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David Lofgren

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David Lofgren, “Crossing the Military-Civilian Divide,” interviewed by Jason A. Higgins, July 14, 2022, Williamsburg, VA. Jason Bennett was born in Wichita, Kansas in 1941. He is an U.S. Vietnam War Veteran who served from July 1970 to the Spring of, 1971. He worked as a Company Commander with the Transportation Corps. During his time in Vietnam, despite never seeing combat, he encountered drug abuse, threats of violence, chemical warfare, among other events that define the war on the American side. However, since his leaving he has developed several types of cancers from the use of chemical weaponry he was exposed to while in Vietnam.

While in Vietnam, Mr. Lofgren recounts how prevalent drug use, specifically heroin, was among nearly everyone stationed there. He talks about even finding a high-ranking soldier partaking in it and how it's important to set an example for what was occurring. David also speaks on his methods for dealing with the trauma of being in the war.

"I know that's some soldiers even today still have problems dealing with their experiences there. I forget about it. It was a time in my life where everything just didn't seem to fit. Nothing made sense so you'd just get through it and move on."


Friendly fire is where there is harm caused to one's own side during wartime. Fragging, as it was called at the time, is when that happens intentionally. Mr. Lofgren speaks about the rumors and the threats and the failed attempts he was aware of while he was a commander in service.

"We all dove for cover because we thought sure it was a hand grenade coming down on through. Turned out it wasn't it was a bottle. But somebody who was sending us a message. I mean, that bottle didn't just drop out of the sky."


Vietnam's Long Binh Jail, both during the war and since, had the reputation of being a place of incredible violence and in-humanitarianism. Mr. Lofgren once had to deal with a subordinate who was planning racially-based conflict against officers, and had to escort that person to Long Binh Jail directly. David talks about that experience and briefly touches of the conflicts that he witnessed even during his short time there.

"I said, he's on a hunger strike what do you do? How is this being handled? And this big tall guy says, I get more to eat. I'll never forget that. He says I get more to eat. Other words, they still bring him food, he refuses it. The guard gets his food too."


Agent Orange was a compound used by the American forces in Vietnam for eco-warfare, but it did significant damage to many American soldiers in Vietnam as well. Mr. Lofgren speaks on the types of cancers he received as a direct result of exposure to Agent Orange. He also speaks on how he has no ill will towards the U.S. government for his condition.

"Do I hold any grudges about that or any sour grapes or anything? No. Maybe I'm just too realistic of a person that humans make mistakes and other humans have to suffer the consequences of those mistakes and that's where I am."


In 2021, U.S. Armed Forces pulled out of Afghanistan as the NATO-backed Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Fell and the War, was effectively lost. Mr. Lofgren speaks on the parallels between the fall of Afghanistan to the similar fall of Saigon and the American defeat in the Vietnam War. He also speaks upon how he feels considering the eventually approach of capitalism into the region anyways.

"Vietnam was lost the whole thing. The whole country turned communist, which is what was the goal to prevent."


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