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Neal Creighton came to the Military Academy in 1949, because his father, a career Air Force (Army Air Corps) officer, was a positive influence on his childhood. As a Cadet, the Korean War was a very personal event; all the Cadets knew recent graduates who were fighting that war. In 1953, he graduated as an Armor Officer, and eventually joined the 6th Armored Cavalry Regiment in Germany. Following his assignment in Cold War Europe, in the early 60s he returned to USMA to teach Spanish in the Department of Foreign Languages. In 1963, he was reassigned to the Military Advisory Assistance Group (MAAG) in the Dominican Republic, indending to establish a military academy there before the President was overthrown. In 1967, he was assigned to Vietnam, and thinking he was going to serve on the MACV staff, he took his tennis racket. Upon arrival in Vietnam, he was assigned to the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment in Xuan Loc as the Regimental S-3 Operations Officer. After his time on the Regimental Staff, he assumed Command of 3rd Squadron, 11th ACR. In this interview, he talks about attending West Point and his service in Germany and the Dominican Republic before focusing on his tour in Vietnam. He reflects on the 11th ACR, its mission and organization, and the Tet Offensive in January 1968. He describes coordinating with other American and Vietnamese units and with local leaders prior to planning, and when executing operations ensuring he was able to funnel resources to the Squadron Commanders. Near the end of the interview, he reflects on returning to Vietnam in 1995, and meeting with his North Vietnamese adversary, General Giap.

Commissioning Into The Coast Artillery: The Rich And Varied Career Of A 1939 Graduate Of West Point

A USMA ’61 Graduate Recalls Three Decades Of Service To The Nation

“Even Though We Fight Side By Side, I Don’t Want You To Destroy My Country”: A Vietnamese Perspective On Wars In South-East Asia

"One Grunt's Weird Tour": 19 And A Half Months In Vietnam With The 173rd

Memories Of A Man She's Never Met: Trying To Know Lieutenant Jim Gardner

“Trust, Commitment, And Love”: Son Of An Army Family, Captain Of An Army Team

“Values Carried Through Life”: West Point, Vietnam, And Reunions

Keeping Options Open: From The Surge In Iraq To Operation Inherent Resolve

“We Fight A Year, They Fight Forever”: Fighting The VC And NVA With The 327th Infantry

Creating A Mission And Building A Team: The Importance Of Community In The Army And In Business

“Creating Positive Change”: A Cadet Regimental Commander On Leadership, Discipline, And Striving For Excellence

A Survivor Of Ground Zero: An Army Ranger’s Experiences On Active Duty And In The National Guard

“Living With A Huge Family” In Bancroft Hall: An Army Brat Goes Navy

“A Year From Now You’ll Be Dead For Six Months”: Service In Vietnam With The 5th Cavalry

“Be Professional Even When Those Around You Are Not”: Consistent Leadership In The Army And The English Department

“Getting Things Done”: The Army Work Ethic In The Military And In Business

“Medicine Is An Art Using Applied Science”: Reflections From A Doctor From The Class Of ‘77

A Team Effort: My Three Decades as An Army Spouse

“People Died Because We Tried To Save Face:” Disillusioned With The Vietnam War, But Not With West Point

Doing “Lawrence Of Arabia” Stuff: A Non-Traditional Career Leads To The USMA Department Of Foreign Languages

“Make Sure To Check All Parts Of Your Operation”: Leadership Lessons From A West Point Commandant

A Sky-Diving Cellist Aviator from the Virgin Islands

Taxed And Toughened: Achieving Balance In A Dual Military Family

“You Join The Infantry To Shoot Stuff And Blow Stuff Up”: Two Iraq Deployments With The Screaming Eagles

“Loyalty Goes Up And Down”: Leading American Soldiers In Service Around The World

On the Front Lines of Freedom: Team Derrick in Korea, Germany, and Desert Storm

“Be Ready To Adjust Your Assumptions”: Reflections On Adaptive Leadership From The 57th Superintendent

“I Always Liked Where I Was”: Air Defense In The U.S., Greece, Vietnam, And Germany

The Military is A Family: Observations on Taking Care of People

“Being Part Of The Action”: A Lifetime Of Service In The Army And In State Government

“Changing The Answer To Yes”: Commanding Engineers In Combat And Taking Care Of Families On Post

“I Planned To Go To West Point For As Long As I Can Remember”: A ’67 Graduate In Vietnam And Berlin

“A Symbol Of What’s Right With America”: West Point, Army Service, And School Administration

“A Mighty Fine Pile of Rock”: An Engineer Officer On Building Infrastructure and Leaders

“When Fighting Starts, You’re Just Going To Have To Help People”: A Journey From Aviator to Chaplain

