Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans
6:46 | The Vietnamese unit got to LZ English, the old 1st Cavalry stomping grounds. On their way there, there were refugees streaming southward, which their American advisor JIm Ellis, took as a sure sign the NVA were strong there. The war was winding down but then they were sent to Pleiku to clean out a nest of VC.
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Jim Ellis grew up fascinated with the military history of his home state of Virginia. This led him to the Virginia Military Institute and then straight into the Army. He volunteered for Vietnam twice but served in Germany and then at Fort Bliss. Finally, they listened.
After he arrived at his post in the Mekong Delta, American Advisor Jim Ellis went on a recon of the area. In the helicopter was his Senior Advisor and a Lieutenant from an intelligence unit. When the Lieutenant pulled out a rifle and began shooting at a Vietnamese woman with a baby, the newly arrived advisor threatened a court martial. The reply was startling.
Jim Ellis was an American Advisor to a unit of "Ruff Puffs." Those are the Regional Forces/Popular Forces of South Vietnam which were comprised of local militias. Unlike many of the Americans, he was able to eat and enjoy the local food with his hosts.
American advisor Jim Ellis had three Vietnamese companies. One was poor, one was average and one was excellent. That one was comprised of members of the Hoa Hao Buddhist sect. They had a grudge since the Viet Cong had assassinated their leader.
He didn't like duty in the MACV provincial headquarters so Jim Ellis volunteered for a US unit. He was placed in the 25th Infantry Division near Cu Chi. He immediately faced two problems, there were nightly mortar attacks and he had a man who refused to go out on listening post duty. He fixed both real quick.
During a firefight, Jim Ellis saw someone ahead pop smoke. He radioed his Lieutenant and said, I'm heading to your position. That's not my position, came the reply. That's the bad guys.
Jim Ellis and his men moved into a possibly hostile hamlet and discovered a fire going with food on but no one anywhere around. As his men poked around, one discovered a trap door with someone inside. What had they found? (Caution: rough language)
One of the Vietnamese units was in contact so Jim Ellis sent one of his platoons out in response. When he arrived on the scene, that attack had stalled. The popular platoon leader had been shot through the head. His men were stunned into inaction.
While his men were having chow, Jim Ellis was checking out the area and he discovered an old schoolhouse. While peering through the window, he stepped into a hole and looked down. A trip wire had been sprung. He immediately dove to the ground.
For his third tour in Vietnam, American Advisor Jim Ellis joined his unit near Qui Nhon and, three days later, they were surrounded by the NVA. There was hand to hand fighting on the perimeter but it eventually calmed down. On a morning that was quiet and seemingly peaceful, he decided to let the men sleep an extra half hour. That saved some lives.
For his final duty in Vietnam, Jim Ellis was part of the Four Party Joint Military Commission in II Corps. They were working on protocols for ending the war and they had an international contingent of military officers. His favorites were the Hungarians, who partied every night and were led by a charismatic and mysterious figure.
We let them down. There is no other way to look at it. Jim Ellis had three tours in Vietnam and knows what went on there and it boiled down to abandoning our allies whom we had promised to support. First we took our troops home and then we ended the vital support we had promised.
