Interviewed by:

Violet Pfeiffer

"My country- right or wrong."

~ Bruce "Cole" Morton

Bruce Morton's Story:

Cole received his first draft notice after dropping out of college. He avoided the draft by returning to school and later attending graduate schools. He graduated from Columbia University's teacher graduate program in 1965. Cole awoke one morning to a radio broadcast. President Lyndon B. Johnson was making a speech about "our boys fighting and dying in Vietnam". This struck a chord with Cole, and he found himself making his way down to Wallstreet to enlist.

Cole attended basic training, then moved on to officer candidate school in Quantico, Virginia. Cole was an active college athlete. He was on the debating team at Columbia University.

Part of his military training required Cole to attend officer candidate school in Virginia where less than fifty percent of the officer candidates become commissioned as officers. He was vigourously tested in his leadership, and physical skills and his ability to handle emotional pressure. He received "live fire" training, amphibious landings, during ten to twelve weeks of OCS and four and a half months of basic school. He was required to learn his weapons inside and out, and trained how to fire. Cole was also taught map reading, and was given a rifle and a pistol because he was an infantry officer.

On February of 1968, Cole was in a unit that went to the imperial city of Hue, Vietnam during the Tet Offensive. This was a very large battle that went of for days and weeks. Cole's job was to call in artilery, to direct fire, and be in command of his men.

Due to the traumas Cole experienced in Vietnam, he came back the United States a broken man, swallowed up by alcoholism, and drug addiction in order to deal with the emotional pains of guilt and loss. He has been an inpatient at the Post Traumatic Stress Ward in North Hampton, Massachusetts.

It has been a long and hard road, for Cole, but he has recoup-orated and is now still living happily in Wellfleet. But, he will never forget his experiences.

Cole was awarded the Bronze star with valor, Navy Commendation medal, Vietnam Campaign medal, the Vietnam Service Ribbon, the South Vietnam Service Ribbon, a Combat Infantry Badge, a Presidential Unit Citation, and a Naval Unit Citation. Bruce would have also been awarded a purple heart, but it was not given to him at that time.

Below, the transcript can be found.

To See:

Bronze Star- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bronze_Star_medal.jpg

Navy Commendation Medal- http://www.dlsearsbooks.com/allbooks/honors/honors_usn_commendation.htm

Vietnam Campaign Medal- http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vietnam_Campaign_Medal.jpg

Vietnam Service Ribbon- https://www.vetfriends.com/catalog/catalog_detail.cfm?itemNum=991&

Combat Infantry Badge- http://wmcrossjr.com/decorations.htm