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All Hands Magazine - July 1998

 

 

Boatswain's Mate 1st Class James Elliott Williams never intended to be a hero -- he just wanted to be a Sailor.

 

"When I was 16, I convinced the county clerk to alter my birth certificate so I could come into the Navy. Boy was I proud. I thought there was nothing better than servin' my country and gettin' paid for it.

 

But, Williams first experience at sea was less than glorious. In fact, it was downright boring.

 

"The first ship I drew, I was the most disappointed man in the world. I'd joined the Navy to ride the waves and see the world -- and doggonit, I wasn't moving. I'd got orders to an LST that just sat around a buoy in San Diego harbor."

 

But, from that experience, Williams learned a valuable lesson about discipline and leadership.

 

"An old chief named Hasley told me, 'Son, you got to learn to take orders, even if you disagree with them. That's the first step to being a good Sailor and a good leader. If you can't take orders now, you certainly won't be respected when you give them later.' Well, I got the message. Learning discipline was the springboard that helped my Navy career.

 

"From then on, I had the sharpest damn knife and the shiniest shoes in the Navy. That's what I was taught. That's what I believed in, being a good Sailor.

 

"The proudest day of my life had nothing to do with medals, ribbons, citations. It was when they made me a patrol officer. That position was held only by chiefs and officers. It showed the trust the Navy had placed in me.

 

"I always wanted the opportunity to show what I could do. This Vietnam thing was it for me. After 20-something years, the Navy gave me the chance to do my job."

 

On his first day out, Williams didn't disappoint.

 

"October 31, 1966, was supposed to be a restful day in the steamy, heartland of the Viet Cong. But it's one of those times I won't never forget, no matter how hard I try. I just can't.

 

"We were on a day patrol, kind of like the 'relax and recreation' patrol -- nothin' too heavy. We were only gonna check a few boats coming down the Mekong River for contraband.

 

"We were just moseying on down the river minding our own business when our forward gunner, Rubin G. Binder, out of Blackbeach, N.Y., hollered to the crew, 'there's two fast-speed boats crossing ahead of us.'''

 

"Now we had learned if you saw one of these sampans, it was something. It usually meant there was some high-ranking North Vietnamese officer on board -- and that meant trouble; as soon as the Viet Cong spotted us, they started firing."

 

The two boats split, one headed for the north bank, the other went east. Williams and his crew broke off with the north-bound boat and sunk it before it could reach the river's edge.

 

The thirty-six-year-old Williams, affectionately called Old Man by his crew of mostly 19- and 20- year olds, then turned for the second boat. Just as he was about to open fire, the sampan made a sharp turn into an eight-foot-wide canal in front of a rice paddy. Williams and his crew of Patrol River Boat (PBR) 105 couldn't follow.

 

"I looked at the map and saw that I could go to the right maybe for a third of a mile and come back to where he would have to come out. We wanted to get them real bad. I went around that corner at max sped to cut him off -- and, lo and behold, I looked up and didn't see nothing but boats and people and more boats and more people."

 

Williams had unwittingly stumbled into a first staging area and there was no way out but straight ahead. With bullets flying and guns blazing, Williams slammed the throttle down and pulled the wheel hard left, creating a large wake which slapped against the hull of the sampan and disrupted the enemy's aim. Williams then took PBR 105 at full speed through the middle of the formation, causing mass confusion.

 

"Fire came from all directions. But their aim was off that day 'cause they was shootin' and hittin' more of each other than we was."

 

With some crafty boat handling, Williams zigzagged his way through the staging area while his crew returned the enemy's fire. But, the cliche, "out of the frying pan and into the fire," was about to become much more real for Williams and his crew.

 

"We get through this area and I'm trying to high-tail it back. We got around the next corner and by God! there's another staging area. We had to just fight. There was no way out. I twisted, crisscrossed and turned that PBR. I did whatever I could to get them off our backs."

 

The fight lasted for three and a half hours. When it was all over, Williams, with just two boats and 10 men, had sunk 65 enemy boats and eliminated 1,200 enemy troops.

 

"It's hard to believe the first day we were out, we got blasted to hell and back and nobody got killed."

 

For his heroic actions that day, Williams was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. But he is quick to admonish anyone who wants to talk about his awards.

 

"You gotta stop and think about your shipmates. That's what makes you a great person and a great leader - taking care of each other. You've got to think -- team. It takes a team to win any battle, not an individual."

 

But on one particular day in 1966, this individual made the team unbeatable.

 

 

 

 

Listed below are military decorations received by BM1 James E. Williams during his Naval Service. He was made an honorary chief in the 1970s.

 

Congressional Medal of Honor

 

Navy Cross

 

Silver Star Medals (two awards)

 

Navy and Marine Corps Medals (two awards)

 

Bronze Star Medal (three awards)

 

The Purple Heart (three awards)

 

Navy Commendation Medal with Combat Distinguishing Device

 

The Presidential Unit Citation (two awards)

 

Good Conduct Medal (five awards)

 

National Defense Service Medal (one star)

 

Korean Service Medal (two stars)

 

Vietnam Service Medal (one star)

 

Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation

 

Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with gold star

 

Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with palm

 

United Nations Service Medal

 

Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal

 

 

Oladeinde is a staff writer for All Hands magazine.

 

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