In Combat, Logic Must Overcome Fear: Commanding Alpha Company 1/503rd In Vietnam

Jim Davis provides a compelling account of his transition from a cadet at Texas A&M to a frontline infantry company commander in the 173rd Airborne Brigade during the Vietnam War, highlighting the intense realities of jungle combat and the profound impact of military leadership training. He details his upbringing in Texas, his formative years in the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets, rigorous military training, and his harrowing combat experiences in the Central Highlands of Vietnam, concluding with his post-war life and reflections. Born in 1941, Jim Davis grew up in Houston and the predominantly Hispanic community of Brownsville, Texas. His father was an engineer at a company where cotton was compressed for shipment, and his mother was a housewife who was raised on a farm. Jim’s brother is five years younger. Jim enjoyed his time in high school and played basketball, baseball, and football. He attended Texas A&M University (Class of 1964), drawn by the military discipline he had first experienced in the Boy Scouts. At A&M, he navigated the intense traditions and harassment of the Corps of Cadets, eventually rising to become a cadet company commander. He majored in Mathematics and Spanish, and he credits the loyalty and physical conditioning instilled in him at A&M as the bedrock of his character and future military success. He describes some of the unique traditions and lore associated with the Cadet Corps at Texas A&M. During this era, two years of ROTC were mandatory, but Jim chose to continue in the program, commissioning as an Infantry Officer. He then reported to Ft. Benning, Georgia, in late 1964 for the Infantry Officer Basic Course, subsequently volunteering for both Ranger and Airborne schools. He felt that A&M had prepared him well for the Basic Course, Airborne school was fun, and Ranger school taught him how to think clearly under adverse conditions. His first assignment was at Ft. Polk, Louisiana, overseeing basic training for new recruits. While at Polk, he served as a Basic Training Executive Officer, a Company Commander, and the OIC for the Drill Sergeant School. He later attended Jungle School in Panama, which acclimatized him to the harsh environments he would soon face in Vietnam. Before deploying to Vietnam, he completed the Air / Ground Operations School (AGOS), where he learned to call in air strikes and bring in resupply to remote locations. As he prepared to deploy to Vietnam, he had orders for the 101st Airborne Division. In late May 1967, he began the deployment process, taking the opportunity in Seattle to visit his brother who was completing Basic Training for the National Guard. He then flew from Seattle, through Tokyo, to Cam Ranh Bay, where he was initially surprised by the lack of apparent security at the massive logistics hub. He was reassigned to the 173rd Airborne Brigade in the Central Highlands. His "baptism by fire" occurred immediately. On his way to join his unit in Pleiku, the C-130 had to make an emergency stop for repairs at an abandoned airfield. He was tasked with securing the area around the C-130 alone and armed with only a shotgun. He later reflected on the ridiculousness of his situation. He describes this experience as his “introduction to fear,” and realized that logic must overcome fear. Shortly after reaching his fire support base, he narrowly survived a landmine explosion that destroyed a CIDG (Civilian Irregular Defense Group) jeep full of Vietnamese civilians right in front of him. Initially, he was assigned as the Battalion S2 and later as the Headquarters Company Commander, where his responsibilities involved calling in air strikes and learning as much as he could in preparation for taking a line company. Shortly after the Tet Offensive began in late January and early February 1968, he extended his tour and took command of A Company, which was operating near Ban Me Thuot, an area of mixed woodland and farming villages. He describes leading search-and-destroy missions through dense jungles and fighting organized and well-fortified North Vietnamese Army (NVA) regulars. He recounts conducting jungle patrols, setting up night defensive perimeters, calling in airstrikes, capturing a Viet Cong flag, and the tragic loss of men under his command. He indicates that they knew the North Vietnamese were moving at night on the Ho Chi Minh trail in Cambodia and recalls seeing lights moving at night across the border. He describes in detail the intense contact of March 26-27, 1968, where an initial shot fired around 1300 by the enemy drew the company in. At 1500, the point element took fire and Johnny Wanamaker was killed. The company pulled back into a defensive position, and the 1st Platoon Leader, LT Doan, developed a plan to lead a night-time reconnaissance into the suspected enemy position, on the assumption that the NVA generally pulled back at night into a different perimeter. Moving slowly and quietly, the recon element encountered the enemy in position, one Soldier actually touching a sleeping North Vietnamese Soldier in his bunker, before returning to friendly lines. Jim describes the “screams and firing” from both sides as the recon element returned. Later, A Company secured the area and recovered around 50 North Vietnamese rucksacks, including one that contained a Regimental Flag and a red and blue Viet Cong flag. Eventually, Battalion assigned D Company to help A Company clear the area. Later, A Company spent some time along the coast near Tuy Hòa, where they established a fire support base and Jim was challenged to ride a bull. He describes their time near the coast as “not as strenuous” as the mountains of the Central Highlands, and there were “No NVA” in the coastal region. He took R&R to Bangkok, finding his time there “relaxing” and enjoying learning about another culture. After returning home in July 1968, Jim became a civilian immediately and remembers the cheering as the plane landed. He attended graduate school at the University of Texas at Austin, earning a master's degree in mechanical engineering. While at UT, he met his wife, and they raised two sons. He built a successful career in the chemical industry focusing on process safety. Reflecting on his life, he views his service to the nation as a profound privilege, noting that it is a “blessing to be an American.” He wanted to lead men in combat, and he “brought back as many as I could.” He credits Texas A&M for shaping his leadership abilities and his character.