Ground Pounders in Vietnam
My name is James Crow. I was born and raised in Santa Barbara, CA. After high school I attended Cal Ploy/San Luis Obispo and then transferred to Humboldt State University where in June 1969 I received a BS degree in Fishery Management. Upon graduation I was accepted into the Peace Corps to help carp farmers in India, but my draft board had other ideas for me. I was drafted into the Army in June of 1969. I went to basic training and infantry training at Fort Ord, CA. I was assigned to the 101st Airborne division and sent to Vietnam in November 1969. I spent 10 months on patrol in and around Hue and the AShau valley. My last 3 months, I spent as a company clerk at Camp Eagle near Hue. I was awarded the Bronze Star and Army Commendation medal for my actions in Vietnam.
After the service I worked for Pacific Gas & Electric company at an electric generating station near Eureka, CA (Humboldt Bay Power Plant). It had 2 fossil units and 1 nuclear unit. I served in many different positions during my career, with the last 10 years as the Training Director. I retired in 2008 and moved to Chico to be near my 2 grandchildren. I have a wonderful daughter and a son. Currently I am involved with the Veterans of Foreign Wars. I also enjoy gardening, SCUBA diving and traveling with my RV.
My talk is called a “Groundpounders Perspective of the Vietnam War”. My talk tries to give a realistic perspective of the day to day activities my platoon experienced. My talk includes some actual videos and pictures of the area my platoon patrolled and our experiences.