Marion F. "Sonny" Smith snapshots, 1966-1967.
(Document/manuscript/pamphlet/archival material)

Arranged in rough chronological order, based upon original order in photograph album.

Materials housed in Special Collections Division of the Main Library, Nashville Public Library.

Researchers are advised that an oral history was conducted with Marion F. "Sonny" Smith in 2007, as part of the Veterans History Project collection.

In library use only. Available by appointment.

Scope and content: 98 black and white snapshot photographs, most, if not all, taken by Gene Paladin and collected by Marion F. "Sonny" Smith. Scenes include soldiers of the 4th Battalion, 503rd Infantry, 173rd Airborne Brigade (Separate) in 1966 and 1967 in Vietnam, especially in the area near Bien Hoa. Many scenes are at the location of a special jungle training school, located near Bien Hoa. Images include candid portraits and scenes of soldiers at leisure; but also include scenes during parachute jump training, especially jumps taken from a training tower; jungle training scenes, including an area designed to look like a Viet Cong camp; soldiers wearing camouflage during their jungle training; discovery of Viet Cong weapons caches; a wounded comrade in the hospital; "Operation Revenge" a real mission taken in response to an ambush upon trainees by the Viet Cong; general scenes of life on base and in camp including military personnel, vehicles, supplies, living conditions, and similar subjects. A few images are of civilian village storefronts in Vietnam, particularly laundries. One photograph is of posters encouraging soldiers to take preventive measures against venereal disease, next to an illustration of Viet Cong and North Vietnamese soldiers designed to aid U.S. soldiers in recognition of the enemy.

Cite as: Marion F. "Sonny" Smith snapshots [photograph no.], Vietnam War series, Veterans History Project collection, Special Collections Division, Nashville Public Library

Nashville Public Library does not have intellectual property rights to these materials.

Marion F. "Sonny" Smith;,Gift;,2007;,Acc. 2007.038.

Related materials: Gene Paladin, a member of the 173rd Airborne Brigade (Separate), who took many of the photographs donated by Sonny Smith, also donated a large quantity of photocopies of some of his photographs. Although they are xerographic copies, some are of high quality. Paladin provides extensive annotations identifying the images, and for this reason, Paladin's materials can be an excellent companion to the photographs donated by Smith. See collection finding aid for further details.

Marion F. "Sonny" Smith was born in 1939 in Ohio, and served in both the U.S. Navy (1957-1961) and the U.S. Army (1961-1977). He grew up and went to school in Orlando, Florida and Flint, Michigan. After he graduated from high school in 1957, he decided to enlist in the Navy and was assigned to a destroyer that was based in Norfolk, Virginia and frequently deployed to the Mediterranean. In 1961, he separated from the Navy, and in November of that same year, decided to enlist in the Army to become a paratrooper. After basic training and jump school, he was assigned to the 173rd Airborne Brigade (Separate), based in Okinawa. Its mission there was to train in jungle warfare tactics. After spending approximately two years in Okinawa, he was sent back to the U.S. and assigned to the 101st Airborne Division. In the late summer of 1966, he was notified that he was going to be reassigned to the 173rd again and deployed to Vietnam for what would turn out to be the first of two tours there. The 173rd was the first ground unit to be deployed to Vietnam and their primary role was a defensive one, to secure Bien Hoa Air Base. Smith served as an instructor at a jungle warfare school, and his specialty was training others to avoid booby traps. Further details about his service are provided in an interview conducted with him by Larry Patterson in 2007, as part of the Veterans History Project.

In English, with portions in Vietnamese.

Finding aid available in repository.

In the possession of Marion F. "Sonny" Smith until time of donation to Nashville Public Library. Mr. Smith said that many of the photographs were given to him by his friend, Gene Paladin, who was a fellow member of the 173rd Airborne Brigade and a photographer.

Forms part of the Vietnam War series of the Veterans History Project collection.

Process;,2007;,Linda Barnickel.

No further accruals are expected.