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Carl Fordahl, Vietnam [undated]

Veterans History Project Service Summary:

  • War or Conflict: Vietnam War, 1961-1975
  • Branch of Service: Army
  • Unit of Service: Headquarters Company, 1st Signal Brigade
  • Location of Service: Washington, DC; Germany; Vietnam
  • Highest Rank: Specialist Five
  • Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/11738

View full service history

"If we had a collection of all of this artwork, we'd have a good conglomerate, a good collection of really wonderful works that tells the story…everything tells a story." (Audio interview, Part I, 56:09)

Carl Fordahl's official duties in Vietnam were as an draftsman and illustrator, but he also became a combat artist. But it was twenty years after the war before he finished the drawings he had made during his tour of duty. While in the field, Fordahl only had time to make quick sketches or take photos. Other veterans easily recognized his sketches of locations like Firebase Bastogne. Decades later, Fordahl decided to complete the sketches that he had saved. His work is now in the collections of the National Vietnam Veterans Art Museum in Chicago.

Interview / Recording

More Resources

Carl Les Fordahl Collection
Interview / Recording

[ [Pencil on Paper] Rear view of a U.S. Navy patrol boat on a river, Vietnam ]
[ [Pencil on Paper] Vietnam, two Army jeeps on a road; a military checkpoint is at right ]
[ [Pencil on Paper] Vietnam, "Public Transport" ]
[ [Pencil on Paper] Vietnam, sketch of two Vietnamese workers with large barrels ]

Show more resources (86)

