Military draft Student protesters African Americans--Military service Kennedy, John F. (John Fitzgerald), 1917-1963 Civil rights demonstrations

Interview LC Subject

Military service, Voluntary--United States. United States--Armed Forces--Recruiting, enlistment, etc. United States. Marine Corps United States. Marine Corps--Officers. Military bases. Twentynine Palms (Calif.) Military training camps United States. Marine Corps--Infantry Leadership Military education. United States. Marine Corps--Military life Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Campaigns. Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Equipment and supplies. African Americans--Segregation Race relations--United States Integration Civil rights movements--United States Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Protest movements

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Interview Usage

Interviews may only be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries.