Title Page & Abstract
An Interview with Ronald (Steve) Allen
Part of the Illinois Public Media (WILL radio.tv.online)
Central Illinois Vietnam War Stories project
Interview # VRV-V-D-2015-064
Steve Allen, who served as an officer with the Marine Corps in Vietnam for one year, was interviewed on the date listed below as part of the Illinois Public Media – WILL AM-FM-TV Central Illinois Vietnam War Stories project.
Interview dates & location:
Date: March 3, 2015 Location: WILL-TV Studio X, Campbell Hall, Urbana, IL
Interview Format: Digital video
Interviewer: Kimberlie Kranich, Chief Content Officer, Illinois Public Media
Technical Support (cameraman, etc): WILL Staff
Transcription by: IL Public Media Staff
Final Edit by: Jeremiah Knoll
Total Pages: 32 pgs Total Time: 1:13 / 1.21 hrs.
Accessioned into the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Archives on March 3, 2016.
The interview is archived at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library in Springfield, Illinois.
© 2015 Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library
Abstract
Steve Allen, Veterans Remember, VRV-V-D-2015-064
Biographical Information Overview of Interview: Steve Allen was born October 12, 1946 in Tuscola, Illinois. He joined the Marine Corps in 1968 after graduating from Eastern Illinois University, entering the officer training program at Quantico, Virginia. Allen served as an infantry officer in Vietnam, assigned to C Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division for one year, completing his tour in the fall of 1970. Allen’s unit was based in Da Nang, South Vietnam, where the unit faced North Vietnamese regulars. He finished his military obligation at Camp Pendleton in 1971. He says his faith as a Christian not only grew while in Vietnam, but it was instrumental in keeping himself and his men alive. His faith helped him make moral decisions despite being in war. As an officer, he enjoyed talking with and giving advice to his men. He decided to bring that aspect of his experiences into his life as a civilian and went back to school to get a graduate degree in counseling. He then spent his career as a school counselor. Allen received his Master’s degree in 1972 and his EDS in 1974, both from Eastern Illinois University. Allen’s experiences provide insight into how faith can help someone navigate war, grief, and adapting back to civilian life. Steve Allen lived in Newman, Illinois at the time of the interview.
Subject Headings/Key Words: Marine Corps infantry officer in Vietnam; Combat in South Vietnam; faith during wartime; Vietnam Veterans Memorial; Da Nang; Steve Allen; 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division
Note to the Reader: Readers of the oral history memoir should bear in mind that this is a transcript of the spoken word, and that the interviewer, interviewee and editor sought to preserve the informal, conversational style that is inherent in such historical sources. The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library is not responsible for the factual accuracy of the memoir, nor for the views expressed therein. We leave these for the reader to judge.
COPYRIGHT
The following material can be used for educational and other non-commercial purposes without the written permission of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library. “Fair use” criteria of Section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976 must be followed. These materials are not to be deposited in other repositories, nor used for resale or commercial purposes without the authorization from the Audio-Visual Curator at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library, 112 N. 6th Street, Springfield, Illinois 62701. Telephone (217) 785-7955