Bruce Boedtker oral history interview

Bruce Boedtker was born 1950 in Glen Cove, Long Island, but spent much of his early life moving from place to place. Boedtker felt most at home on his grandparents’ farm in Springfield, Vermont, where he eventually lived full time and attended school. He volunteered for the Army after dropping out of high school and receiving a low lottery number in the draft. He served during a period of US troop withdrawal in the Vietnam War. Boedtker began his basic training on September 14, 1970 at Fort Dix, New Jersey, then completed Advanced Infantry Training at Fort Polk, Louisiana. Initially enlisted to serve in Vietnam, his orders changed, and he was deployed to Wildflecken, Germany. There he served as an Infantry Private with the 3rd Infantry Division as part of the US Army’s presence in the NATO alliance to defend the Czech border. During his service, Boedtker describes being bored and aimless, until his Company Commander offered him a job as his driver. Boedtker describes this opportunity as a major turning point in his life, as it gave him a greater sense of purpose through his responsibility of leading drills. His main connection to the Vietnam War was through the Vietnam veterans sent to Europe to finish out their tours and the stories they told. They often described the lack of discipline and strategy that caused the chaos and unrest in Vietnam. Boedtker was discharged on April 18th, 1972. He returned to Vermont, where he received a degree in engineering from the University of Vermont and eventually ran his own business. Today, he lives there with his family.