Preface to Robert Watts Mansfield: a Biography

During the second semester of my junior year in high school, I started a project that would result in this piece of work. The effort was a part of the American School of Dubai’s Self Directed Project course, and much of the research for this book was conducted during this course.

I chose to chronicle the story of my grandfather. A veteran of the Vietnam War and a former Special Forces soldier, Robert Watts Mansfield has long been a source of fascination for me. His life is one intertwined in history and conflict and one of a particular uniqueness. Despite my previous — if limited — knowledge of my grandfather’s service in the United States military during the Vietnam War, I felt during my junior year a desire to learn more about him. My desire was to look at him beyond the way a grandson looks at his grandfather; but rather, look at him the way an outsider would. I sensed he had a story within him that was due to be told and that the proper way to do so would be to write a biography of him.

And so, over the course of four months, I conducted a series of online interviews with my grandfather in which I asked him to recollect key parts of his life. He shared with me much of the story of his life: his upbringing in the Catholic boys' homes of Philadelphia, his Special Forces training in the American South, and his experiences during his three tours in Vietnam. He told me of his life throughout five interviews, in each of them describing a different time in his life and the people and things that he remembered so vividly. The interview sessions would often last three to four uninterrupted hours. What he shared with me was often very powerful, and had a distinct impact on me.

As with the creation of any biography, this project was split into two parts: the research and the writing. Much of the research I did occurred while I was taking the Self Directed Project class — research that consisted primarily of my grandfather’s interviews. Indeed, the contents of this book are largely centered around these interviews and what my grandfather shared with me during our meetings, but his own words have been supplemented by various other sources — books, articles, and websites — to provide a greater context for his life and other relevant details. The Best and the Brightest by David Halberstam and U.S. Army Special Forces: 1961–1971 by Colonel Francis J. Kelly have been particularly useful in my research.

The latter part of this project — the writing — occurred after the course had finished. It was during this time that I took my grandfather’s words and additional information I had collected and turned my research into a formal work. My deep interest in this story was what sustained my commitment to this project beyond my class, and, while a substantial amount of the work done for this biography was after the course had ended, the material I gained during those months in the class was invaluable.

Near the beginning of this project, I decided that this was to be the story of Robert Mansfield in Vietnam more than anything else. This biography encapsulates much of his life, but is centered on the story of Mansfield the soldier; as such, a larger emphasis has been placed on his military years — especially those which he spent in Southeast Asia. His childhood and post-war years are thus covered in brevity so as not to detract from the significance of that time in his life. Though both these periods in his life were of indubitable importance, I felt that the dozen years he spent in the army were far more consequential in shaping his life than any other time. This, the reader should note.

This is not the biography of a celebrity; it is the biography of a man from Pennsylvania who was caught up in one of the greatest quagmires — and tragedies — of the 20th century. It is the story of how one man’s life was changed in a land far from his home in an event that would ultimately change the world as a whole, a story of a soldier who witnessed the brutality of war firsthand and experienced tremendous loss. For those who wish to have a greater understanding of the conflict in Vietnam, I advise you to search for another book. This book is nothing more ambitious than a biography of a Special Forces soldier; it is not a history of the Vietnam War. This book serves only to tell the story of one man who was in Vietnam and the lasting impact the war had on him. It is one that deserves to be told so that we may remember the heroic sacrifices made during this war and the terrible cost of human life. It is one of countless stories of a similar nature that have not yet been shared, and I hope that sharing Robert Mansfield’s story will illustrate the impact this horrific war had on the individual.

I would like to thank Mr. Laurence Myers, my Self Directed Project teacher, for his continued support throughout this project. I thank him for challenging me and for showing a sincere interest in my work. I would especially like to thank my family, as well, for aiding me when I need help and for guiding me in my research. Above all, I am grateful to my grandfather and the hours he spent speaking to me of his experiences. I am the beneficiary of his dedication to this project and will eternally appreciate his commitment and generosity.