Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans
3:20 | The Green Berets thought they were protecting the Montagnard people, but it turned out to be the other way around. Jim Wilson was adopted by them in a ceremony and says that they were like family. For four years, he was one of them. Their weapons were AK-47's. The distinctive sound of an American weapon would have focused enemy fire right on them.
Keywords : Jim Wilson Vietnam Special Forces Green Beret Montagnard tribe AK-47 M-16
After seven years of military school and four years at the Citadel, it was assured that Jim Wilson would serve in the military, but it was his desire to challenge himself that led him to Special Forces. The rigorous training produced elite troops with elite skills, skills that would be needed in Vietnam.
Through his four tours in Vietnam, Special Forces Team Leader Jim Wilson got very good at his job. It helped that he loved the country and the people, even taking a Montagnard girl for his bride. He developed a healthy respect for his main adversaries, the North Vietnamese Army.
Jim Wilson explains the team structure of a Special Forces unit. He was a team leader in Vietnam, working to convince people that Communism was not beneficial for them. He says they were succeeding, until the government intervened, not the South Vietnamese government, the American government. While living and fighting with the Montagnard people, he made them a solemn promise.
Green Beret Jim Wilson recalls his first combat experience in Vietnam during which his eight man A-Team harassed a division of the enemy. Stealth was a big part of their work and he reveals why his team had an extra advantage. His specialty was Psychological Warfare and one of his tactics involved sneaking into an enemy camp and leaving a single feather.
The Green Beret team was normally the attacker but when Jim Wilson and his men settled into a forward fire base for some down time, three NVA divisions attacked and nearly overran the base. It was hand to hand combat, and when the enemy finally fled, he was covered from head to toe in their blood. He was unharmed in that battle, but he did get wounded four times during his four tours.
A warrior studies the country and the culture he will be operating in, says Green Beret Jim Wilson. This led him to attend Vietnamese festivals and study martial arts in Buddhist temples, as well as living with Montagnards with his team. His only regret? The pullout ordered from above.
