This collection comprises letters and documents from Ross W. Fenton (Class of 1969) relating to his service in Vietnam as a Petroleum Products Analyst. Fenton was the son of a businessman who worked for an American company, often in its overseas offices. This provided Ross experiences living in London, England and Hamburg, Germany. In the United States he lived in New Jersey and graduated from River Dell High School in Oradell, NJ in 1964.
Fenton enrolled at Brown University in 1965. His studies included trigonometry and physical chemistry. He was a member of Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity and participated on the Crew team. In April 1967, he enlisted in the Army Graduate Specialist Program to train as a Petroleum Products Analysis Specialist.
He started basic training at Fort Dix, NJ., where the correspondence in this collection begins, and recounts his hospitalization with pneumonia, which delayed his army schedule. After completing basic training, he went to the Army's Quartermaster Replacement Training Center, in Fort Lee, Virginia. Hoping against the odds he would be sent elsewhere, Fenton received his orders for Vietnam in October 1967 and arrived there in November 1967. He was a Petroleum Products Analysis Specialist SP4 in the Quartermaster Battalion 64, 512th Quartermaster Company based at Camp Red Ball, a small base camp near Go Vap, a Saigon suburb. This location was near the heart of the Tet Offensive. His involvement in this and other campaigns qualified him for the National Defense Service Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal and the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal with Device (1960). In November 1968, Fenton was awarded an Army Commendation Medal in connection with his "service in the operations during the period of November 1967 to October 1968." He notes in a letter to his parents that this was rather hard for an SP4 to achieve other than in an actual combat situation. He also qualified for the Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm Unit Citation, awarded by the Republic of Vietnam, the Overseas Service Ribbon with numeral 2 and an Expert Badge with Auto Rifle Bar and Rifle Bar. He returned to the United States and was based at Fort Devens, Massachusetts from where he was honorably discharged in September 1969 as a Personnel Specialist SP5.
Fenton returned to Providence, Rhode Island, and became involved with the Vietnam Veterans Against the War, Rhode Island Chapter of the Southern New England Region, which went to Washington, D.C., and staged "Guerilla Theater" to show the treatment of POW's by Americans. On Memorial Day 1971, Vietnam Veterans Against the War staged "Operation POW" a three day event in Concord and Lexington, Massachusetts, including a reversed Paul Revere's ride with a march onto Boston in which Fenton participated. When they defied a local curfew (10:00 p.m.) in Lexington, 150 veterans and 300 local townspeople supporting their action were arrested at 3:00 am. John Kerry, at that time a spokesperson for Vietnam Veterans Against the War, was photographed at a Boston protest meeting. The image includes Ross Fenton. The photograph has been used with stories relating to John Kerry throughout the years. Fenton was involved with the Rhode Island Chapter from about 1970-1972.
He became employed by Astroline Corporation and worked at their petroleum terminals in Saugus Massachusetts and lived on the North Shore. He also worked for United Fuels and Sage Refined Products, a petroleum brokerage firm in Woburn, MA. He married and raised a family. In 2004, Fenton rediscovered a copy of his U.S. Army "Enlisted Qualification Record", and the Army's record of his campaigns. Having never received the awards and decorations for which he had qualified, he wrote to the National Personnel Records Center requesting them. In 2004, he also wrote the Federal Bureau of Investigation requesting, under the Freedom of Information/Privacy Acts, a copy of any documents pertaining to his involvement with Vietnam Veterans Against the War and their National Committee. He received a number of documents, many heavily redacted.
In 2016, Fenton was the sole employee of Deer Cove, LLC which provides "consultation and support with regard to energy and energy related services including brokerage, selling of terminals and transportation issues."
