William Couser oral history interview

The Scope and Contents note of this oral history was originally generated by feeding the electronic transcript into OpenAI’s ChatGPT 4 on 2024 February 15. It was then reviewed and edited by a human.

Oral history interview with William G. Couser ’63 for the Dartmouth Vietnam Project about his experience in the Vietnam War era. Couser recounts his early life growing up in Lebanon, NH and early education in public school, Deerfield Academy, and undergraduate studies at Harvard University. He describes his experience at Dartmouth Medical School, where he earned his Bachelor Degree of Medical Science, followed by his Doctorate at Harvard Medical School. Couser relates his decision to volunteer for military service and assignment to an Army clearing company in Vietnam, the 1st Air Cavalry Division, providing emergency care for wounded soldiers before they were transported to the nearest hospital. He describes witnessing the aftermath of deadly explosive attacks and treating soldiers with severe injuries. He recounts being injured in a mortar attack and returning to duty after recovery, finishing his tour. Couser discusses his experience transitioning back to civilian life and encountering anti-war sentiments in the U.S. He describes resuming his medical residency and subsequent career as a nephrologist, and his involvement in efforts to advance nephrology in the developing world.