Gary's Parents:
Father - Pearl Jasper McJimsey 10/06/1910 - Deceased.
Mother - Aletha Bell (Boston) McJimsey 09/09/1909 - Deceased.
Buried - Crescent City Cemetery, Del Norte County, Crescent City, California.
Brothers:
Richard 08/30/1932 - Deceased. Buried in Alaska. Served in the US Navy.
Robert 1934 - Deceased. Buried in Delta City Cemetery, Delta County, Colorado.
Karl 11/09/1940. Served in the US Navy.
Sister:
Ronda 09/30/1950.
Married June 6, 1964.
Jeanette (Wells) McJimsey
Jeanette's Parents:
Earl Wells 05/10/1905 - 03/30/1976.
Alma (Smith) Wells 10/03/1907 - 10/23/1995.
Buried in Fort Bragg, California.
Brothers:
Neal Wells 03/31/1935.
Richard Wells 04/27/1936 - 09/07/2010. Buried in Ukiah, California.
In Omnia Promptus = Ready for Everything.
A Distinctive Unit Insignia / Coat of Arms worn on each shoulder
top of the dress Class A uniform.
This Unit Insignia was worn on my Class A uniform
due to my assignment / service to the 1st Medical Battalion
1st Infantry Division Support Command in
Di An South Vietnam from August 1968 - Feb 1969.
Description: A Silver color metal and enamel device
1 1/8 inches in height overall consisting of a shield blazoned
(Coat of Arms): Sanguine (reddish brown color),
a bear passant Proper (a walking California Bear);
on a chief Argent (silver metal) a cross of Malta
of the field (eight-pointed Maltese Cross of the
Order of St John of Jerusalem).
Attached below the shield is a Silver scroll inscribed
"IN OMNIA PROMPTUS"
in maroon letters.
Symbolism: The shield is sanguine, with the chief in silver,
the colors of its predecessor, an organization of the
Medical Department.
The bear denotes that the unit was organized at
Camp Fremont, California.
The cross of Malta was a device used by the first
exclusively military medical organization,
the Knights Hospitallers of Saint John of Jerusalem,
which was formed in 1118.
Background: The distinctive unit insignia
was originally approved for the 8th Medical Regiment
on 2 March 1934. It was re-designated for the
8th Medical Battalion on 28 November 1939.
The insignia was re-designated for the 1st Medical Battalion
on 6 August 1940.
It was amended to add the motto on 16 June 1967.
The insignia was re-designated for the 201st Support Battalion
with the description and symbolism amended on 5 June 1987.
PLEASE DESCRIBE WHO OR WHAT INFLUENCED YOUR DECISION TO JOIN THE ARMY.
Basic Training Photo Feb 1966, Fort Ord, California
I did not enlist until I received my Draft Notice in late 1965. I did the Physical Exam gig and passed and received my Orders for Reporting in Oakland, CA for Basic Combat Training at Fort Ord. I decided to enlist in lieu of the Draft in an attempt to avoid the infantry and Vietnam. I enlisted in Berkeley, California, where I was living and working, and was hoping for any clerical and typing position I would qualify for in the Army. After completing Basic Combat Training, I was politely informed that there were no clerical training classes open at that time. So, my plan to avoid the infantry and Vietnam did not work entirely and I eventually ended up in both the infantry by way of the Army Medical Corps and was sent to Vietnam in February 1968. My Vietnam unit assignment was to the First Infantry Division in Feb 1968; initially with 1st Battalion 28th Infantry Regiment and then to the 1st Medical Battalion.
WHETHER YOU WERE IN THE SERVICE FOR SEVERAL YEARS OR AS A CAREER, PLEASE DESCRIBE THE DIRECTION OR PATH YOU TOOK. WHERE DID YOU GO TO BASIC TRAINING AND WHAT UNITS, BASES OR SQUADRONS WERE YOU ASSIGNED TO? WHAT WAS YOUR REASON FOR LEAVING?
