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Preferred Citation:

Robert M. Furney Letters, 1969 February- July, Special Collections Research Center, Swem Library, College of William and Mary.

Content Description

Five letters to his wife and children during the Vietnam Conflict. Furney was a fixed and rotary wing helicopter pilot of the 361st Aviation Company (Escort) in the United States Army. His letters are a response to news from home regarding his children and activities of his wife. He also writes about the plans and excitement of seeing his them as he takes leave and they rendezvous in Hawaii. Furney recalls preparations for a Change of Command in his correspondence and mentions his need to investigate an unfortunate incident of shelling from a gunship that accidentally mistook friendly forces for bad. He also writes of an incident involving a crashed airplane which was under his command and that three of his men had perished. The Army of the Republic of Vietnam men had hastily buried the deceased instead of informing his unit. He reported on the exhausting task of exhuming the remains and getting the bodies back to their families in the United States.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Helicopters -- Pilots
• Military helicopters -- Piloting
• Vietnam War, 1961-1975