James Carson: Following In His Father’s Footsteps

By Al Konieczka, Honor Flight Chicago Veteran Interview Volunteer

James Carson, known as JC to his friends, decided at the age of eighteen to enlist in the Navy. “I wanted to do my part to help fight the Vietnam War. My dad served in the Navy during World War II in the South China Sea and island hopped throughout the war. The Navy was an easy choice,” recalled JC. He had an option to sign up for a two, three or four year enlistment. He chose two years which meant he would go straight to Vietnam after Basic Training.

JC spent about three months at the Great Lakes Naval Academy as part of Company 389 before heading off to Travis Air Force Base in Northern California and then on to Da Nang Air Base in Vietnam. He had no idea what to expect, all he knew was that he was in Vietnam.

His initial experience in Da Nang was very uneventful because he spent the first five weeks or so waiting for his ship to arrive. JC soon learned he was assigned to serve on the USS Dubuque. By the time he got on board  it was the end of the ship’s first deployment. He was only on board about four months when the ship sailed back to the states; he got to return home for Christmas. JC recalled, “That was the final few months of the Dubuque’s maiden voyage. I wasn’t expecting to go home for Christmas – that was a big surprise.” After the holidays it was back to Vietnam from February, 1969 to April of 1970 for a full tour.”

The USS Dubuque was an amphibious landing platform dock (LPD) ship designed to transport troops into and around a war zone by sea. On board the ship JC was assigned as a red shirt. His group was in charge of everything related to the Chinook Helicopters when they landed. Sailors had to chain down the Chinooks when they landed, refuel them if they needed refueling and assist with getting the Marines off the helicopters (helos). Sometimes the helos stayed on board overnight, other times they just dropped off soldiers and immediately left to pick up more soldiers.

As JC explained, “Helicopters would land all day and drop off Marines until there were several hundred Marines on board. We would then transport the Marines either to the DMZ or some other location. We also all took turns standing watch on the fantail at the rear of the ship. We had two watch stations, one on the port side and one on the starboard side. And when you weren’t on the schedule, we were always cleaning. When you’re in the Navy, you’re always cleaning something!”

JC remembers the weather being very hot and humid and also having survived some very violent storms. “We had a few horrible storms while I was there. You could see the storms coming off on the horizon. One time we had all these Marines on board and we knew it was going to be bad for them. The Marines had their own birthing compartments to sleep in below deck. I had to go through their compartment to check fuel tank levels and you could just smell the vomit, they were all sick. They wanted to go topside, but the weather was too rough and they had to stay below deck.”

The ship had two huge fuel tanks filled with JP-4 and JP-5 jet fuel for the helos. JC and his fellow crew members also had to go on fuel watch and check the gauges throughout the ship to monitor the fuel levels. If they ever ran low and had to be refueled, a tanker ship would come up and refill the tanks. The Chinooks would sometimes transport jeeps using cables and nets suspended below the helo. Those jeeps and half-tracks were stored below deck in a special holding area. The ship also had a door in the back of the ship which could be opened to take in air cushion or amphibious vehicles full of Marines.

When asked about his liberty call (or shore leave), JC remembered, “We went to Hong Kong a few times and each time we went there the locals would throw these bar and dance club cards all over the flight deck. It was funny because the flight deck would be filled with those cards. Of course they knew we were all 18, 19 and 20 year old guys. We also went to the Philippines once.”

JC returned home on April 6, 1970 landing in San Diego before returning home to Chicago. He really looked forward to seeing his family and having a cold beer since he had turned 21 years old two days after he got home. When asked about his decision to go to Vietnam, JC said, “I would do it again if I could, and I would probably do a 20 year assignment in the Navy. My dad always told me I should have made a career out of the Navy.”

JC worked briefly for Ford when he returned home. He had worked for Ford before going to Vietnam and they held his job for him. After about a year and a half, he went to work in a warehouse at Welded Tube Company and stayed there for about 23 years. He still works part time as a driver at an auto auction company in Chicago.

JC married Helen, whom he met after returning from Vietnam, on August 21, 1971. They have three sons and three grandchildren. He enjoys playing golf and is a Past Commander for American Legion Post #272. He said he typically never talks about his time in the service, except when having conversations with his fellow veterans at the Legion.

JC shared, “Even though I saw no casualties during my time in Vietnam, we got the real updates and stories from the Marines landing on the ship each day so we knew what was happening on the ground. I always think about all those Marines we transported and wonder which ones made it home.” 

JC, thank you very much for your dedicated  military service. Enjoy your well-deserved trip to Washington D.C.!