John Scire photographs of Vietnamese refugees at Camp Pendleton, 1975

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Summary

Creators:

Abstract:

This collection comprises 43 photographs taken of Vietnamese refugees and their living areas at the San Onofre camp within Camp Pendleton, California in 1975. The photographs, taken by former South Vietnamese Air Force Lieutenant and pilot trainee Tran qui Hung on behalf of former U.S. Marine Corps Captain John A. Scire, feature images of families, children, and general camp life.

Extent:

0.1 Linear Feet (1 box)

Language:

Collection materials are in English.

Preferred citation:

John Scire Photographs of Vietnamese Refugees at Camp Pendleton. MS-SEA034. Special Collections and Archives, The UC Irvine Libraries, Irvine, California. Date accessed.

For the benefit of current and future researchers, please cite any additional information about sources consulted in this collection, including permanent URLs, item or folder descriptions, and box/folder locations.

Background

Scope and content:

This collection comprises 43 photographs taken of Vietnamese refugees and their living areas at the San Onofre camp within Camp Pendleton, California in 1975. The photographs, taken by ormer South Vietnamese Air Force Lieutenant and pilot trainee Tran qui Hung on behalf of former U.S. Marine Corps Captain John A. Scire, feature images of families, children, and general camp life.

The collection includes a letter addressed to former Camp Pendleton refugee Chi. H. Do, who donated Mr. Scire's photographs to the Southeast Asian Archive in 2004.

Biographical / historical:

John A. Scire, PhD., MBA, was U.S. Marine Corps Captain at Camp Pendleton, California in 1975 when tens of thousands of Vietnamese and Cambodian refugees were airlifted to the United States. Scire was tasked with preparing the San Onofre camp for the first wave of refugees, including removing hundreds of Marine Corps infantry trainees from the camp's Quonset huts, setting up cots, as well as coordinating with the Red Cross and other non-governmental charitable organizations to process refugee requests for assistance and relocation to cities across the United States. He was also responsible for reopening an old dining facility (mess hall) to provide food to the refugees.

When refugees began to occupy the camp, Scire asked former South Vietnamese Air Force Lieutenant and pilot trainee Tran qui Hung to photograph the people of the camp, as he believed it would be inappropriate for a camp commander to photograph the refugees. John A. Scire is currently an adjunct professor at the University of Nevada, Reno.

Acquisition information:

Gift of Chi H. Do via John H. Scire, 2004.

Custodial history:

The photographs were taken by former South Vietnamese Air Force Lieutenant Tran qui Hung on behalf of former U.S. Marine Corps Captain John A. Scire in 1975. Mr. Scire contacted Minhhong Do in October 2004 regarding a repository where the photographs could be donated. Minhhong Do forwarded this request to Chi H. Do, who corresponded with Scire and received the photographs in November 2004. Dr. Robert R. Jones, III (Bob Jones), former American diplomat in Saigon, referred Mr. Chi Do to Anne Frank of the Southeast Asian Archive at UC Irvine. The materials were donated to the Southeast Asian Archive in December 2004.

Processing information:

Processed by Audra Eagle Yun, 2012.

Rules or conventions:

Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Indexed terms

Subjects:: Refugees -- Vietnam -- Photographs.
Refugees -- Cambodia -- Photographs.
Refugees -- California -- Orange County -- Archives.
Names:: Camp Pendleton (Calif.)

Access and use

Restrictions:: The collection is open for research.
Terms of access:: Property rights reside with the University of California. For permissions to reproduce or to publish, please contact the Head of Special Collections and Archives.