Schumann, Dennis Wayne

Item

Title
Schumann, Dennis Wayne
Performer
Dennis Wayne Schumann
Interviewer
William Vollano
Description
Dennis was drafted after his first year in college. He trained at Fort Knox, before being sent to Vietnam. He was assigned to a Light Infantry Battalion. Their duties consisted of patrolling to engage the enemy. Coppers flew them to their destinations whether it took a few days or a month. Dennis reported feeling frustrated because they would clear out an area, only to have the enemy return the next day. Dennis described the time he was wounded. A bullet passed completely through his shoulder and he was also hit in the hip and the stomach. He was sent to a field hospital, a base hospital, and eventually to Japan. There he was given the choice of returning to his Unit, which would have shortened his time be three months, or going home. He chose home. He returned to Fort Knox where he started his military service. After returning to Ann Arbor, he went back to his job at Jacobson’s from where he retired. Since he was only 50, he took a job at the local lumber company where he stayed for eight years. Dennis and his wife have two children and four grandchildren. A letter to the editor of the local newspaper is how we found this Veteran. He had suggested that the 4th of July parade be led by a true war hero, his buddy Gary Bowen who grew up with Dennis, was drafted and trained with Dennis, and served gallantly in Vietnam.
Date Span
1965-1967
Dates of Service
Subject
Drafted; United States Army; Company A, 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 196th Light Infantry Brigade; Vietnam War, 1961-1975; Vietnam; Japan, United States; Corporal
Publisher
Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
Center for Oral History Research at Eastern Michigan University
Center for Oral History Research at Eastern Michigan University
Collection Location
4/8
https://memory.loc.gov/diglib/vhp/bib/loc.natlib.afc2001001.81350
Spatial Coverage
Vietnam; Japan, United States