Wyman Helms
101st Airborne Division
Tiger Force

In November of 1965 I dropped out of school at 17 and joined the Army. Our country was going to war and I was going to be part of it. My father was in WWII and I was going to follow in his footsteps and fight for what this country stood for: freedom and to stop the spread of Communism. Against my parents' wishes, I signed up for Infantry and Airborne Training.

After my training I was stationed at Fort Campbell Kentucky home of the 101^st Airborne Division. When I turned 18, I volunteered for Vietnam. I had almost given up on ever going over when orders came down for my transfer. I was to be assigned to C Co. 1/327^th 101^st Airborne Division. Within one week of being in country I found myself in the jungles of Duc Pho. Within another week we were picked up by copters and flown over to help out another company that had walked into deep shit (NVA). As soon as they set us down on the side of a mountain to support them, we started receiving incoming mortar fire. My first taste of combat and there was no enemy to fight and you can't fight something you can't see. After that I started noticing how easy it was to spot a

company of men, all the noise and bodies were hard to miss. One day while walking point I came upon the Tiger Force. I was almost right on them before I realized it. I was really impressed at the way they operated and when we went to the rear on stand down and the Tigers were asking for volunteers, I jumped at the chance to join. I considered myself lucky to be chosen because you usually had to be in country 3 months before you were able to join the Tigers. I then became a member of the most elite fighting units in all of Vietnam and was proud of the fact that I had served my country with the pride and honor of the 101^st Airborne Division, 1/327, Tiger Force Recon.

Upon my return to the states everything was different than what I had expected. Instead of returning to a grateful country and people I returned to a hostile country, one that turned its back on me and put me down for what I had done. I returned to the 82^nd Airborne at Fort Bragg, N. C. On my first day reporting in, my First Sgt. let me know what was in store for me. He said, "you are one of those Vietnam guys who come back here and really think you are something, you think we owe you something. Well step out of line one time and I'll show you just what we owe you." In the 5 months I left to go in the service I was busted 3 times. They were so busy looking for things I did wrong they never had time to give me the medals I had earned in Nam.