1) February 1966 Basic Combat Training at Fort Ord, Private
2) April 1966 Leadership Preparation Course, Fort Sam Houston E2
3) April 1966 Advanced Individual Training for Basic Combat Medical Training at Fort Sam Houston, E2 - E3
4) August 1966 Formal Training Course for Military Occupation Specialty of
Our Field Medical Tent - Aid Station 1st/28th 1st Inf Division in the field
91C20 Clinical Specialist at William Beaumont Army Hospital, El Paso, Texas, E3 - SP4
5) July 1967 Fort Ord Army Hospital, Orthopedic Ward, 91C20 Clinical Specialist, SP4 - SP5
6) February 1968 South Vietnam, 1st Infantry Division, Clinical Specialist, SP5 - SP6; assigned to 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment, Quan Loi, RVN and then August 1968 to February 1969, HHC / A Company, 1st Medical Battalion, in Di An, RVN. While with the 1st/28th I worked in the field with a battalion doctor and other Clinical and Medical Specialist in support to the battalion for overall medical care and treating combat causalities. With the 1st Medical Battalion in Di An I worked in the Base Aid Station / Emergency Room for daily sick-call, medical emergencies, combat causalities and the medical needs of Vietnamese civilians who worked on the base, and an occasional Viet Cong person.
IF YOU PARTICIPATED IN ANY MILITARY OPERATIONS, INCLUDING COMBAT, HUMANITARIAN AND PEACEKEEPING OPERATIONS, PLEASE DESCRIBE THOSE WHICH MADE A LASTING IMPACT ON YOU AND, IF LIFE-CHANGING, IN WHAT WAY?
I served in the Vietnam War with the 1st Infantry Division, from February 1968 until February 1969. I was in the Army Medical Corps as a Clinical Specialist and was assigned to two different units of the 1st Infantry Division working with medical doctors and other non-officer medical personnel. The
Suturing lacerated finger in the field.
first four months I was in the field pulling combat duty with the HHC, 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment working with a battalion doctor along with other Clinical & Medical Specialists. This is the assignment where I earned my Combat Medical Badge and was awarded the Army Commendation Medal for Valor on March 29, 1968.
The photo is me suturing a lacerated hand on one of our infantry riflemen, Tom Goodyear, while the Battalion was situated at a Night Defensive position (NDP) near Song Be Village. The soldier watching is Roger Clark, either a 91B Medical Specialist or a 91C Clinical Specialist. The balance of my Vietnam tour was with the HHC / A Company, 1st Medical Battalion, First Infantry Division, in Di An, RVN. There I worked in the Base Aid Station & Emergency Room. A second Army Commendation Medal was award to me during this time for Meritorious Service and I was promoted to SP6 on January 9, 1969, just one month prior to leaving Vietnam and the Army.
DID YOU ENCOUNTER ANY SITUATION DURING YOUR MILITARY SERVICE WHEN YOU BELIEVED THERE WAS A POSSIBILITY YOU MIGHT NOT SURVIVE? IF SO, PLEASE DESCRIBE WHAT HAPPENED AND WHAT WAS THE OUTCOME.
Vietnamese Man and Women - Saigon Street 1968
I always felt a bit in danger during my Vietnam tour of duty. I could never tell who might be a Viet Cong person or sympathizer. I could not always trust the mental capacity of my leaders to know who was good or bad; so I kept the third eye open scanning my surroundings.
The picture here was taken during a MedCap or Medical Civic Action Program operation to a Saigon orphanage.
OF ALL YOUR DUTY STATIONS OR ASSIGNMENTS, WHICH ONE DO YOU HAVE FONDEST MEMORIES OF AND WHY? WHICH WAS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE?
Naturally, I think Basic Combat Training at Fort Ord is the least favorite. I am certain the training was very beneficial but I am not really convinced the mythology was the best. Despite the danger, my time in Vietnam is cherished as I worked with many medical doctors in a
CPT Yeamans, DDS at Duong Hoa Orphange in Lai Thieu
variety of situations; some not so pleasant such as attending to a wounded soldier or losing a Soldier's life.
The Medical Civic Action Program or MEDCAP operations were a delight wherein we helped the local South Vietnamese with their medical and dental necessities; especially for the children. The MEDCAPs might have been more Public Relations than anything else but they made me feel like I was doing something useful with my training.
The photo is Captain Yeamans, DDS with the 1st Medical Battalion at Di An. He loved children and liked to take photos of the kids on his Polaroid camera and then give the photos to the children. Their faces would light up and perhaps this was the first time they saw a photo of themselves. A great way to win their hearts and break the ice.
This MEDCAP was at the Lai Thieu village north of Saigon.
