People go into the military for many reasons. Perhaps it's because they receive a cordial invitation in the form of a draft notice or they want to serve their country and see the world. Perhaps they join the service to escape family strife or relationships that have become untenable. Michael Doolittle and Marcia Brinkley, discuss some of his reasons for joining the military. Doolittle also shares some of the unnerving experiences faced during his time in Vietnam.
The full interview will be preserved in the Library of Congress. Access the full interview between Michael and Marcia at the StoryCorps Archive.
See more local stories from the Military Voices Initiative at hawaiipublicradio.org/storycorps
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
In June 2022, HPR teamed up with StoryCorps to gather audio conversations from Hawai‘i residents about their military experiences. The Military Voices Initiative provides a platform for veterans, service members, and military families to share their stories. In doing so, we honor their voices, amplify their experiences, and let them know that we — as a nation — are listening. These interviews were facilitated by Hazel Diaz, Isabella Gonzalez, Cole Johnston and Franchesca Peña.
The audio segments were produced for Morning Edition and All Things Considered by John Kalani Zak. He shares his perspective on working with the Military Voices Initiative segments in his producer's notes. HPR and StoryCorps encourage our community to tell their own stories using the StoryCorps app. Learn more at StoryCorps.org.
Local support for this series comes from Hawai‘i Pacific University.
