Oral+History+Summary

__**Oral History Topic Summary **__

__**Topic: US Military Forces in Turkey during the Vietnam War **__

During the Vietnam era, the US military had troops in Turkey as part of the Joint American Military Mission for Aid to Turkey underneath the Truman Doctrine. The idea was to keep Turkey from falling to the Communist Soviet Union. During the Korean war, Turkey sent troops as part of the UN force to fight. In 1969, the US and Turkey signed the Defense Cooperation Agreement, tying the countries even closer together. From the 1940s through the 1980s, the US Air Force was garrisoned in Turkey to oversee the Aid program. As part of TUSLOG (The US Logistics Group). TUSLOG oversaw not only the aid program, but many other things were included in its umbrella of command. Some of these were, air transportation, motor pools, public information, supply logistical support, legal counsel, and signals communication. US positions in Turkey became famous during the Cuban Missile Crisis when the US and USSR agreed that American Jupiter missiles in Turkey would be withdrawn in exchange for the Soviet missiles in Cuba. As the Vietnam war got started, the US military started to consider pulling troops from European countries to add manpower to the Vietnam contingent of the US forces. During 1971, there was a CIA-backed coup in Turkey aimed to dispose of the Turkish government that was too weak to stop anti-US demonstrations. This coup succeeded and a new Turkish government was installed. Although they are usually overlooked, the US military forces in Turkey since WWII have been part of and witnessed momentous events unfold.

Bibliography

"The History of TUSLOG." Merhaba Turkey. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 May 2012. .

"Intervention and Exploitation: US and UK Government International Actions since 1945." US and UK Interventions. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 May 2012. .

“Forgotten Brigade of the Forgotten War: Turkey’s participation in the Korean War.” JSTOR. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 May 2012 

What years were you in Turkey?

-I was in Turkey from 1971 through 1973.

Were there any casualties in your unit?

-No, we were not there to fight.

What was your most memorable experience in Turkey?

-Well, my favorite part about being over there was meeting the Turkish people and interacting with a different culture.

Where were you stationed in Turkey?

-I was stationed in Adana, Turkey which is the third largest city in Turkey. I was at Incirlik Air Force base. It was a base for fighters that would fly in from Spain and other parts of Europe, and we would refuel them there and provide hangars for the planes.

During the Cuban Missile Crisis, did you think that the missiles in Turkey were going to be blasted at Russia? Why or why not?

-At the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis, I didn't even know we had missiles in Turkey. While I was there, I never saw any missiles, but there were some military bases that were very secretive.

Was Turkey ever in danger of falling to Communism? Do you think the Marshall plan helped sway Turkey towards Democracy?

-No, Turkey was not in danger. I think the Marshall plan was why they were never close to being Communist.

What do you remember about the coup in 1971?

-Well in Turkey there had been a series of civilian governments, and the Turkish military took over. This sort of thing had happened before in 1961. The way I experienced it the most was, after the military took over, we would be driving in the trucks, and there would be checkpoints all along the route. The military declared martial law, and we had to have our papers checked everywhere we went.

How did you stay in touch with your family?

-Mostly through letters. We didn't have e-mails in those days!

How were you treated when you got back to America?

-Well, it wasn't like I was in Vietnam or anything. And I actually traveled for several months after my discharge, so I didn't get back to the US right away. There wasn't any hero's welcome.

How did you return to your normal life after being in Turkey?

-The main thing was looking for jobs. I took several odd jobs, then I worked for the state agency. Normal life wasn't too hard to adjust to.