Green Beret’s RARE Footage & Photos From Vietnam | Veteran Interview

Dick James joined the Army in February of 1962 and, after completing jump school, volunteered for Special Forces. James graduated from SF training and completed a tour in Ethiopian in 1964, instructing indigenous forces in unconventional warfare. By 1966, James was in Vietnam, rotating between various camps near the Cambodian border. After eighteen months overseas, he returned to the United States separated from the Army.

Chapters:
0:00 - Project Delta
1:00 - Combat Patrols
2:49 - Death of Captain Donker
5:14 - Reassignment
5:49 - Overrun
8:35 - A-Team Ops
11:02 - Escaping Vietnam

-

Welcome to the largest YouTube channel exclusively dedicated to the Vietnam War. We strive to build a better future by learning from the past. All participants – and their military citations – have been vetted. For the sake of privacy, we do not share veteran contact information.

Do you know a Vietnam veteran, survivor or witness that should be interviewed? Send us an email at the address below.

Sources:

[matthewardison]

I so appreciate these men sharing their stories. He is so articulate and compelling.

[BrianMason]

My dad was there……God bless each and every one of you!!!

[Whitesp]

Fantastic pictures and story. So much happened in that war most Americans will never know. So important to document these experiences. Thank you

[MattLarkham-nxuu]

Something tells me his grandchildren stuck that googly eye on there without him realising...he had no idea, the man survived the VC only to be fooled by tricksy toddlers. In all seriousness, he's earned the right to wear googly eyes. Absolute living legend and hard as nails.

[susiemcdonald]

I’m learning so much from these guys. Thank you for putting your experiences out there for us to understand exactly what you went through. God bless you all.

[TheHumanSynthesisProject]

"That was the only time I ever stepped on a mine", he says with a smile. what a man, what a soul. Its a blessing to hear these stories

[PG-yiiz]

I arrived in the States as a fresh immigrant in 1989. My first 6 years were in DC. I used to ride my bicycle down to the Vietnam Memorial and thanked all the dead soldiers for their sacrifice. Those soldiers gave everything so people like me could taste freedom and experience a new and better life. Thank you.

[bobdixon]

I want to thank. You very much. I am thankful to all Vietnam veterans. My brother was one and im proud of you his brothers in arms. Much love and respect to you sir!

[Phildo]

My Uncle George served in 5th Group with Mr. James. I’ve had the honor of meeting the man a few times. His & my Uncle’s stories have always fascinated me as I was growing up. Clear up until the time I enlisted in early 2004 on a 18x contract. I still enjoy hearing the stories the older guys of Army SOF went through in Vietnam. The only difference now is that they don’t have to do all the talking as I now have stories of my own from tGWOT & my own deployments. Now it’s us telling the stories to the younger generation and hope they somehow find inspiration in our stories and go enlist themselves and hopefully keep our 4 generations of Army SOF “family tradition” going!

[philbrown]

Sir, you and Nam Vets like you, have my deepest respect. YOU are a hero. Me…I served at Chu Lai 68-69 1st MAW and was never in any danger, except for incoming but that was maybe just a few times a month. But if I had to do what you did, I might not be here today. I was just lucky to be where I was. And Welcome Home Brother.

[GMguy-wvqc]

Thankful these men are willing to share their experiences with us. I never dared ask my relatives to speak of their time there unless it came up, which it never has to this day. I knew when I saw him still wearing his timepiece to the inside I better listen up! Nothing but respect for you sir, you are appreciated more than you know.

[arthurbrumagem]

This is one of the best SF stories I have watched. This guy is solid

[dansullivan]

I served in the Navy at a Green Beret camp in the 7 Sisters Mountain region called B-43 (Chi Lang) in 1970. Mr. James’ recollections bring back fond memories of those long ago days. The topography of the area was just as pictured in his video. It was an awful war but a beautiful land.

[williampink]

Met you once in Murphys. Great photography. Served at B-32 Tay Ninh III Corp. great work. People like you let others know we were real. Thank you.

[billr]

What Barry Sadler sang about back in 64'---men like him. Thanks for your Service Sgt.

[boldmarines]

I lost my left eye in Combat with L/3/7 in 1969 while on patrol in I-Corps…. But no prosthetic I’ve ever had… has the Character of this one…. SEMPER FI

[marksmith]

Amazing, thank you for your service. I’m glad you made it home.

[jeffccr]

I graduated high school in 78 and entered the workforce with these guys coming back from Vietnam
Crazy pictures and crazy stories some were really screwed up mentally beyond repair and some were just tough as a boot
The quite ones scared the crap out me at 17 years old
But a couple of them shaped me into the man iam today
RIP
Eddie
John
Danny
Turk 😢

[Dreadheddforever]

My Father was 101st. Airborne, he promised my Mother(unfairly)that he would never talk about his experience in "Nam" with me.I had enough sense to know enough to research on my own.I CAN'T SAY IT ENOUGH, God bless these Veterans for sharing their stories! I met and became friends with R.Lee Ermey(R.I.P), now, after that?...I would be amazed if I could find ANYONE who served with my dad.

[stormrider]

Great interview Brother. As a Recon guy with Project Delta (67-68). I spent my operational time primarily in I Corps, with some forays into II Corps running missions on the Laotian border. You would have been a great asset to Delta. Welcome home.
Storm