Jim Joyce was born in Springfield, Missouri, in 1948 where he grew up and graduated from Nixa High School in 1966. Joyce briefly attended the University of Missouri in Columbia, but returned home when his grades remained subpar and he began working smaller jobs around his hometown. By that time, the War in Vietnam was growing in intensity and after the 1968 Tet Offensive, he decided to enlist in the Army, influenced by the legacy of his father who fought in the Pacific during the Second World War, patriotism, and career opportunities. He enlisted on February 25, 1968, as an Army Airborne Infantryman and was sent to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, for eight weeks of basic training. After basic training, he was transferred to Fort Benning, Georgia, for Airborne Jump School, which was more physically rigorous and condensed than basic training, lasting only three weeks with five total practice jumps. He was then transferred to Fort Gordon, Georgia, for Advanced Infantry Training under swamp conditions similar to that of southern Asia, revealing to Joyce that they were indeed being prepped for deployment to Vietnam. After AIT, he was transferred to Fort Lee, Virginia for a sixteen-week course on Parachute Packing, Maintenance, and Airdrops where he was held back from immediate deployment to become an instructor. But, in March, he was deployed to Vietnam which, after his arrival, featured some of the most oppressive heat and humidity he had ever experienced. He was assigned to the 426 Support and Supply Battalion within the 101st Airborne as a Rigger in Phu Bai, packing parachutes and ‘sling loads’ of provisions to be delivered by air. Much of his time was spent at various fire bases in the field after delivering provisions. He recalled how both enemy and friendly artillery fire landed near, or often along, the perimeters of these bases and how some bases were more peaceful, and thus built up, than others. According to Joyce, marijuana was smoked regularly by the soldiers in the field due to its abundance and racial tension between black and white soldiers did not persist from the rear areas into the field due to the uniting pressure of combat. He also detailed his Battalion’s contribution towards relocating, supplying, and assisting the South Vietnamese ARVN forces, which were grateful for their help. In February of 1970, Joyce transferred into the Airborne Pathfinders after some additional training on aircraft operation and maintenance. Later, he participated in the third attempt to establish a forward fire base named Ripcord. At Ripcord, he was wounded in the legs by shrapnel from an NVA rocket grenade whilst directing pilots to drop their ‘sling loads’ under heavy enemy ground fire. He was also awarded the Cross of Gallantry by the South Vietnamese military for extracting an ARVN soldier who had been struck by a falling ‘sling load.’ After the hasty evacuation of Ripcord, Joyce jumped between different fire bases before extending his deployment with the incentive of exiting the service early. He remained on Fire Base Bastogne for the remainder of his extension and was eventually flown back to Phu Bai and then to the United States. Once back in the States, Joyce was processed and discharged at Fort Lewis and was given his final pay, ribbons, and dress uniform before being flown home. He admitted that he was ignorant of the social tensions growing on the homefront concerning the Vietnam War and only learned how unpopular veterans were amongst the general public when he reached home. In order to evade criticism for serving in Vietnam, he had to lie about where he spent the past several years, impacting him psychologically. Ultimately, he felt that a part of himself was left behind in Vietnam, infuriating him greatly, and contributing towards his later diagnosis of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Once back in civilian life, Joyce attended college and acquired a degree in biology in order to become a physician, but was not admitted to medical school. Instead, he began working in a laboratory at a nuclear power plant and worked his way up the ranks of the plant’s leadership and administration. He then went on to acquire a degree in civil engineering and a masters in environmental engineering at West Virginia Institute of Technology where he also met and married his wife. Later, he opened an independent, national environmental engineering firm which he eventually sold in 2010 when he retired. Reflecting upon his service in the Army Airborne, Joyce believed the military instilled in him a level of confidence and perseverance to overcome any challenge.
Pre-Enlistment: (00:00:16:00)
Enlistment/Training: (00:03:13:00)
Service: (00:25:40:00)
Post-Service Life: (01:39:00:00)
Reflections: (01:49:00:00)