Civil Engineering Combat Experiences During the Vietnam War: Phase 2

摘要

This thesis was a replication and an expansion of the thesis done by Captain GaryB. Lauson (1989). It was designed to identify significant aspects of the combat experiences of Air Force Civil Engineering (AFCE) personnel in Vietnam and to add respondents to the database originated by Captain Lauson. Due to a lack of previous research on Air Force gorund combat experiences, Captain Lauson's thesis and this thesis required the collection of original data. A 56-question structured interview, created by Captain Lauson, was used to interview 24 AFCE Vietnam veterans about their combat experiences. Research results describe the Vietnam combat experience as seen through the eyes of AFCE veterans. Tentative conclusions are offered on the problems encountered by AFCE personnel in Vietnam as well as how AFCE personnel could have been better prepared for the combat they experienced. The problems and the recommendations provided by the respondents are discussed in hopes that the Civil Engineering community can learn from the past via the experiences of personnel who worked and lived in a combat environment. This thesis was phase two of a program of research in the are of combat behavior and recommendations are made for research for phase three. Keywords: Civil engineering, Combat, Vietnam, Cohesion, Leadership, Moral, Theses. (sdw)