This interview is part of the Bellingham/Mendon Veteran’s Oral History Project, taped at the ABMI Studios in Bellingham, MA. Coordinator and interviewer is Marjorie Turner Hollman.
I’m grateful for each veteran who has been willing to share his or her experiences. MTH
Bellingham, MA resident Bill Vicini joined the Air Force in 1964 and served in Vietnam in the Field Maintenance Squadron with the 14th Air Command in Nha Trang. Besides keeping equipment in good repair, Bill provided aircraft crash recovery. In this interview he describes living conditions in Vietnam, challenges of living in a tropical climate, his duties as part of the crash recovery crew, enemy attacks on the base and more. When Bill returned to civilian life he continued to serve the community, working with the Fire Department and the school system here in Bellingham, MA. He presently works with disabled veterans, coordinating transportation of veterans to medical appointments, as well as aiding veterans in applying for benefits.
Marjorie Turner Hollman is a writer who loves the outdoors, and is the author of Easy Walks in Massachusetts, 2nd edition, More Easy Walks in Massachusetts, 2nd edition, Easy Walks and Paddles in the Ten Mile River Watershed, and Finding Easy Walks Wherever You Are. Her memoir, the backstory of Easy Walks, is My Liturgy of Easy Walks: Reclaiming hope in a world turned upside down.
Marjorie Turner Hollman 