Scope and Contents

The collection consists of approximately 0.75 linear feet of materials documenting Captain Leslie Raschko's service as a Public Information Officer with the 15th Public Information Detachment, 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division in Tay Ninh Province from 1968 to 1969. The materials include slides; photographs; articles and clippings; periodicals; award citations and certificates; and newspapers.

Biographical / Historical

Captain Leslie L. Raschko was born in Walla Walla, Washington in July 1939. He entered the ROTC program at Eastern Washington State College and graduated with a BA degree in 1963. After college, he joined the U.S. Army and served with the 3rd Squadron, 8th U.S. Cavalry and the 25th Infantry Division between 1963 and 1966. In 1966, he worked in the Public Affairs Office at the Ft. Polk Training Center. In 1967, he completed basic and advanced courses at the Defense Information School before becoming CO of a basic combat training company. In 1968, at the beginning of the Tet Offensive, Captain Raschko began a 12 month tour of Vietnam. He served as CO of the 15th Public Information Detachment, 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division stationed 40 km northwest of Cu Chi in Tay Ninh Province. He improved staffing and rebuilt the detachment's operational conditions, as well as produced coverage of U.S. units in his area of operations (including briefings, photographs, and stories) for distribution to U.S. media outlets.

After his time in Vietnam, Captain Raschko began a career in higher education, working at institutions in Santa Fe, New Mexico and at the University of Nevada Las Vegas. He continued to serve for 11 years in the New Mexico National Guard and was then honorably discharged from the U.S. Army in February 1981.