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Arthur Rehme [2005]

Veterans History Project Service Summary:

  • War or Conflict: Vietnam War, 1961-1975
  • Branch of Service: Navy
  • Unit of Service: Defense Atomic Support Agency; USS Thresher (SSN 593); Submarine Squadron Seven (COMSUBRON Seven); Surgical Team Bravo, Amphibious Squadron One; Submarine Squadron Fifteen
  • Location of Service: New London, Connecticut; Norfolk, Virginia; Portland, Oregon; Richland, Washington; Camp Mercury, Nevada; Sandia Base, New Mexico; Los Alamos, New Mexico; Arco, Idaho; Portsmouth, New Hampshire; Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; Chelsea, Massachusetts; Greenville, South Carolina; Jacksonville, Florida; Vietnam
  • Highest Rank: Captain
  • Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/37677

View full service history

"I was going to get out [of the Navy] but at that point I felt, If these folks could give their lives for their country, the least I could give was twenty years." (Video Interview, 3:48)

In medical school in 1954, Arthur Rehme expected to be drafted, so he chose to enlist instead, in the Naval Reserves. He volunteered for submarine duty, not realizing that to qualify, he would have to learn everything about the boat's operations. Personally interviewed by Admiral Hyman Rickover, he joined the nuclear program. Rehme helped commission a state-of-the art submarine called the Thresher, but according to Rickover's policy, he could spend only six months aboard any boat. That saved his life when, in 1963, the Thresher went down with all hands, half of them sailors Rehme knew. Rehme had a varied career, including a stint aboard a ship off the coast of Vietnam and treating returning POWs from that war, including John McCain.

Interview / Recording

About this Item

Title

  • Arthur L. Rehme Collection

Names

  • Kent, Judith J.
  • William S. Kent
  • Flagler County Public Library
  • Rehme, Arthur L.

Home State

  • Florida

Headings

  • -  Rehme, Arthur L.
  • -  Vietnam War, 1961-1975 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Navy.

Repository

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

Gender

  • Male

Race

  • White

Status

  • veteran

Service History

  • Vietnam War, 1961-1975

    • Branch of Service: Navy
    • Unit of Service: Defense Atomic Support Agency; USS Thresher (SSN 593); Submarine Squadron Seven (COMSUBRON Seven); Surgical Team Bravo, Amphibious Squadron One; Submarine Squadron Fifteen
    • Location of Service: New London, Connecticut; Norfolk, Virginia; Portland, Oregon; Richland, Washington; Camp Mercury, Nevada; Sandia Base, New Mexico; Los Alamos, New Mexico; Arco, Idaho; Portsmouth, New Hampshire; Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; Chelsea, Massachusetts; Greenville, South Carolina; Jacksonville, Florida; Vietnam
    • Highest Rank: Captain
    • Dates of Service: 1957-1978
    • Entrance into Service: Enlisted
    • Military Status: veteran

Materials

  • Video: DVD [1 item] -- Reference copy (collected 2005-12-01; 2009-11-05)
  • Video: MiniDV [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 2005-12-01)
  • Manuscript: Printed matter [1 item] -- Typewritten document (collected unknown)
  • Photograph: Mixed (Multiple types of photographs) [6 items] -- Photograph (collected 1957-1978)

Collection Number

  • AFC/2001/001/37677

Cite as

  • Arthur L. Rehme Collection (AFC/2001/001/37677), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Online Format

  • 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:

Kent, Judith J, William S. Kent, Flagler County Public Library, and Arthur L Rehme. Arthur L. Rehme Collection. 1957. Personal Narrative. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.37677/.

APA citation style:

Kent, J. J., William S. Kent, Flagler County Public Library & Rehme, A. L. (1957) Arthur L. Rehme Collection. [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.37677/.

MLA citation style:

Kent, Judith J, et al. Arthur L. Rehme Collection. 1957. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.37677/>.