Parenthood And Perseverance: A 1989 West Point Graduate On Faith And Family

“Making Sense Of Ambiguity”: From Light Infantry To English Professor

From Combat Leadership In Vietnam To Integrating Women Into West Point

“Live Life With A Purpose And Serve Others”: The Story Of Ray and Rich Enners

Healing Old Wounds And Appreciating The Academy: A West Point And Ladycliff Family Returns To Their Rockbound Highland Home

“We Have A Special Job For You – You’re Going To The Mekong Delta ”: A Personnel Advisor In Vietnam

“Let The West Pointer Do It”: Leadership In The Military, Diplomatic Corps, And Academia

Letters To Papa Gorilla: A Pathfinder’s Wife On The Homefront During The Vietnam War

“He Seemed To Be Living In Two Different Worlds”: A Spouse Deals With Post-Traumatic Stress Following The Vietnam War

Not My Will, But The Army’s: Three Decades of Service to the Nation

“If You Don’t Do Your Job, People Are Going To Die”: 18,959 Bonus Days Of Life

“Trying To Save All The Guys I Couldn’t Save”: A Lifetime Devoted To Medicine

“Don’t Think You’ll Ever Be Over It”: Reflections On The Battle Of Wanat

“Family Everywhere”: Women’s Basketball, The Jewish Chapel, And The Army

“Our Screens Lit Up”: Shooting Down SCUDs Over Riyadh In The Gulf War

A Cold War Armor Officer Reflects On Service From Platoon Leader To Division Commander

Learning To “Out-Guerrilla The Guerillas” With The Tiger Force In Vietnam

“The Best Feeling I Ever Had”: Saving American Lives With Artillery In Vietnam

“We Never Had A Fear Of Being Defeated”: A Sky Soldier In Vietnam

“I Liked Things That Had A Right Answer”: Engineering, Teaching Physics, And Conducting Experiments In Space

“The Workload Is Huge But The Blessings Are Bountiful”: From Infantryman To Priest, A Career Of Service

“Heart And Soul”: A Two-War Army Spouse On Family And Service

Strengthening The Long Gray Line: Service, Family, And Relationships

“West Point Was the Mountain I Had to Climb”: Finishing Strong as a Caring and Compassionate Leader

A Record That Speaks For Itself: Excellence Across All Pillars Of The Academy Experience

“Never Drop Out Of A Run”: A Principle To Live By

“Don’t Give Up”: A Veteran’s Wife, Ex-Wife, and Current Girlfriend Discusses Dealing With Post Traumatic Stress

“Progression Not Perfection”: Striving For Continual Growth At West Point

“Just Another Day In The Jungle”: Taking Emergency Leave From Vietnam

“You Think About Your Training, You Think About The Mission, You Think About Your Men”: A West Point Marine Officer In Vietnam

“I’ve Never Done Anything Else But the Army”: Fighting To Commission And Serve The Nation

“Be Competent, Take Care Of Your Soldiers, And Get Buy In”: An Engineer And Olmsted Scholar On Service In Vietnam And In Foreign Relations

Two Ladycliff Graduates Reflect On Their College Years And West Point Memories

A Merging Of Cultures: A German Bride Becomes An Army Spouse

“An Army Grinder”: Putting In The Reps As A West Point Athlete And Doctor

A Homecoming Queen Comes Home To West Point: The Love Story Of Rosemarie And Dave Kuhn ‘65

“Rigor And Reps Are Critical In Training”: Saving Lives Through Discipline And Initiative In Afghanistan

“This Wasn’t Supposed To Happen To Me”: A Seriously Wounded Marine Gives Back

“Just Be Good At What You Do”: Charting Success At West Point And In The Army

“Gladly Accepting Hard Missions”: In Vietnam, Panama, and Beyond

“When You Help Others, The Returns Are Multiplied”: Caring For Army Families

Recollections Of A Daughter Of USMA 1914

Authenticity Without Compromise: Honing Leadership Skills At West Point

“The Lowe Bros”: Identical Twins At Rival Academies

To Coach, Teach, And Mentor: Careers In The Military And Collegiate Athletics

A Story Of Love And Faith: A Relationship Forged At West Point

“An Experience That Can’t Be Duplicated”: Service In Vietnam With The 173rd Airborne Brigade

A USMA ’65 Couple Reflects On Their Experiences During The Vietnam War And Beyond

Serving America And All Humanity: Leadership And Teamwork As An Army Aviator And Astronaut

“I Saw Everything As A Challenge”: Learning Tactical Patience At West Point

Adventures Around The World With The Army: The Story Of Jerry And Cathy White

“I Love West Point And Everything It Stands For”: From The Army Air Corps To The Air Force And Beyond

“Lieutenants, You’re Going To War Somewhere”: A Marine Officer During The War In Iraq

“In The Confusion Of Combat, You Don’t Think Very Well”: Fighting And Surviving The Battle Of Welz

