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Vince Iturbe papers

 Collection
Identifier: ACCN 3118

Scope and Contents

The Vince Iturbe papers (1953-2019) consist of primarily correspondence and postcards to/from Iturbe before, during, and after the Vietnam War. The papers include over 70 wartime letters written by Iturbe to his family in Little Ferry, New Jersey. Iturbe begins his letters while training at Fort Dix Army Air Base, New Jersey and continues writing from his division's headquarters in Chu Lai, Quang Tin Province, Vietnam, also known as Landing Zone Professional. He details positive news, such as finding abandoned huts containing weapons and bath time, along with events "which you only read in books" (May 14, 1969). In this letter, he details the loss of 160 men while fighting the North Vietnamese Army. In addition to engaging and evading enemies, Iturbe and his men struggled with dehydration, starvation, infections, mudflows, and human miscalculations. Also included are letters from Glenn Wasil and Rod Bloemer, both serving in Company E, 1/46 196th. The postcards are primarily to Iturbe from friends and family. The papers also include a booklet about the history of Iturbe's unit entitled "1st Battalion, 46th Infantry. Professionals. Chu Lai, Rvn, 1969."

Dates

  • 1953-2019

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Twenty-four hour advanced notice encouraged. Materials must be used on-site. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.

Conditions Governing Use

The library does not claim to control copyright for all materials in the collection. An individual depicted in a reproduction has privacy rights as outlined in Title 45 CFR, part 46 (Protection of Human Subjects). For further information, please review the J. Willard Marriott Library’s Use Agreement and Reproduction Request forms.

Biographical / Historical

Vincent “Vince” Iturbe was born on May 14, 1946 in Union City, New Jersey, to Agnes Ruggieri and Robert Iturbe. In 1968 he graduated with a BA in Social Studies and Education from the College of New Jersey. Iturbe served in the United States Army in Vietnam between approximately 1969 and 1970. In 1976, he moved to Salt Lake City, Utah, where he worked for the Utah Department of Workforce Services, retiring in 2009. For over thirty years, Iturbe volunteered with the Community Nursing Services’ Journey Home hospice program, providing caregiving to people with HIV/AIDS and cancer. In 2012, he received the Visiting Nurses Associations of America (VNAA) Individual Care Provider Volunteer of the Year Award. In addition to his volunteer work, Iturbe was a member of the St. Catherine of Siena Newman Center parish, where he served as the church’s unofficial historian. Vince Iturbe died on January 23, 2017.

Extent

0.75 Linear Feet (2 Boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

The Vince Iturbe papers (1953-2019) consist of primarily correspondence and postcards to/from Iturbe before, during, and after the Vietnam War. Iturbe served in the 1st Battalion, 46th Infantry Regiment near the Chu Lai region during the war.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Donated by Ron Nereson in 2019.

Related Materials

See also the Vince Iturbe slide collection (P2224).

Separated Materials

Photographs, magnetic tapes, and a memory card containing a video were transferred to the Multimedia Division of Special Collections.

Printed materials were transferred to the Print and Journal Division of Special Collections.

Processing Information

Processed by Gina C Giang in 2022.
Title
Inventory of the Vince Iturbe papers
Status
Completed
Author
Finding aid written by Gina C Giang.
Date
2022
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid written in English.

Repository Details

Part of the J. Willard Marriott Library Special Collections Repository

Contact:
295 South 1500 East
Salt Lake City Utah 84112 United States
801-581-8863