James Worth Veteran of the Month, January 2002

Brief bio.

I was born 12/2/48, in berkeley CA. My parents were divorced--my dad, a salesman, had 2 families--I have 3 full brothers, 2 half sisters, one step brother and one step sister. I was raised with my mom and brothers in Berkeley up to junior high school, then we moved to El Cerrito, 2 towns away where I went to high school. I did not finish HS, got my GED in the Army. I later graduated with honors, BA History, Chico State U, CA, 1986. I enlisted in the Army for Airborne Infantry age 17, 5 months, on 18APR66. I went through Basic and Infantry AIT in For Ord, CA, then went to Ft Benning GA for jumpschool. After jump school, being only 17, I was assigned to A Co/3d Bn/508thPIR in Ft Kobbe Panama.We trained in the jungle a lot and went through Jungle School.

The day I turned 18 I volunteered for Vietnam. I wanted to see the action and was actually afraid it might be over before I got there. After a 4 week leave, I left for Vietnam, arriving APR30, 1967. I was assigned to A Co/1stBn/327thPIR/1stBde/101st Abn. I spent 5.5 months there as an infantryman, first as a rifleman, then as an RTO(radioman) i volunteered to join the LRPS (Long Range Patrol) and was assigned to E Co 20th Inf(LRP) later renamed C Co 75thRanger Reg.we went through recondo School, NhaTrang, VN with my platoon (4th) I worked as a lrrp for 6 months on over 2 dozen patrols in Mangyang Pass, Bong Son, QuiNhon, Anh Khe and the western border of II Corps from Ban Me Thuot north to Kontum. I was mostly pointman/asst team leader, team leader for a few.

After ETS, I spent the rest of my military career working on a parachute testing detail in Ft Bragg untill my discharge 22JAN69, honorably discharged as a Sp/4, still not old enough to vote or buy a beer in CA. After a year of college/party, I got into construction after I was discharged, as a pipe welder. During the 70s I traveled frequently and worked and lived in South America, Saudi Arabia,Alaska, Hawaii, Louisiana and Southern CA.

I became a carpenter in 1979, got my contractors license, have made my living primarily since then as a contractor/contract inspector. I have also worked in my life as a warehouseman, taxi and tow truck driver, SCUBA instructor, professional diver and several other things I disremember.

I am divorced twice,currently unmarried with a girlfriend. I have one son, Daniel, a college student currently studying in Chile.

I am also an artist and write stories and poetry occasionally.

Why did you decide to join the Armed services?

I decided to join the Army on kind of a youthful lark. I knew I would be drafted anyway and wanted to be a paratrooper.I actually joined the paratroopers so I wouldn't have to walk to work ( an inside paratrooper joke) I was told by the recruiting sgt I had to enlist to go Airborne--that was a lie.

Military service runs in my family, I have several relatives who served in several wars. My dad and uncle are WWII combat vets, my Grandpa heard the shells whistle in WWI.

Where were you assigned during your tour?

The places I was assigned are as above, in order: Ft Ord, CA (basic and AIT) Ft Benning (JumpSchool) Ft Kobbe, Panama Canal Zone (infantry unit) Vietnam (101st grunt and MACV LRRP) and finally Ft Bragg, NC, (assorted boring details until ETS)

Do you have any intersting highlights of service to share?

I like to travel and the Army gave me my first taste of it. I have always enjoyed seeing how the rest of the world is.I don't know which is weirder: being a paratroper FROM Berkeley or being a paratrooper IN Berkeley--Ive done both and neither were that enjoyable.

I had many memorable experiences, too many to list all but I'll give a few: JumpSchool and jumping out of Airplanes, Jungle survival school in Panama, Infantry combat as a Screaming Eagle, Recondo School where, among other things, we learned to rappel 120' out of helicoters and use the Maguire rig and of course, walking point on lrrp patrols down the Ho Chi Minh Trail.

As an infantryman I was taught to kill people in a variey of ways and actually did it in several ways including using all basic infantry weapons , artillery and air support. This did not come as a surprise to me its what I was trained for, nor did casualties altho theyre always shocking. I had the experience of large armed bands of men hunting me down to kill me, one actually peed on me unknowingly. I'll give 2 other instances of exciting times--once they dropped my team almost right on top of an enemy platoon.One time they pulled us out under fire at night with a Maguire rig (forerunner to the STABO Rig) Ive told these and other stories on different websites. The thing I like to remember best is the courage and tenacity I saw and the evryday heroism of the average GI grunt--I consider them the best of my generation, hands down, no other contest. I remember best the camraderie and wild good times we had downtown.