Continuing Education In The Army: Decades Thinking And Writing About War, Strategy, And Theory

“Serve With Integrity”: Barney Forsythe Reflects On His And His Father’s Service To The Nation

“If I Fail, It’s On Me”: Making The Most Of Opportunities At West Point

We Were All Miserable Together: Combat And Camaraderie In Vietnam

“The Fine Art Of Motivating And Leading American Soldiers”: West Point, Vietnam, And The Evolving Army

“The Most Formative Years of My Life”: A 1994 West Point Graduate Balances Career, Family, and Community Service

Ensuring West Point Represents the Nation: An Admissions Officer Reaches Out

“Broken Bones, A Big Heart, And Not Quitting”: A Special Forces Officer With A Mission

“We Were There To Do The Right Job”: A Sniper With The 173rd In Vietnam

Modernizing West Point’s Academic Administration: An Artillery Officer Returns To The Dean’s Staff

“I’d Get To See It All, Exploding Right There In Front Of Me”: A Forward Observer In Vietnam

A Crisis, The Vietnam War, And The Cold War: Reflections Of An Army Spouse

“Move To The Sound Of The Guns”: A Culture Of Dedicated Leadership On The Battlefield, At West Point, And In The Army

A Life Together In The Army: Vietnam, The Home Front, And Service To The Nation

An Army Wife Teaching, Raising A Daughter, And Worrying About Her Husband In Vietnam

Married to the Army

A USMA Commandant And SOCOM Commander Reflects On Leadership, Responsibility, And Taking Care Of Soldiers

A Screaming Eagle on Vietnam, Family, and Leadership in the Face of Tragedy

“Our Family Business Is Service To Country In Uniform”: Becoming The Best At West Point And In The Army

“Meet The Army Standards And Be Consistent”: Leadership From First Captain To The Chief Of Public Affairs

“A Career Filled With Detours”: From SEAL to Night Stalker

Building Cohesive Units And Teaching Leadership: A Naval Academy Grad Reflects On The Evolving Marine Corps From The 70s To The 90s

“You Gotta Think About The Details”: The West Point Dean Reflects On His Operational Experience

To Take My Father’s Advice: From Infantry To Military Police And Detainee Operations In Afghanistan

Getting Things Done And Taking Care Of Families: A Gold Star Mother Reflects On Her Life As An Army Spouse

“What Is Your Fuel?”: Internalizing The Motivation To Succeed At West Point

Sharing Vietnamese Cuisine And Culture: A Restauranteur In Ho Chi Minh City

King Of The Hill: A 101st Pathfinder On Firebase Ripcord

“Flying Is Like Nothing Else”: A C-130 Pilot And Air Force Academy Graduate

Living The Legacy: Finding The Motivation To Make West Point Your Own

“A Chance To Care For People”: Service As The Chief Of Staff And The Secretary Of Veterans Affairs

“War Is A Confusing, Crazy-Ass Experience”: From Special Forces In Vietnam To Teaching At West Point

The “F” As A Badge Of Honor: Surviving The Class Of ’77 Honor Scandal

Cultivating A Warrior Spirit At West Point: From Dak To To The Physics Department

Freedom, Medicine, And West Point: The Story Of An Orthopedic Trauma Doctor

“Have The Courage To March To A Different Tune”: Life As A Civil Engineer In The Army And In The Community

Kitsy Westmoreland On Service, Family, And The Army Life

Finding Love Again After Tragedy: An Army Spouse On West Point And Family

“West Point Means Home”: Service In The Army And In Telecommunications

Three Tours In Vietnam: A West Point ’61 Graduate Reflects On His Service

“This Is My Hometown, This Is My Country”: A Vietnamese Refugee Starts A New Life In America

“It Really Wasn’t Like The Boy Scouts”: Attending West Point And Expanding Computer Usage At The Academy

Two Stories Intertwined: A Special Forces Officer And His Vietnamese Wife

“Saying Goodbye Never Got Easier”: A Spouse’s Reflections On Military Families’ Service To The Nation

Tending His Flock Under Fire: A Chaplain Serving With Tiger Force In Vietnam

“I Was Always Happy And Thankful”: From WWII Germany To Post-War America

“Forks In The Road”: Seizing Opportunities And Cultivating Positive Leadership

What it Was Like in Vietnam

Doing More Than I Thought I Could: Leadership Lessons And Reflections From #34

“The Fullest Accountability”: A Conversation With Ann Mills-Griffiths About The POW / MIA Issue

“I’m The Best Battalion Commander You’ll Ever See”: Commanding At Hamburger Hill

“The Bigger Picture Is Serving The Country”: The West Point Story Of Three Smiths

“I Feel At Home Around The Military”: A Naval Academy Graduate And West Point Parent

“Are You Ready To Go To War Today?”: Service As An Engineer And As A Professor USMA