William M. Orr III Papers, 1969
(Manuscript Collection #156)
Descriptive Summary
| Title: | William M. Orr III Papers |
| Creator: | Orr, William M. |
| Repository: | ECU Manuscript Collection |
| Languages: | English |
| Abstract: | Papers (1969, undated) consisting of correspondence, letter, selling of cigarettes, red tape. |
| Extent: | 0.143 Cubic feet, 20 items , consisting of correspondence (1969, undated). |
Administrative Information
Accessions Information
March 10, 1971, 20 items; Correspondence (1969, undated). Gift of Mr. William M. Orr, III, Kinston, North Carolina.
Access Restrictions
No restrictions
Copyright Notice
Literary rights to specific documents are retained by the authors or their descendants in accordance with U.S. copyright law.
Preferred Citation
William M. Orr III Papers (#156), East Carolina Manuscript Collection, J. Y. Joyner Library, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, USA.
Acquisition Information
- Gift of Mr. William M. Orr, III
Processing Information
-
Processed by R. Weaver, April 1971
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Encoded by Apex Data Services
Biographical / Historical Note
William M. Orr III was a lieutenant serving with the U.S. Army near Can Tho in South Vietnam.
Description
Included in this collection are twenty letters from Lt. Orr to his family and friends in Kinston, North Carolina. Though the year is given on only one letter, it can be assumed that all of the letters were written during 1969.
Though much of the information contained in the correspondence is of a personal nature, there are several items of interest. In one letter (January 18) Orr comments on the "black market" in South Vietnam. He states that cigarettes sell for at least five dollars per carton on this illicit market. In a second letter (March 23), Orr comments that most of the fighting is occurring near the major population centers. In a letter dated May 19, he describes an operation in which he participated near a mountain named Nui Gaia. Orr gives his impression of a B-52 strike that he witnessed during this operation. Lieutenant Orr also comments on desertion (November 10) as he states that there were 70 desertions within a twenty-day time period out of 460 men in his camp. Finally, Orr expresses his approval (November 12) of the war marches and moratoriums in the United States. He relates that the United States should withdraw from Vietnam, and that the South Vietnamese people are incapable of supporting themselves. Throughout the correspondence, Orr expresses his dissatisfaction with the Army by complaining about the inefficiency and the endless "red tape" involved in obtaining his discharge papers.
Subject Headings
Online access to this finding aid is supported with funds created through the federal Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA). These funds come through a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services which is administered by the State Library of North Carolina, a division of the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources. This grant is part of the North Carolina ECHO, Exploring Cultural Heritage Online, Digitization Grant Program.
