Hi.
My husband was Jess James, Richard S James (GMCM) DV, USN, Ret. He began life in the Navy aboard the USS Midway where he began as a gunner’s mate. When he was in the reserves he was trained as a diver and trained along with the seals. He had training in underwater demolition and trained at Chavez Ravine in 1973. He had riverine warfare training, transfer to Coastal River Squadron One and Assault Craft Unit One. He said that he had gone on a couple of classified river missions in which either he swam up rivers in Viet Nam or was on one of the squadron boats that took him upriver. Either way, he was so frustrated before he passed away last February because he could not prove that he was ever there. I miss him.
I hope so much that someone out there will remember him and send a letter via e-mail that they remember him.
Your statement should include: ‘I hereby certify that the information I have given is true to the best of my knowledge and belief.’
He was in the US Navy from 3/56 through 1/65, and in the US Naval Reserves from 6/71 through 7/89. He would have participated in these missions while in the active reserve. VA will do nothing to assist me. They want proof that I cannot get since he never got an award for any of the covert missions he went on. He did say that many of the men he was with there in fire fights did not make it out alive. He did have haunting nightmares and would never speak of what happened while there, only that he was there.
I so hope someone out there will remember him and can help me. He was a sweet, kind man who never met anyone that he did not like and enjoy speaking with.
Thank you,
Vivian James
850-463-4593
vmpjj@yahoo.com
Comments