The Tennessee State Library and Archives (TSLA) is collecting materials about the Vietnam War. Recently, veteran Christopher Ammons of Clarksville donated his personal papers to TSLA, including photographs, letters and memorabilia. An online exhibit featuring the Ammons collection is now available for viewing.
Ammons entered military service a month after graduating from Clarksville High School. He served two terms in Vietnam from 1967 through 1970. He was part of the First Infantry Division and was stationed at many locations in South Vietnam, where his unit saw extensive combat action.
The Ammons online collection contains wartime photographs, letters from the front lines, military documents typical of the period and souvenirs - including local currency and propaganda leaflets collected by Ammons from his time “in county.”
Ammons took a great interest in his surroundings and was an avid amateur photographer. The photos in this collection detail not only the daily life of soldiers in Vietnam, but also Ammons’ progression from a youth in Tennessee enlisting in the United States Army to a battle-seasoned veteran on patrol and interacting with Vietnamese locals. Ammons describes in a video interview how he was wounded while on patrol during his first tour and his family’s reaction to the telegram notifying them of his injury.
These materials have been generously donated by Ammons to TSLA as a record of one Tennessean’s service to his county for future generations of Tennesseans to study and enjoy.
This new digital collection is available at: http://teva.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/landingpage/collection/p15138coll13.
The Tennessee Virtual Archive (TeVA), an online program of the TSLA, is administered by Secretary of State Tre Hargett.