A TRUE PATRIOT
Shannon Robinson, Staff Writer
Jim Williams
HM2, Hospital Corpsman, E5
An unassuming man, Jim Williams has led everything but an ordinary life. His father was a Career Officer and a Chaplain in the Air Force in World War II, the Pacific, Korea, and Vietnam. Jim moved all around the world with his family, from Guam to Greece and Turkey, and all across the Southern United States. He had already seen the world by the time he was a teenager and ready to join the military for himself.
Following in his father’s footsteps, Jim joined the Navy in 1966 at the height of the Vietnam War. He felt a sincere obligation to pay back to America with his service. “I just wanted to go and do my part,” he said. Plus, his father always said that “When you come home, you don’t have to go back.”
Jim was supposed to join the Marines Corps with his best friend, Butch Peterson. Butch went on to Vietnam in 1966 and was the first boy from Abilene to make the ultimate sacrifice for the Vietnam War.
From 1966 to -68, Jim completed Navy and Fleet Marine Force Training, becoming a Hospital Corpsman. He attended Basic, Corps school, and Special Warfare, which qualified him as a Combat Corpsman.
Jim recalls 1968 as the worst time in Vietnam. He moved about the country in a combat unit and was involved in some of the largest and longest operations during the war, such as Robin South, Canton II, and Scotland II. Most of the operations were pushing the North Vietnamese out of and away from South Vietnam.
Jim received the Navy Achievement Medal and three Purple Heart medals for his service in Vietnam. You wouldn’t know it unless someone else told you, though. Jim humbly handed me his commendation to read and recalled one of the battles that he was awarded for.
During the Battle of Hill 549, Jim was shot in the back, and the bullet was 1/16th of an inch from severing his spine. Despite this, he continued to apply medical attention to other wounded soldiers until he could be transported out of the area three days later. His bravery on the frontlines and commitment to his unit earned him a purple heart.
Williams returned to the United States in May of 1969. After a week of acclimation and evaluation, he headed to the San Francisco airport on his way back to Dallas. Walking through the airport in his fully decorated uniform, a group of Hari Krishna spotted Jim and started spitting on him, yelling at him, calling him a baby killer. With that kind of “homecoming,” it’s no surprise so many veterans returning from service in Vietnam had a difficult time reintegrating themselves into American culture.
Because he maxed out on Purple Hearts, Jim was put on reserve status. He traveled to different base dispensaries in Dallas, New Orleans, and San Diego, treating soldiers there.
Jim’s journey did not stop here, however. After the military, he went back to school and achieved his Associates degree. In 1973, he was Chief Deputy Officer for the Eastland Police Department. Being a cop gave him the excitement and adrenaline rush similar to what he experienced in the military. In 1976, he was hired as a Dallas police officer, but couldn’t start for one more semester. The DPD encouraged him to go back to school for a little bit.
The same day he went to register for classes at UNT (then North Texas State College), Jim saw a “Now Hiring” sign outside the Denton Police Department. He went inside, and within a day, Jim took the exam early and aced it, had a 10 point Veteran preference, and met the Chief of Police. The Chief of Police got a few references from Eastland and swore Jim in that evening, despite the fact he was already hired by Dallas PD. Without training, without a gun, without any previous planning, Jim served as a Denton Police officer until 1978.
Williams has led an extraordinary life. He was a police officer, a Felony Investigator, and a Background Investigator for security clearances. He was an entrepreneur; he owned Pipe Emporium (a pipe and tobacco shop), Island Divers (a scuba shop), and Finley’s Fashion and Fabrics (a fabric and sewing shop). Jim is even the inspiration behind famous novelist (and old friend) Clive Cussler’s superhuman character hero Dirk Pitt. While Pitt is often compared to the iconic Doc Savage, he’s based off the honest, human character of Jim Williams.
In truth, Jim is an ardent servant to his community. He retired in 2013 and dedicates his life to taking care of his wife. Jim lives his life “constantly reaching after the brass rings” as he says it, and he sees that ambitious legacy continue in his daughters. Anyone who has the pleasure of meeting him will be greeted with a firm handshake, a welcoming smile, and—if you’re lucky—some of the best conversation you can find.