Marine from Augusta supported Vietnam combat troops from behind the scenes
AUGUSTA, Kan. (KSNW) — A Marine and resident of Augusta didn’t see combat during Vietnam. His job was to support combat troops by making sure they had such things as power in the field, fresh food in the mess hall, air conditioning, and warm water to take showers.
Jim Herron always wanted to serve. After all, his father was an Army Air Corps B-29 tail gunner during World War II. His older brother was a Marine. So, while he was a senior at Circle High School in 1972, Herron volunteered to join the Marines, thinking his call-up would be delayed. However, his draft number was called two weeks after graduation, and he was off to boot camp.
A BNSF train rolls through southeast Augusta.
U.S. Army veteran fired howitzers into North Vietnam
Herron’s home is located maybe a hundred yards away from the busy railroad line south of his property.
“This is the main line. This is the line going from California and down south and going back east,” said Herron from his living room as another train roared by.
Trains are constantly passing by as Herron recalls his days as an active U.S. Marine, beginning in 1972.
“Camp LeJeune (North Carolina) was where I went to 1161 school and 1142 school, which was electrical equipment repairman. I worked on refrigeration units and generators, and converters for radar units and stuff like that,” he said.
MOS 1161 is a Marine apprenticeship program for Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Technicians. MOS 1142 is for an Engineer Equipment Electrical Systems Technician.
After nine months of training at Camp LeJeune, Herron was ordered to El Toro Naval Station in California, where he was part of a Marine Air Control Group.
“What we were was we were a generator unit. We had generators, and there were field generators on trailers. And the other units in the base, they kind of like, you know, like, they’re gonna go out and run a field problem, which is an exercise to act like you’re in a real combat situation,” explained Herron. “They will not do it randomly, but anyhow, they’ll tell you, hey, we need this much power. So, then what we do is we send the generators with them to wherever they’re going, and with operators to run them. And that’s what we did.”
Herron was at El Toro for 13 months before receiving orders to go overseas to Japan.
“And there, we were an engineering unit, and we supplied everything. We had water purification, showers, washers. We set up mess halls. We’d make a camp for people to come back to from behind the lines,” he said.
His unit set up home bases for various air wings while in Japan. Then, he returned to the states.
“I was stationed at Camp Pendleton Area 21 down in Del Mar, and I was with a motor-T unit, but I had security clearance. So, I worked in a radar and where upper crypto gear was at,” said Herron.
There, Herron worked on air conditioning for the radar units.
“Then, after that one, we went to TwentyNine Palms and set up another combat situation. And we set up everything out there. That was the whole nine yards. That was a big one. There was aircraft. We set up showers and tents and chow halls and water purification and washing your clothes. We had huge washers on trailers and stuff like that, and we had water heaters,” he said. “And then, I got out when I was there. That was when my time was up.”
That was in 1976.
Herron briefly returned home to Augusta, then joined the Marine Corps Reserves in Austin, Texas, for one year. He was in the Inactive Reserves for another year before he decided it was time to step away from the Marines.
Herron was never in combat, but that doesn’t minimize his support role during the Vietnam War.
Navy pilot flew nighttime missions during Korean War
“Everybody has a place. Yes, everybody has a job. You do your job. And regardless if you’re in combat or not, everybody has that job. And that job supports people even if they are over in a combat situation or not,” he said. “That job is just like a support person supply. You know, you have a job to get stuff done, and that was it.”
Jim’s memories of his days in the Marines come and go as frequently as those trains roll by each day.
“I remember the camaraderie. We were always together. You were dependent on the person that was your bunkie, and you depended on the people that you are always around. They were your family so to speak, and I hate to say it, but that’s true,” he said.
Herron has two sons. The youngest, Ryan, is also a Marine.
Herron’s life after the service revolved around servicing everything from restaurant equipment to air conditioning units to automobiles. He retired from Wichita State’s automotive physical plant in 2018. Currently, he delivers auto parts for Napa Auto Parts in Augusta.
His pride and joy are his two hot rods, a 1976 Nova and a 1987 Monte Carlo.
If you want to nominate a veteran for our Veteran Salute, email KSN reporter Jason Lamb at jason.lamb@ksn.com.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSN-TV.
