THE SHOW MUST GO ON: BY CHARLES C. STRETCH JR., MAJOR ...

THE SHOW MUST GO ON:

FIGHTER PILOT FOLKSONGS OF THE VIETNAM WAR

BY

CHARLES C. STRETCH JR., MAJOR, USAF

A PAPER PRESENTED TO THE FACULTY OF

THE SCHOOL OF ADVANCED AIR AND SPACE STUDIES

IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

SCHOOL OF ADVANCED AIR AND SPACE STUDIES

AIR UNIVERSITY

MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, ALABAMA

JUNE 2018

DISTRIBUTION A. Approved for public release: distribution unlimited.

APPROVAL

The undersigned certify that this thesis meets master¡¯s-level standard of research,

argumentation, and expression.

______________________________

Dr. Richard Muller

(Date)

______________________________

Dr. Thomas Hughes

(Date)

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DISCLAIMER

The conclusion and opinions expressed in this document are those of the author.

They do not reflect the official position of the US Government, Department of Defense,

the United States Air Force, or Air University.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Major Charles Stretch is a 2005 graduate of the USAF Academy, where he

majored in military history. For most of his career he has served as an A-10 pilot and

instructor at a variety of bases and deployed locations.

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ABSTRACT

This study examines fighter pilot folksongs of the Vietnam War and their relation

to combat psychology scholarship using recorded folksongs and songbooks as primary

source materials, in addition to fighter-pilot-songwriter interviews, and numerous

secondary sources on folklore scholarship, Vietnam War history, and combat psychology.

It first defines fighter pilot folksong within the context of the 1950s American folk

revival which had a significant impact on the creation of folksongs by Vietnam War

veterans. After then providing context to the experience of fighter pilots in the Vietnam

War, this study uses previous folklore scholarship to categorize and sort 189 Vietnam

fighter pilot folksongs. The resulting categorization of songs show a strong correlation of

category themes and combat psychology suggesting a connection between folksongs and

the management of combat stress.

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