FROM YOUR ENTIRE MILITARY SERVICE, DESCRIBE ANY MEMORIES YOU STILL REFLECT BACK ON TO THIS DAY.
The first memorable event was in March 1968, just a few weeks after my arrival in Vietnam. I was assigned to HHC, 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment headquartered out of the Quan Loi Base. I was a Clinical Specialist and worked with one of the Battalion doctors along with other
Delivery of twin South Vietnamese infants February 1969
Clinical/Medical Specialist. The Battalion was situated at an NDP near the village of Song Be for about a 3 to 4 week period, providing infantry support to an artillery unit assigned to that Night Defense Position.
Most days were spent at the Night Defense Position and occasionally part of the battalion, including the doctor and some of his team, went on one and two-day sweeps. At other times the medical team conducted one-day MEDCAP operations to nearby villages.
On March 29, 1968, during one of the lazy days spent at the NDP, the battalion came under an intense mortar attack from two different Viet Cong positions across a ravine from our camp. While running from the medic's tent toward the call for help, a mortar hit the hard-as-rock ground about 25 feet in front of me. I had no idea the mortar was coming or what occurred until after it exploded. There was hardly any indentation in the ground which showed how hard the ground was. I was about 50 to 60 feet from our medic's tent and another Clinical / Medical Specialist was behind me about 20 to 30 feet; between myself and the medic's tent, when the mortar hit. That medic got hit with two small pieces of shrapnel or dirt/gravel and I was not touched. There were several Soldiers nearby that ducked down behind their sandbags and saw what had happened. They could not believe that I was still standing and not hit. I could not believe it after they told me what had just happened.
When the battalion Chaplain returned from a trip into the local village of Song Be he counted the holes going into the medic's tent from the direction of the explored mortar; he counted 100+ holes. I do believe in Divine Providence and still, believe that God watches over me.
The second memorable event was while assigned to the HHC / A Company, 1st Medical Battalion at the Di An Base. I worked the Aid Station and Emergency Room from August 1968 until mid-February 1969. The Battalion Commander, Major Wilker, was an OB-GYN doctor who had a practice with his father back home. He and I delivered twins of a South Vietnamese woman who worked part-time in the Ward Section of our Aid Station. This occurred just a few days before my tour ended in Feb 1969. This photo was taken about a half-hour after the delivery. I am on the left and SP4 Charles Looney is on the right who helped in cleaning the newborn infants. This was a very rewarding day that made my tour of duty with the "Big Red One" a worthy cause. We lost soldiers and Vietnamese civilians at the Aid Station but on this day we added new life. It could not get any better than that.
WHAT PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF FROM YOUR MILITARY CAREER?
Award Ceremony in Di An, RVN 1968 - ARCOM-V
The Army Commendation Medal with 'V' Device was awarded for performing my duties on March 29, 1968, at our Night Defense Position near Song Be Village when we came under an early afternoon mortar attack. The battalion lost one soldier and sustained several wounded on this date.
A sad moment in the life of a light weapons infantry unit in Vietnam.
The medal was granted to me for working with SP6 Joaquin Melendez, in trying to save the life of the wounded soldier. The medal was presented a few months later in Di An at the Division Support Command Head Quarters.
OF ALL THE MEDALS, AWARDS, FORMAL PRESENTATIONS AND QUALIFICATION BADGES YOU RECEIVED, OR OTHER MEMORABILIA, WHICH ONE IS THE MOST MEANINGFUL TO YOU AND WHY?
ARCOM and Good Conduct Medal
The Army Commendation Medal for Meritorious Service and the Good Conduct Medal are the two most meaningful to me for my service in the Army. I knew that I was not going to be a career soldier as I had other plans for my future. These two medals remind me that performing the assigned duties to the best of my abilities, be it in the military or civilian work, are rewarded. These are common enough medals for many soldiers, especially career soldiers, and can be achieved by many. For me and for the short time spent in the military they mean more than being promoted to SP6 during this short period of my life. I have great respect for all our military service personnel who have and are now guarding our Nation daily around the world.
WHICH INDIVIDUAL(S) FROM YOUR TIME IN THE MILITARY STAND OUT AS HAVING THE MOST POSITIVE IMPACT ON YOU AND WHY?