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Fenton, Ross to parents, The reason I called...: 1967 March 14
Fenton, Ross to parents,Well is all systems go!: 1967 March 17
Fenton, Ross to parents, I'm writing this as I'm on duty as a candy striper.: 1967 April 8
Fenton, Ross to parents, So much has happened in the last few days...: 1967 April 16
Fenton, Ross to parents, Busy as hell...: 1967 April 17
Fenton, Ross to parents, Well I'm in the barracks today...: 1967 May 7
Fenton, Ross to parents, Guess what I'm in the hospital...: circa 1967 May 25
Fenton, Ross to parents, Well I played the bad guy this morning...: 1967 May 27
Fenton, Ross to parents, Well the kid is feeling fine this morning...: 1967 May 30
Fenton, Ross to parents, First impressions/my thoughts...: 1967 May 31
Fenton, Ross to parents, Finally got some mail and my pay: 1967 June 1
Fenton, Ross to parents, Well, today is my 14th day with the boys: 1967 June 4
Fenton, Ross to parents, Received your letters yesterday: 1967 May 14 -June 6
Fenton, Ross to parents, I know I have become a very bad correspondant [sic]: 1967 June 30
Fenton, Ross to parents, Well I arrived in Fort Lee last nite -: 1967 July 15
Fenton, Ross to parents, Well today ends the first day of classes...: 1967 August 7
Fenton, Ross to parents, Well its been awhile since the last newsletter...: 1967 August 21
Fenton, Ross to parents, Well here I am Labor day...: 1967 September 4
Fenton, Ross to parents, Well its been a long time but...: 1967 October 2
Fenton, Ross to parents, By now you will have received...: 1967 October 6
Fenton, Ross to parents, Well I finally got word - 'Nam bound I am.: 1967 October 7
Fenton, Ross to parents, Well its holdover all over again...: 1967 October 23
Fenton, Ross to parents, Just landed in some A.F. base outside Tokyo...: 1967 November 24
Fenton, Ross to parents, Well I've been in the Big V for 3 days now...: 1967 November 27
Fenton, Ross to parents, Well, wonders never cease.: 1967 December 17
Fenton, Ross to family, answers to questionnaire: 1967 December 18
Fenton, Ross to parents, Well two days to Christmas...: 1967 December 23
Fenton, Ross to parents, "Twas the night before x-mas": 1967 December 24
Fenton, Ross to parents, Oh Ho Ho, Guess what?: 1967 December 25
Boutique Marlene in the Saigon USO: circa 1967
Fenton, Ross to parents, Well here it is the beginning of the new year...: 1968 January 1
Fenton, Ross to parents Well this is about the third letter in a week that I started...: 1968 January 10
Fenton, Ross to parents, Well I think its been a long time...: 1968 January 23
Fenton, Ross to parents, Guess what package I just received?: 1968 January 25
Fenton, Ross to parents, Well I guess by now you kind of know what has been going on around here.: 1968 February 7
Fenton, Ross to parents, Re: photos sent to me: circa 1968
Fenton, Ross to parents, I received your first letter after my first letter about Tet.: 1968 February 21
Fenton, Ross to parents, Gee mom - I thought you were supposed to keep all my letters secret...: 1968 February 23
Fenton, Ross to family, Drawing of MAC-V runways: circa 1968 March 17
Clippings "Megaversity (Newsweek)' and Map of Tan Son Nhut / Saigon: circa 1968 February 26
Fenton, Ross to parents, Sorry bout the long delay...: 1968 March 17
Fenton, Ross to parents, Well not much is happening around here...: 1968 April 11
Fenton, Ross to parents, So how goes everything?: 1968 April 19-25
Fenton, Ross to Brown Monthly [draft?]: circa 1968
Fenton, Ross to parents, So how were things in jolly old London...: 1968 April 28
Fenton, Ross to parents, So by now you've heard that it hit the fan again...: 1968 May 6
Fenton, Ross to parents, This is just a quicky to tell you all is well.: 1968 May 15
Fenton, Ross note about Betsy going to college (undated): circa 1968
Fenton, Ross to parents, So how have things been...: 1968 June 15
Fenton, Ross to parents, Well I have today off...: 1968 June 17
Fenton, Ross to parents, [typed] So now that I have exactly 5 months left...: 1968 June 21
Fenton, Ross to parents [typed], So how are things with the two "m3n" of the family away in two different sites...: 1968 June 23
Fenton, Ross to parents, [typed] Well how are things in bleak north winds.: 1968 June 28
Fenton, Ross to parents, Just a quickie to send the pictures.: 1968 July 2
Fenton, Ross to parents, just received your longy...: 1968 July 13?
Fenton, Ross to parents, Just a quickie with some negatives...: 1968 July 20
Fenton, Ross to parents, So how is the land of the big PX?: 1968 July 23
Fenton, Ross to Mom, Ha 3 months and days!!: 1968 July 25
Fenton, Ross to "Generation gap", So how are things with the degenerate society where...: 1968 July 26
Fenton, Ross to Mom, This will probably end up as a quicky...: 1968 August 3
Fenton, Ross to parents, So by now all of us are ready to get dow to the old grind...: 1968 September 6
Fenton, Ross to parents, Accompanying this are seven packets of pictures...: 1968 September 23
This letter includes 5 rolls of negative 35mm photographic film. The first 2 rolls are black and white of scenes in Vietnam (39 images). The other 3 rolls are color film showing his trip to Japan (59 images).
