James Martin was born and raised in Warren Indiana, he was a small-town farm boy. He grew up with livestock and did work on his parent’s fields. Out of high school, James knew he would probably be drafted because of the rising conflict in Vietnam. With that he decided to Enlist in the Marines at the young age of Eighteen in 1962. It was not until 1965 when his unit was Sent to Hawaii and then Japan eventually putting them in Vietnam. Mr. Martin’s unit in the Marine Corps was an Aviation unit eventually to be based in Chu Lai. They managed Fighter Squadrons and Fighter planes to supplement Air missions in the early years of Vietnam. They were the unit that established the original air base in Chu Lai, along with being the First unit to fly A-4s to Vietnam. Chu Lai was 57 Miles south of Da Nang on the beach, it was very sparsely settled. New airbases were being established during this time to aid Operation “Rolling Thunder”.
James was a part of the Marine Aircraft group 12 (or MAG-12) and under the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing. His unit while mostly supporting the aircraft missions and being a plane base, also eventually had tanks and other army Vehicles. MAG-12 was a base established with Mr. Martins arrival in June 1965 and his job was specifically known as the Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 152.
Chu Lai in its early months was very laid back to start, “Higher ranked people weren’t there so we could have fun”-James Martin. However, the weather made it less enjoyable, Chu Lai’s base ran right along the sea, where there was no cover; “It was so hot though, eventually come July and August most of us guys were in loin cloths, we were still on Sea rations at the time and our water was rationed too. Flew in every week on a helicopter, only shower we got was a swim in the sea”.
https://soundcloud.com/user138634480/james-p-martin-interview-on-vietnam
Not surprisingly, Mr. Martin had a coping mechanism after returning to the United States. It was the most hard finding out how much his country disliked Veterans being so early on in the Vietnam Era, upon his return in early 1967.
“Toughest thing I had to do in, in the whole Vietnam experience. Was coming home and finding out that my country didn’t really like me.. wanting to spit at me and call me names and this type of thing. Yeah.” –James P. Martin, on returning to California in ’67
“I just tried to forget it all, and thats why I think my later times spent in Vietnam (on the choppers) I hardly remember. Because I really didn’t want too.” –James on Coping mechanisms
These are further readings and research found in books on Tactics and the Chu Lai Air base in Vietnam.