That dreaded Drill Sergeant in Basic Training. Wish I could remember his name. He had already finished two full combat tours with the infantry in Vietnam. At the time of my Basic Training in early 1966, he was a Staff Sergeant. He had previously been a Sargent 1st Class. Following
CPT Gary Haddock, MD and SP-5 John Hoff
his second Viet Nam tour, he left the military for a few months and then came back in and lost one grade at the time of reenlisting. He had tons of military experience and lots of combat advice which he was able to share a bit with me during the week following Basic Training at Fort Ord. I was held over one week waiting for my Advance Individual Training orders to Fort Sam Houston. Apart from always keeping the weapon clean and ready he instructed me in the fine art of making-love-to-the-ground; one of the best methods for staying alive in combat and one that I put to practice. Most likely all of us that served in the US military had a 'best friend' during part or all of our time in the military. Mine was Specialist John Hoff from northern California. We both started our army service about the same time and assigned to Fort Ord, California for our Basic Training. John might have been two or three weeks behind me. I first met John at Fort Sam Houston at the Army Medical Training Center in early May 1966. We both were assigned to the Basic Combat Medical Training at Fort Sam Houston. Before we started the actual medical training we were both assigned to the two-week Leadership Preparation Course at the Medical Training Center - that is where we meet and became friends. John and myself were then assigned to different training companies for the Basic Combat Medical Training but continued to see each other from time to time.
Upon completion of our AIT, we were both assigned to a Formal School for advanced medical training; the 91C20 Clinical Specialist Course which was a coveted course, especially for the career enlisted medical specialists. John and I were both assigned to the same school at the William Beaumont Army General Hospital in El Paso, Texas. The course started in September 1966 and graduation was at the end of June 1967, when we both were promoted to SP4. We received orders for our first assignment to Fort Ord Army Hospital, Fort Ord, California.
To our amazement, we meet up again, as both of us were assigned to the two orthopedic wards at the hospital. I was married and lived off base with my wife but naturally continued to see John. John married sometime in late 1967, and we both soon received our orders for Vietnam. We were promoted to SP5 before leaving Fort Ord Hospital. I went first and figured I might not see John again. South Vietnam is a small country but yet very large when it comes to the number of military units stationed there. I arrived in Vietnam mid-February 1968 and was assigned to HHC, 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division - in the field.
To my amazement and downright astonishment, John arrived several days later to the very same unit. We worked together in the field under the command of a battalion doctor until I was transferred at the end of July 1968 to the 1st Medical Battalion in Di An.
I have seen John at his home near Sacrament, CA. in 2016. John became a Registered Nurse following Vietnam and worked in that profession for nearly forty-five years.
This photo taken on May 10, 1968, is near Thu Duc, RVN. Pictured in the photo are Captain Gary Haddock, MD and SP5 John Hoff (without a shirt). Some things are just meant to be - this was one of those things.
LIST THE NAMES OF OLD FRIENDS YOU SERVED WITH, AT WHICH LOCATIONS, AND RECOUNT WHAT YOU REMEMBER MOST ABOUT THEM. INDICATE THOSE YOU ARE ALREADY IN TOUCH WITH AND THOSE YOU WOULD LIKE TO MAKE CONTACT WITH.
SP5 John Hoff; HHC, 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment, South Vietnam
Best friend while I served in the Army was John Hoff. We went through some of our training together and we were assigned to the same unit in Vietnam for a period of four months from late February 1968 to the end of July 1968.
CAN YOU RECOUNT A PARTICULAR INCIDENT FROM YOUR SERVICE, WHICH MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE BEEN FUNNY AT THE TIME, BUT STILL MAKES YOU LAUGH?
During a brief fire-fight while with the 1st/28th, Black Lions, the AK-47s, and M-16s stopped suddenly. Being in the Medical Corps and assigned to the battalion doctor, I was situated in mid-column of the battalion, along with the doctor and others medics of his team. We were just a short
LTC Leland Chadwick Rew, Jr - Center of Photo
distance behind the Battalion Commander Lt. Col. Leland C. Rew, Jr, and could hear him talking on the radio but could not make out what the conversation was. Word was passed down to sit-tight.
So, taking the advice of my BCT Drill Sergeant, I rolled over into a shallow depression in the jungle floor to wait out the situation and took a short cat-nap. This is only humorous to me when I think back on it as I could have been left behind and that shallow depression in the ground could have become my grave.