[ [Pencil on Paper] Vietnam, "G.I. and a cold one at Long Binh" ]
[ [Pencil on Paper], Vietnam, sketch of a military barracks, possibly a chapel at center ]
[ [Pencil on Paper] Monument of S. Vietnamese soldiers, on road to Saigon, Vietnam ]
[ [Pencil on Paper] Sketch of two trees, a building in background ]
[ [Pencil on Paper] Sketch of two PBR boats, Song Saigon River, Vietnam [1970] ]
[ [Pencil on Paper] A woman being pushed in a rickshaw, Saigon, Vietnam [1970] ]
[ [Pencil on Paper] Miscellaneous sketches, "Vietnamese girl," "Supposed to be Sorenson," "Chet Satkamp," and "PBR Boat" [1970] ]
[ [Pencil on Paper] U.S. Navy PBR boat ]
[ [Pencil on Paper] "WAH Maid Cleaning Clothes" [1970] ]
[ [Pencil on Paper] Buildings, possibly military barracks [1970] ]
[ [Pencil on Paper] Vietnamese person with buildings in background [1970] ]
[ [Pencil on Paper] Vietnamese person ]
[ [Pencil on Paper] "Picnic area under parachute tent, Long Binh, Vietnam" [1970] ]
[ [Pencil on Paper] Sketch of Da Nang press center, Vietnam ]
[ [Pencil on Paper] "A street in Saigon" [1970] ]
[ [Pencil on Paper] "Skull mounted on bamboo pole with necklace tied on" [1970] ]
[ [Pencil on Paper] "My Hot Rod Jeep for the Colonel" [1970] ]
[ [Pencil on Paper] "Woman on Saigon Street" [1970] ]
[ [Pencil on Paper] "Lead truck of convoy near Phouc Bin, 101st on U.S. 1; Real skull on bamboo pole with War necklace" [1970] ]
[ [Pencil on Paper] Profile sketch of General Hugh Foster, Long Binh, Vietnam [1970] ]
[ [Pencil on Paper] "Preparing for RAT patrol, Long Binh" [1970] ]
[ [Pencil on Paper] "The Pose" [1970] ]
[ [Pencil on Paper] "Museum at Da Nang" [1970] ]
[ [Pencil on Paper] G. Sorenson with cameras, Fire Base Bastogne, Thanksgiving Day [1970] ]
[ [Pencil on Paper] "Vietnamese women dumping garbage, Long Binh," Vietnam [1970] ]
[ [Pencil on Paper] Guard Line Bunkers, Vietnam ]
[ [Pencil on Paper] "Self pose from photo at draft board in Long Binh, Vietnam" [1970] ]
[ [Pencil on Paper] "Getting ready for RAT patrol" [1970] ]
[ [Pencil on Paper] A helicopter with soldiers in combat gear standing nearby, Vietnam ]
[ [Pencil on Paper] A Chinook helicopter unloads an artillery piece while soldiers look on ]
[ [Pencil on Paper] A Chinook helicopter unloads supplies at a firebase in Vietnam, while soldiers look on ]
[ [Pencil on Paper] A helicopter at Firebase Bastogne, Thanksgiving Day [1970] ]
[ [Pencil on Paper] Miscellaneous sketches of people [1970] ]
[ [Pencil on Paper] A ferry on a river, other boats in background ]
[ [Pencil on Paper] "Howitzer with azimuth markers and portable radar" ]
[ [Pencil on Paper] "Maid WAH doing clothes, Long Binh, Vietnam" [1970] ]
[ [Pencil on Paper] Mail drop at Firebase Bastogne [1970] ]
[ [Pencil on Paper] Sketches of some of Fordahl's equipment, including "Crumpled Boonie Hat," "My personal knife 10" blade w[ith] bone handle," and "my .45" ]
[ [Pencil on Paper] "From P.L., So. side of lake to middle" ]
[ [Pencil on Paper] "Fire base Bastogne (Thanksgiving Day) gun Crew" [1970] ]
[ [Pencil on Paper] "Harmonica Player on the Way Home, Camp Eagle" [1970] ]
[ [Pencil on Paper] "Firebase Bastogne, Gathering for the Thanksgiving Day Meal" [1970] ]
[ [Pencil on Paper] A sketch of a bunker and two soldiers ]
[ [Pencil on Paper] "Visit to Orphanage in Saigon" [1970] ]
[ [Pencil on Paper] "Firebase Bastogne L.Z. Approach" [1970] ]
[ [Pencil on Paper] "DMZ Firebase/Vietnam" [1970] ]
[ [Pencil on Paper] "Vietnamese Woman LAHN Working for Drafting Work" [1970] ]
[ [Pencil on Paper] "Mess Area, Firebase Bastogne" [1970] ]
[ [Pencil on Paper] "Water-Front village on Song Saigon River" [1970] ]
[ [Pencil on Paper] "Bunkers, Firebase Bastogne" [1970] ]
[ [Pencil on Paper] "Small Village, Vietnam" ]
[ [Pencil on Paper] "Cobra Gunship" ]
[ [Pencil on Paper] "Firebase on DMZ, Vietnam" [1970] ]
[ [Pencil on Paper] "Firebase Bastogne, Thanksgiving" [1970] ]
[ [Pencil on Paper] Soldiers on a tank ]
[ [Pencil on Paper] Danang Press center ]
[ [Pencil on Paper] "Guard Duty, Perimeter, Fire Base Bastogne" [1970] ]
[ [Pencil on Paper] "Military Church" ]
[ [Pencil on Paper] "Fire Base Bastogne Near Danang" [1970] ]
[ [Pencil on Paper] "Dropping Chu Hoi info Into Jungle" ]
[ [Pencil on Paper] "Gun Crew, Firebase Bastogne, Thanksgiving Day" [1970] ]
[ [Pencil on Paper] "Corporal Parker and Gun Crew, Fire Base Bastogne, Thanksgiving day" [1970] ]
[ [Pencil on Paper] "Living Quarters (Hooch), Fire Base (underground), Vietnam" [1970] ]
[ [Pencil on Paper] "Fire Base Bastogne" [1970] ]
[ [Pencil on Paper] "Incoming Wounded--Medic" [1970] ]
[ [Pencil on Paper] "Top Detail of Huey Gunship" [1970] ]
[ [Pencil on Paper] Miscellaneous sketches, including "AK-47 Fold Out" and "ChiCom carry pack for grenades" ]
[ [Pencil on Paper] "I don't think that damn buffalo liked me. Rice paddy farmer in Vietnam" [1970] ]
[ [Pencil on Paper] "LAUN Vietnamese woman in our drafting section" ]
[ [Pencil on Paper] View of landscape with barbed wire and bunker, half-ton truck with soldiers on road at center ]
[ [Pencil on Paper] "Chopper pilots and gunner waiting to load, Vietnam" [1970] ]
[ [Pencil on Paper] "Amphitheater, Long Binh" [1970] ]
[ [Pencil on Paper] "On the Road in Vietnam" [1970] ]
[ [Pencil on Paper] "Girl in orphanage with slice of bread and t-shirt, her only possessions" [1970] ]
[ [Pencil on Paper] "Typical bunker guard at barracks entrance" ]
[ [Pencil on Paper] "Firebase Bastogne L.Z." [1970] ]
[ [Pencil on Paper] Aerial view of a military base in Vietnam ]
[ [Pencil on Paper] "Booby traps and gear of North Vietnamese" ]
[ [Pencil on Paper] "Booby traps and gear of North Vietnamese" ]
[ [Pencil on Paper] "Guard Tower" ]
[ Art work for a Bob Hope special, "Operation Holly '70." ]
[ Acrylic 24 x 18, "Corporal Parker and Gun Crew, Fire Base Bastogne, Thanksgiving Day, 1970" ]
[ Acrylic 24 x 18, untitled art work depicting a heavy truck passing through a checkpoint on a military base, Vietnam ]
[ Oil on rice canvas 32 x 38, "Junk boats in the Song Saigon river," currently housed in the National Vietnam Veterans Art Museum, Chicago, IL ]
[ Acrylic 4' x 4', "Hospital ship off East coast of Vietnam" ]
[ Acrylic 24" x 18" "Water Front Village," Vietnam ]

