Richard McIntyre talks about serving as a mechanic in the US Air Force during the Vietnam War, repairing and maintaining F4 fighter planes, and ensuring that they were combat ready. He speaks about what he did when not on duty, including leave taken in Sydney, Australia, and his delight in the local cultures and foods of Japan, Vietnam, Thailand, where he was stationed. He voices his qualms about the the Vietnam War. He describes the Japanese dialects of Okinawa and how he developed a facility with the language. He recalls the end of his time in Vietnam, his last year in the service, spent at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona, and returning home to visit his hometown of Ellington, New York. He discusses attitudes about military service that he encountered at home, and his own personal growth in the military. He talks about taking automotive coursework at Mesa College in Grand Junction, Colorado, his career in auto mechanics since Vietnam, and his love of the outdoors. The interview was conducted by the Mesa County Oral History Project, a collaboration of Mesa County Libraries and the Museums of Western Colorado.
*Photograph from the 1968 Falconer High School (New York) yearbook