I was awarded no medals other than the basics and the "I Was There" stuff. I don't care--I know what I did and sometimes take considerable satisfaction in it. ( A perverted satisfaction? I'll let God be the judge of that)

How did you feel about going into combat?

It's hard to say exactly how I felt in combat--the better question is"Which Time?" Sometimes I was scared, sometimes detatched, sometimes fatalistic as hell. I never felt particularly brave, only in retrospect did I see it was brave just to BE there, just to show up for it. You don't get to where I was by accident. In combat I did what I had to do and I don't feel bad about it now--I was a soldier and they were soldiers and they sure took their shots at me when they had the chance. i saw some really ugly things but you get hardened to them--there was NO surrender for lrrps, you could count on being tortured to death if captured and an infantryman couldn't count on much better.

Would I do it again? Not in the same war--people who know me know how I feel about the politics of the war--I protested it after discharge. But I would go again if my country needed me--another thing anybody who knows me will tell you is I kinda like to fight. My homecoming was low key--just family and friends--I partied for weeks.

What do you consider your greatest achievements?

I consider my greatest achievement is being a decent person throughout my life, in war and out. Ive made mistakes but I don't ever set out to hurt someone. I cut no slack to miscreants because they may or may not have a combat record. I saw too many instances of kindness and humanity among real nose in the dirt grunts and Ive seen too many exgrunts be decent people all their lives. If you won't act right and decent and won't seek help I don't have anything to say to you, CMH or not. My heroes are all like my dad--decent people before, during and after combat who went on to live contributing valid lives. I hope thats what said about me in the end.

I do not think you can live a good,decent life with malice in your heart towards anyone.

I also take major pride in having raised my son to the best of my ability, paid ALL my child support and then some, did ALL my visitations and then some, currently paying college support (only 1.5 years to go--YAY!). The Payoff is that I have a wonderful son and a link to the future as well as the past--can't wait to have grandkids and tell em cool war stories, like my role models.

What are some of the highlights of your life since the service?

Mentally Getting Over The Army. Re-creating myself,when I figured out I didn't have to be like that anymore--there wasn't anything good for me that way--and could get on with my life.(HUGE HINT: anything you learned there about women or social relationships: DELETE!) Discovering I can love and that people love me. Learning to love myself (if you don't, nobody else will). Getting Married (twice) I loved them both and they are good women, I'm still especially fond of my sons mother ( a Spanish Professor) they were good wives--I just can't live with anyone.

Coming to believe in God. getting Clean and Sober (1976)

Watching my son being born, helping in the birth Establishing and running my own contracting business since 1981 ( when I couldn't find a job) and having my own self employed career.

Getting to be a dad.

Traveling and living abroad and many places in this country.

I get tremendous satisfaction out of the art I do--they sell easily but I can't bear to sell some of them, they are too much of my soul.

When I finally counted all my fingers and toes and reaized I won the war all by myself

Are you active in veterans' organizations?

I belong to the E Co (LRP) Assoc(http://e20-lrp-c75-rgr.org/)--I'm on their website in the Then& Now section--I had couple of bad experiences with VFW and Am Legion when I was young--if they want something from me, they can ask. Nicely.

Do you keep in contact with your military comrades?

The internet has brought me back into touch with several old comrades from the lrrps and 101st and this is WONDERFUL--to be able to go back and rehash some of this stuff is great but the real payoff is finding out that most everybody I know turned out all right. I went for SOOO long, feeling like I'd just beamed down from the Enterprise that to find so many of my old friends leading good lives is a real treat.All these people saw major combat. Ive made many terrific friends on the internet, and have a strong bond with some. I post on veterns websites several times a week.

I often wondered what other people who had similar experience turned out like and its a great relief to find out they turned out OK. No doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

What can be done to improve public awareness of foreign policy and military and veterans' affairs?

"What can be done blablabla awarenss, blablabla?" Rage Against the Machine!!! get whats coming to you. thats why they have lawyers. Don't get mad. get effective.

Are there any messages you would like to communicate to your fellow veterans?

I can't begin to tell you how flattered and humbled I am to be chosen first Veteran of the month, especially when there are others I would have picked first. It is my greatest honor of the war (well, I didn't get many) But what really makes it an honor for me is that you picked me not for my martial skills but for who I am now--a completely different person and one that i hope adds as much to your lives as you do to mine. I consider it an honor to know most of you and that you honor me first I consider good feedback on what I'm like now. I do not think the measure of a person to be what he (or she) did in combat--thats A measure but not even the most critical one. What your like as a person and how you exist with and contribute to the rest of the world is what I count you on.

I consider my military experience to have been a the greatest adventure ever for a wide eyed 18-19 year old--I laughed, I cried, I hurled. I got to see the best of my generation in action and I honor you all. And I'm still happy just to be alive!



James Worth