About this Item

Title

  • Carl Les Fordahl Collection

Names

  • Anoka Ramsey Community College
  • Hakala, Amanda
  • Fordahl, Carl Les

Home State

  • Minnesota

Headings

  • -  Fordahl, Carl Les
  • -  Vietnam War, 1961-1975 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Army.

Repository

  • Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Gender

  • Male

Status

  • veteran

Service History

  • Vietnam War, 1961-1975

    • Branch of Service: Army
    • Unit of Service: Headquarters Company, 1st Signal Brigade
    • Location of Service: Washington, DC; Germany; Vietnam
    • Highest Rank: Specialist Five
    • Dates of Service: 1967-1971
    • Military Status: veteran

Materials

  • Manuscript: Creative works [85 items] -- Handwritten document (collected 1970-1971)
  • Audio: Audio Cassette [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 2004-04-12)
  • Video: VHS [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 2004)
  • Photograph: Original photographic print [3 items] -- Photograph (collected 1970)

Collection Number

  • AFC/2001/001/11738

Cite as

  • Carl Les Fordahl Collection (AFC/2001/001/11738), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Online Format

  • audio
  • image
  • video

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

Using VHP Material in Publication or Exhibition

The Veterans History Project (VHP) at the Library of Congress collects, preserves and makes accessible the firsthand recollections of U.S. military veterans who served from World War I through more recent conflicts and peacekeeping missions, so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand what they saw, did and felt during their service. The Veterans History Project Collection includes oral histories along with documentary materials such as original letters, diaries, photographs, and memoirs.

Veterans and interviewers contribute these materials to the Library for scholarly and educational purposes, retaining any copyright they may hold. Therefore, permission must be obtained before using the interview or other materials in exhibition or publication. Researchers or others who would like to make further use of these materials should contact the Veterans History Project for assistance.

As a publicly supported institution, the Library generally does not own rights to material in its collections. Therefore, it does not charge permission fees for use of such material and cannot give or deny permission to publish or otherwise distribute material in its collections. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item from the Library’s collections and for securing any necessary permissions rests with persons desiring to use the item.

Please contact us with questions.

Obtaining Copies of VHP Materials

In order for VHP materials to be duplicated, we must receive written permission from the interviewee for you to obtain a copy of the recording unless the proposed use is limited to personal use, research, or other uses permissible by copyright law. If the interviewee is deceased, their next-of-kin may grant written permission.

Please contact VHP for assistance if you need to contact a veteran for permission to use their materials in exhibition or publication, or if you have received permission from the veteran and need access to high-resolution copies of VHP collection materials.

Citing VHP Materials

Please use the following formats when citing Veterans History Project materials (substituting the appropriate name and collection ID number).

Materials as a whole:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Manuscript material:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Memoirs (MS02), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Transcript (MS04), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Correspondence (MS01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Recording:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Audio recording (SR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Video recording (MV01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Photograph:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Photographs (PH01), photographer unknown, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Photographs (PH03-PH14), Ralph Williams photographer, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Computer file:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Computer file (CF01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Artifact:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Artifact (AR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Anoka Ramsey Community College, Amanda Hakala, and Carl Les Fordahl. Carl Les Fordahl Collection. 1967. Personal Narrative. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.11738/.

APA citation style:

Anoka Ramsey Community College, Hakala, A. & Fordahl, C. L. (1967) Carl Les Fordahl Collection. [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.11738/.

MLA citation style:

Anoka Ramsey Community College, Amanda Hakala, and Carl Les Fordahl. Carl Les Fordahl Collection. 1967. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.11738/>.