Scope and Contents

The collection consists of less than a quarter of a linear foot of materials documenting Sergeant Philip Devlin's service as a Tech Representative with the Department of Defense assigned to the U.S. Army stationed at Army Base Radcliff (The Golf Course) at An Khe from 1966-1967. The materials include an 8mm film of Vietnam footage (including a digitized version on DVD) and photocopies of various documents including ID cards, membership cards, business cards, certificates, service records, military orders, and letters of appreciation.

Biographical / Historical

Sergeant Philip J. Devlin was born August 6, 1934 in Manhattan, New York City, NY. He joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 1952 and during the Korean War, he served as a helicopter mechanic and crew chief stationed at Yokosuka Airfield, Naval Air Station Oppama, Japan. During his military career, he was also stationed at Camp LeJeune (New River) Marine Base at Quantico, VA; Naval Air Station Jacksonville, FL; and Naval Air Station Miramar, CA. He received numerous awards including the South Korean Service Medal, the USMC Good Conduct Medal, and the UN Korean War Medal. He was honorably discharged from the USMC in 1956 at the rank of Sergeant.

From 1966-1967, Sergeant Devlin served in Vietnam as a civilian Tech Representative with the Department of Defense assigned to the U.S. Army stationed at Army Base Radcliff (The Golf Course) at An Khe. During this time, he flew 3rd pilot on the Sikorsky Skycrane (CH-54). As 3rd pilot, he accomplished the hovering needed to retrieve downed equipment. He would sometimes pick up injured soldiers, as well as drop portable hospitals into war zones.

After his military service, Sergeant Devlin returned to a career in aviation maintenance and engineering, working for various airlines. After retiring from the airline industry in 1999, he opened his own aviation consulting company which he operated until 2020. Sergeant Devlin passed away October 1, 2023.