Interview, Joseph Peck, USA

Joseph Peck (b. 1955) was born in Rochester, NY, to a family with a military background. He enlisted in the delayed entry program for the United States Army in February 1974, when he was still in high school. On July 8, 1974, he reported for military service and began basic training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. He was trained in electronics and became an instrumentation repairman. Peck served primarily in Germany and has written an article about the contributions of “era” veterans, who were in the military during the Vietnam War, but were not sent to Vietnam. Peck served in the Army for just over two years and was honorably discharged in May 1976. After leaving the service, he returned to Rochester, married, and had two children. He worked for the Xerox Corporation as an assembly tester and became an active member of the Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter 20.

In this interview, Peck discusses his attitude toward the Vietnam War, his experiences serving in Germany, and his life after military service. Peck shares that he participated in war protests with his friends before joining the Army, but that he was not very serious about the anti-war movement. He talks about the bad food and contaminated water he encountered in Germany and reflects on the hostility he felt German citizens had towards the Americans in their country. Peck recalls feeling lonely and wanting to be out of the Army, and shares that once he was home, the public’s lack of respect for Vietnam-era veterans led him to act as if he had not been in the military at all. Peck feels that people are entitled to their opinions about war, but that they should support the troops no matter what. Not having served in Vietnam, Peck had reservations about joining veterans groups, but he notes that other veterans encouraged him to join and helped him to realize that he had served his country in a meaningful way.