United States, New York, Queens County, Queens, 40.68149, -73.83652United States, Texas, Bexar County, Lackland Air Force Base, 29.38663, -98.61797United States, Texas, Howard County, Big Spring, Webb Air Force Base, 32.21556, -101.5225Vietnam, Cam Ranh Bay, 11.893334, 109.170167Bruckner, William Joseph, 1944-King, CaryVerHoef, Sue HardyFanelli, Dominick, 1945-2022-04-132022In this interview, Dominick Fanelli shares his experiences as an aircraft mechanic in the United States Air Force during the Vietnam War. He recalls growing up as an Italian Catholic in Queens, New York and not knowing any English until he started grade school. He describes his high school experience and meeting with an Air Force recruiter shortly after graduating. He discusses his training to become an aircraft mechanic before heading to Thailand to participate in Operation Rolling Thunder. He recounts his reassignment to Vietnam and his first impressions of the country including the heat and dampness. Fanelli outlines his duties as Crew Chief and describes the processes of aircraft maintenance. He tells of incidents on base, his R&R experience, helping set up a Vietnamese orphanage, and being treated poorly when he arrived back home. He describes his career after his service including charitable work and jobs at Pan Am, Lockheed, and Northwest Airlines.Aircraft mechanic; DC-3; Viet Cong; Booby traps; Honor flight; Quilts of Valor; Pan American World Airways; Lockheed; Northwest Airlines;Dominick Fanelli served in the United States Air Force during the Vietnam War.video/mp4Atlanta, Ga. : Kenan Research Center, Atlanta History Centerhttp://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/Veterans History Project oral history recordingsVeterans History Project collection, MSS 1010, Kenan Research Center, Atlanta History CenterVietnam War, 1961-1975Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, AmericanBasic training (Military education)--United StatesT-37 (Training plane)Phantom II (Jet fighter plane)Operation Rolling Thunder, 1965-1968United States. Air ForceOral history interview of Dominick FanelliMovingImage