In the center of this photo taken on May 10, 1968, is Lt. Col. Leland Chadwick Rew, Jr. (Ret) inspecting the weapons captured that day by one of the Battalion units during their daily patrol. Lt. Col. Rew was a West Point grad of 1953 and retired from the Army in 1974. He died in January 2003.
WHAT PROFESSION DID YOU FOLLOW AFTER YOUR MILITARY SERVICE AND WHAT ARE YOU DOING NOW? IF YOU ARE CURRENTLY SERVING, WHAT IS YOUR PRESENT OCCUPATIONAL SPECIALTY?
SP-4 McJimsey, El Paso, Texas June 1967
I was working at the Fort Ord Army Hospital when I received orders for Vietnam, leaving behind my wife in Monterey, California so she could continue going to Monterey Peninsula College (MPC).
Following my separation from the Army in February 1969, I returned to Monterey, CA and returned to banking for a few months until the Fall Semester of 1969 started at MPC when I returned to college. After obtaining my BS in Business Administration from California State University - Fresno, I once again returned to banking until I retired from that occupation.
This photo of me was taken June 30, 1967, in El Paso following graduation from the Clinical Specialist Course. I was promoted to SP4 upon graduation as a Clinical Specialist in the Army.
WHAT MILITARY ASSOCIATIONS ARE YOU A MEMBER OF, IF ANY? WHAT SPECIFIC BENEFITS DO YOU DERIVE FROM YOUR MEMBERSHIPS?
1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment
Life Member:
The 28th Infantry Regiment Association - Black Lions The Society of The First Infantry Division. Vietnam Veterans of America Association Army Historical Foundation and The National Museum of The United States Army The Dustoff Association Army Together We Served
IN WHAT WAYS HAS SERVING IN THE MILITARY INFLUENCED THE WAY YOU HAVE APPROACHED YOUR LIFE AND YOUR CAREER? WHAT DO YOU MISS MOST ABOUT YOUR TIME IN THE SERVICE?
There are rough patches in life that need to be dealt with just as in combat when you are uncertain of the outcome. Keeping a level head, thinking things through, considering the options, and talk it over with a friend if possible has always proven to be the better path for me, rather than just charging ahead without knowing what lies behind the bushes.
BASED ON YOUR OWN EXPERIENCES, WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO THOSE WHO HAVE RECENTLY JOINED THE ARMY?
Stand tall and do not be afraid of the future or the unknown. Do your assignments and tasks better than what you think you can do. Plan, study and always move forward in your military and civilian life. Along your life's journey treat every individual equally with respect and kindness.
IN WHAT WAYS HAS TOGETHERWESERVED.COM HELPED YOU REMEMBER YOUR MILITARY SERVICE AND THE FRIENDS YOU SERVED WITH.
When I registered with ATWS in 2009, I figured the website to be just another Military.com type of site. That proved to be poor thinking on my part. Shortly after joining and having some contact with other members in helping me put my units, ribbons and other details posted to
CPT Howard Gerstel, MD and 1LT Sharon Ann Lane, ANC
my profile, I was invited to be part of the Volunteer Profile Assistants (VPA) in helping other new members with questions and getting their profiles squared away. I still provide some volunteer help to ATWS doing a bit of this and a bit of that but mostly trying to help in getting our Army Vietnam Fallen Profiles completed.
The real blessing for me is making contact with a family member of a Vietnam Fallen soldier. They are so appreciative of what TWS does in creating a Remembrance Profile for their fallen family member. It is a great joy to me when a family member is able to provide personal information and photos of their lost one that can be used on a VN Fallen Remembrance Profile. Working on the Vietnam Fallen Remembrance Project and creating other Assisted/Memorial profiles for other soldiers of WWII, Korea, and Vietnam does have a profound and lasting effect on me.
I do not think I will forget some of these individuals even though I never met them; such as 1st Lt. Sharon Ann Lane, Army Nurse Corps, KIA June 8, 1969. And there is Captain Howard Martin Gerstel, MD, Army Medical Corps, KIA October 4, 1967. In some ways, they are 'ghosts' of the past and they might even remind me from time to time of my military service in Vietnam. These men and women lost to past wars. They once had a life, family, friends, dreams, and plans for their future, until one day when their plans and dreams were stopped. In Memory of Howard Martin Gerstel and Sharon Ann Lane, and thousands like them who died in combat serving our great nation is good enough reason to be part of Together We Served.
