Scope and Contents

Approximately four linear feet of slides and documents donated to the archive by Mike McDermott. The documents include a manuscript written by Mike McDermott titled 'Welcome to Team 162 and the Vietnamese Airborne Division' documents McDermott's service in Vietnam in 1972, including his role in the Battle of An Loc during the Easter Offensive. The slides show major cities like Hue and Saigon, military equipment like various models of helicopter, artillery pieces and weapons, aerial photographs of Vietnam, images of Camp Eagle, patrolling in the jungle, a Christmas mass service, medcap missions, montagnards, and various cities visited by McDermott during his R&R. The slides date from 1967 through 1972.

Biographical / Historical

Mike McDermott was born in 1940 in Pierre, South Dakota. In 1960, McDermott enlisted in the US Army as Airborne/Unassigned. In 1966, McDermott was commissioned and began his total of 32 years in the service. Three and a half years of this time was served in Vietnam, where McDermott served with the 101st Airborne Division as a platoon leader and company commander and with the Vietnamese Airborne Division, 5th Battalion as a senior advisor. First ranked as Lieutenant in 1966, McDermott rose in rank to Captain of Infantry while serving in Vietnam until 1972. In 1984, McDermott was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and rose to become a full Colonel by 1995, during which time he served as Defense Attaché in Manila, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, and Malaysia.