Vietnam War Veteran
Joseph McCarthy
Interviewed by:
Emily Sanders and Liam O'Hara
1975
2016
"I grew as a person. I came back and had a different outlook on life."
~ Joseph McCarthy (16:25)
Name:
Joseph McCarthy
Date of Birth:
July 27, 1955
Branch of Service:
United States Marines
Dates of Service:
May 1, 1975 to
December 31, 1979
Location of Military Service:
East Coast of the United States
of America, Southeast Asia,
and multiple other locations
working with NATO.
Residence at Time of Interview:
Ipswich, Massachusetts
Joseph McCarthy's Story:
Joseph McCarthy was born on July 27th, 1955. He is from South Boston, Massachusetts. Growing up in a middle class family, Mr. McCarthy was partly compelled to join the military by his father’s previous service. He also felt as though he had an obligation to serve his country.
During his four years of active duty, Mr. McCarthy served as a Corporal in the United States Marines. During the course of his service, he helped by completing odd jobs such as setting up landing zones for helicopters or protecting soldiers being transported from spot to spot. Mr. McCarthy also set up communications between posts, acting as a wire man for multiple months. As he did these jobs, he traveled across the globe. He says that the most interesting thing he got to do while serving was to explore the world. His travels spanned from China to Europe to America.
Mr. McCarthy worked with a special forces unit of the Marines during his four year long deployment. Due to this special rank, he completed numerous stealth-based missions around the world. Mr. McCarthy enjoyed his service in some regards because it let him “grow as a person”. He was able to do this because of the several different cultures he encountered on his travels.
Joseph McCarthy’s deployment was cut short due to some pretty bad injuries he sustained while serving. During a basic mission, there was a mechanical problem in the helicopter that held him and many of his comrades. This caused the aircraft to crash land which injured Mr. McCarthy to the point of debilitation and complications to this very day.
He now lives with his daughters and wife in Ipswich, Massachusetts, continuing his early dream of being an electrician. As this page is a tribute to Mr. McCarthy, we feel as though our appreciation should be expressed here. So we thank Joseph McCarthy for his bravery and valued service, and want to let him know that his actions will never be forgotten.
The logo for the Marine Corps, the branch of The United States Military that Mr. McCarthy served under.
Mr. McCarthy's dog tags from when he served. They have his height, weight, name, and blood type on it. It allowed him to be identified in case of an emergency. The black residue is rubber that was put on to keep it from rattling.
Mr. McCarthy's Code of Conduct. It was expected to be followed exactly. It includes instruction on how to handle ones self if captured and the principles and traits of a Marine.
Some of the gear that was used in the field. It included wires, tarps, and radios. When Mr. McCarthy traveled somewhere new, it was his job to set up the communications between posts.
One of the bags that Mr. McCarthy had. It had one large compartment, an outside pocket, one pocket that was waterproof. Often a pair of socks or underwear was stored in there to prevent it from getting wet.
Mr. McCarthy worked with NATO in many of his operations. The highlighted countries and regions are part of NATO.