Fenton, Ross to parents, So far all is well and getting short.: 1968 October 6
Fenton, Ross to parents, Recieve your tape yesterday...: 1968 October 29
Fenton, Ross to parents, Well things have been pretty busy around here.: 1968 November 17
Fenton, Ross to parents, So guess what happened the other night?: 1968 November 20
Fenton, Ross to parents, Today 24th Nov is exactly one year from the day I arrived here in Vn.: 1968 November 24
Fenton, Ross to parents, Would you believe I've been busy.: 1968 November 27
Fenton, Ross to grandparents; grandparents to Fenton's parents: 1968 June 8
Fenton Ross to sister, Betsy Fenton, I guess this week will be a couple of days late...: 1968 May 2
Fenton Betty, to daughter and husband, Last night Ross called from Fort Dix.: 1967 April 12
Fenton, Betty to Ross Fenton, Hi Buddy -: 1967 December 6
Fenton, Wilifred [?] to Ross Fenton - The Marines salute you!: 1967 December
Fenton family to Ross Fenton, Happy Birthday!: 1969 January 3
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Fenton, Ross with father Wilfred S. Fenton - photographed in Germany: circa 1967
Military documents relating to Fenton, Ross W.: 1967-2004
Maps of Southeast Asia, with detailed maps of Saigon and its surrounding area: circa 1968
High/Low Altitude Area Maps of Vietnam and Saigon: 1968 January 19
United States Army Recruiting literature: 1964 June - August 1965
Newspaper Clippings sent to Ross Fenton about Tet offensive, Fort Dix, John Kerry.: 1967-1984
Vietnam Veterans Against the War, documents regarding Rhode Island Chapter and National events: 1971-2011
"Honor the Veteran not the War", Jeremy Withers Green article on Ross Fenton, 2025
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Army Commendation Medal and Ribbons awarded in November 1968; received July 2004 (one set).: 1968, 2004
One set National Defense Service Medal (medal and ribbon-one set).: 2004
Vietnam Service Medal (medal and ribbon-one set).: 2004
Overseas Service Ribbon with numeral 2: 2004
Republic of Vietnam Campaign Ribbon with device (1960): 2004
Expert Badge with Auto Rifle Bar and Rifle Bar: 2004
This collection comprises letters and documents from Ross W. Fenton (Class of 1969) relating to his service in Vietnam as a Petroleum Products Analyst in the Quartermaster Battalion 64, 512th Quartermaster Company based at Camp Red Ball, a small base camp near Go Vap, a Saigon suburb. The correspondence begins during his basic training at Fort Dix, New Jersey through until the end of his tour in Vietnam (1967-1968) and includes some photographs of Vietnam and Japan during an R&R leave. The collection includes U.S. Army recruiting brochures (1964-1965), military documents relating to his military service, Service Medals and Ribbons, newspaper clippings around the time of the Tet Offensive, maps of Vietnam, papers related to his involvement with the Vietnam Veterans Against the War (some obtained through the Freedom of Information/Privacy Acts), including a frequently used photograph of Fenton with John Kerry during their Vietnam Veterans Against the War protests in Boston (1971).
This collection is available as digital copies accessible through the
Researchers are advised that express written permission to reproduce, quote, or otherwise publish any portion or extract from this collection must be obtained from the Brown University Library. Although Brown University has ownership of the digital collection and the materials contained therein, it does not claim literary rights. It is up to the researcher to determine the owners of the literary rights and to obtain any necessary permissions from them.
Ross W. Fenton (Class of 1969) papers relating to the Vietnam War, AMS.1U.2016.180, Brown University Library.
This collection is arranged in 3 series.
There are no restrictions on access, except the collection is only available as digital
copies accessible through the
The originals of these materials were loaned to Brown University in 2016 by Ross W. Fenton, Brown University, Class of 1969, for digitization.
Part of the Vietnam Veterans Archive (Brown University).
The originals in this collection were retained by Ross Fenton. The collection is only
available as digital copies accessible through the