Kenneth "Ken" Miller (b. 1934), a Middleton (Wisconsin) native, discusses his service during the Vietnam War as an engineer on the USS Hissem and as a member of the Naval Advisory Group, part of the MACV (Military Assistance Command, Vietnam). Miller grew up in Mount Horeb (Wisconsin) and joined the Navy in 1953, shortly after high school graduation. Miller explains that after boot camp at Great Lakes Naval Training Center (Illinois), he was assigned to the USS Peterson in Key West (Florida) where he became an apprentice diesel engineer. He mentions going to Havana and Guantanamo Bay (Cuba), Scotland, and Portugal with the USS Peterson. Miller recalls that in 1956 he was reassigned to the Fleet Reserve Facility in Philadelphia Naval Shipyard (Pennsylvania) where they repaired and guarded defunct "mothballed" ships including the USS Tennessee and USS California, that had been sunk in Pearl Harbor. He tells a ghost story about a young sailor convinced he heard a piano playing on one of the mothballed ships. Miller's next duty was as a refrigeration man on the USS Keppler; however, in 1959 he was transferred to the USS Hissem, a destroyer radar ship based in Newport (Rhode Island). By this time, Miller was the Leading Engineering Petty Officer in charge of the engine room. He tells several stories about engine failures and how he helped fix them. Miller describes Operation Deep Freeze in detail. During 1963 and 1964, the USS Hissem acted as a weather ship for scientists on Antarctic expeditions. Miller tells a funny and ribald story about scientists in the Antarctic Circle leaving beer at various points on Campbell Island for the sailors to find while on tours. He also recalls the ship doctor performing an onboard appendectomy on a New Zealander. Miller mentions that after Operation Deep Freeze, the USS Hissem made a world cruise, which he implies was finagled by the Captain. They began in Australia and New Zealand, where Miller describes eating mutton with some New Zealand civilians. Miller visited Tasmania, Australia, Singapore, Bombay (India), Aden (Yemen), the Suez Canal, Greece, Rome (Italy), Cannes (France), and Barcelona (Spain). Miller mentions visiting the Vatican and the Coliseum; seeing part of the Cannes film festival; attending bullfights in Barcelona; and catching glimpses of nude sunbathers on the beach. In 1965, Miller states that the USS Hissem was deployed to Vietnam. He describes engine failure in the Panama Canal and encounters with Panamanian hippies on the way there. In Vietnam, Miller reports his ship was part of Operation Market Time and Operation Game Warden. He explains that the ship patrolled the coast from Cam Ranh to Da Nang (Vietnam), inspecting Vietnamese boats for contraband. He states humorously that the Navy provided no training for the inspection teams. Miller also points out that the inspection teams would ask for the identity papers of the people on the boats, but since the sailors could not read Vietnamese, they never knew if the papers were authentic. He reveals that the inspectors were mostly looking for weapons, but recalls an incident in which a Vietnamese boat tried to outrun the USS Hissem. The sailors pursued this boat all the way to Hong Kong where they discovered the boat was full of marijuana. Miller discusses various types of American weapons as well as the differences between boats. He compares the American Swift boat and the Patrol Boat River (PBR) on with sampans and junks, which were Vietnamese boats. Miller clarifies that Operation Market Time involved dragging the river for drowned pilots; they "found two parachutes, but no bodies." Miller mentions that most of the boats they inspected during Operation Game Warden belonged to fisherman and ordinary people. He describes encountering refugee boats full of women and children. Miller characterizes the plight of the refugees as "terrible to see." Miller touches upon visiting Bangkok (Thailand), Formosa (Taiwan), and the Philippines for rest and relaxation. In 1966, the USS Hissem returned from its tour in Vietnam. Miller tells a story of sharing a hotel room in Los Angeles (California) with an African-American sailor who was concerned that they would not be allowed in the hotel because of segregation. Miller reportedly said: "If they don't let us have a room, there's gonna be all kinds of hell to pay." Miller states they were not bothered at the hotel, adding that the sailor took home the Bible. Miller asserts that there were no racial tensions between sailors. He mentions that the USS Hissem had the first African-American Limited Duty Officer, who eventually became a Lieutenant Commander. Miller says he learned most of what he knows about engineering from this officer. Miller criticizes younger sailors in Vietnam for using derogatory language and ethnic slurs towards the Vietnamese. He contends that when they were replaced with older, experienced sailors like himself, relations between the Americans and Vietnamese improved. Miller touches upon drug use among young sailors and a lieutenant; unfortunately, part of this story is missing from the tape. In 1971, Miller underwent SERE (Survive, Evade, Resist, and Escape) training at Camp Pendleton (California) before redeploying to Vietnam. Miller explains that this was part of the Vietnamization program. He also took Vietnam language classes; however, it was difficult for him to master Vietnamese because of the many different dialects. Miller describes in detail the SERE training which simulated prisoner of war conditions. According to Miller, he had to forage for food, resist water-boarding, and spend eighteen hours in a metal box. When he returned to Vietnam, Miller was part of an MACV Naval Advisory Group in Binh Thuy, teaching the South Vietnamese how to repair boat engines. Miller states that when he arrived the engines had a 50% failure rate, which was reduced to five-tenths of a percent by the time he left. He describes taking boats out to test them on the river but states he never went on strikes and did not see much combat. Miller discusses relations between the V.N. and the U.S. sailors; he mentions attending many social events like funerals, weddings, and New Years. He adds that sailors often went drinking in Binh Thuy and stayed overnight. He touches upon religion, portraying the Vietnamese as superstitious. Miller states that the Navy learned not to force V.N.s to go on a patrol if they said Buddha didn't want them to go. Miller attributes the positive relations between the Navy and the Vietnamese civilians to the fact that his ship had regular collections to support the Vietnamese orphanage in Binh Thuy. He mentions briefly that the "dust kids" (children of mixed white and Vietnamese heritage) were treated badly by the orphanage staff. Miller goes on to describe cultural differences between the Americans and Vietnamese, stating that Vietnamese sailors held hands to show friendship and shared beds on cold nights, which upset some homophobic American sailors. He also comments that Vietnamese people were fascinated by Americans with hairy arms. Next, Miller discusses entertainment. The Navy had regular movie nights and invited V.N.s and civilians who either entered the base or watched from boats on the Mekong River. Miller briefly mentions seeing drummer Buddy Rich, pool player Willie Mosconi, and entertainer Phyllis George on shore-leave or in USO shows. Miller tells a story about V.N.s putting a smoke bomb in the ladies' dressing room before a "floor show," causing the women to run out of the dressing room naked. Miller's interview is full of humorous, often bawdy anecdotes, including: the overreaction of a V.N. ensign whose radio was stolen; several stories about officers neglecting their duty or showing cowardice; and a burial at sea where a breeze caught the ashes and blew them back onboard, covering the sailors' white uniforms while the widow looked on aghast. Miller reports he retired in 1973 and settled in Colora (Maryland). He belongs to the VFW, the American Legion, and the Fleet Reserve Association. He states he went to Washington D.C. for the dedication of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
