Sample Research Plan: "Dust Off"
Goals:
- To learn the general arc of the Dust Off story, a dramatic tale of daring pilots and crews
flying unarmed helicopters into combat zones to rescue wounded Americans, Canadians,
Australians, South Vietnamese, civilians, and North Vietnamese prisoners during the
Vietnam War.
- To learn firsthand the details of individual accounts of key players in the drama through
interviews, correspondence, and sharing of letters, diaries, etc..
- To find out where other crucial archives are located and how to access them.
- To master the technical details of flying, medical care, military protocol and strategy, etc.,
necessary to tell the story to a lay audience as a compelling human tale rather than a
jargon-filled report.
- To be able to write a persuasive book proposal in order to sponsor further research.
Timeline:
Progress:
Jan. 6- Feb. 21:
- E-mail and telephone contact with veterans.
Established extensive contact with 7
of @ 15 key players, along with son
of Commander KIA; one has sent
several dozen photographs, and
another has provided a complete war
diary; also have back issues of Dust
Off newsletter, newspaper stories,
etc., provided by veterans.
- Internet search for background info.
Have U.S. Army's official history of
the unit; Have technical documents
relating to Bell H-1 ("Huey")
helicopter; Have history of medical
evacuation from battlefield from
Napoleonic to contemporary times;
Have medal of honor citation for
Gen. Brady .
- Library search for background of Vietnam War.
Have several definitive volumes of
the war, along with more literary
accounts, including Caputo,
O'Brien, Schaeffer, etc.
- Make arrangements to attend Dust Off reunion in San Antonio, TX.
Done.
Feb. 21-24:
- Friday, Feb. 21--Arrive San Antonio; attend opening dinner.
- Saturday, Feb. 22- Attend Hall of Fame ceremonies at Museum of Military Medicine;
individual interviews with Gen. Brady and others.
- Sunday, Feb. 23- Individual interviews.
- Monday, Feb. 24- Individual interviews.
- Tuesday, Feb. 25-- return to ILM.
Feb. 24- Mar. 15:
- Transcribe interviews, read documents.
Mar. 16- Mar. 21:
Mar. 21- April 21:
- Write proposal and submit to agent.
Budget:
Internet access:
N/A (in place)
Interlibrary loan:
N/A (UNCW)
Electronic database fees:
N/A (UNCW)
Dust Off Association Dues:
$100.00
Photocopying:
150.00
Telephone:
50.00
Plane tickets:
650.00
Hotel @ $94/night X 4 =
376.00
Meals @ $40/ day X 4 (3 full days, two traveling) 160.00
Ground transportation (taxi in S.A.):
40.00
Gratuities (housekeeper, taxi):
30.00
Incidentals:
50.00
Business cards:
12.00
Backup batteries for minidisk:
4.00
Camera batteries:
12.00
Film:
20.00
Film processing:
45.00
Minidisks @ $10/pack X 3 =
30.00
Computer disks:
10.00
Notepads:
3.00
Printer paper (5 reams @ $2.50 ea.):
12.50
Printer cartridge:
65.00
TOTAL: $1,819.50
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