Jesse Addison and James Jaramillo

00:00 My name is Jimmy.

00:03 James Jaramillo also known as Harold Miller in the Navy in the Navy I got that name. They couldn't pronounce Jaramillo. So they said Harold Miller and that's what that's what stuck my age is 76 today's March 11th 2020 and we're here in Las Cruces America. The name of my partner that we're going to be visiting with you on is Jesse Addison, and he's like a brother to me. So we'll be visiting with you. Jesse take it away. Okay, my name is Jesse Addison. My age is 73 today is March 11th. 2020 location is Las Cruces, New Mexico?

00:53 And Jimmy had a meal is my best friend, and we spend a lot of time together.

01:02 Okay. Well I was about to get drafted and the American Legion had the naval recruiter next door and I had I had the been in New Mexico State University's Army program and I thought I don't think I want to go Army. So I did go and sign up for the Navy I put in 4 years and I caught everybody in the family by surprise cuz they figured I'm not going to be around for a while. My sister had just got married May 1st and May 20th. I join the Navy.

01:42 Well, I had a school deferment. I was going to an automotive school and welding and I decided that I would do that for a living and not go to Vietnam. Well 24 hours after I graduated I came home and my mother and father were sitting on the couch in the living room and nobody ever said it on the couch in the living room. So I knew it was something wrong and I said I was trying to think what did I do? What did I do? Some of my friends must have snitched on me, but they did. My father handed me the letter and said greetings. This is your Uncle Sam.

02:26 And I would oh my God, I can't believe I just bought a new car and new clothes. So my father said we went he was a World War II veteran and the Navy and all my family members were most of them were in the Navy. So we said, yes, you will turn you need to go. So I said, that's fine until I went down to I was from Chicago. So I went down to the recruiting station. I walked in and I was standing in line. I happen to see a lot of friends of mine in the back and I stuck my head out and I was talking to this guy. We're in the back of the line and all the sudden somebody walked up and poke me from behind.

03:11 And I said for you he said do you want to know why I am it was a Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant. You said greencore step in that room right here. So I got back home and I told my father I think I'm in the Marine Corps you goes. No. No, you're going in the Navy just like everybody else and you're going to be sleeping in a nice warm cot and three hot today. So he takes me down to the Navy recruiter. Well, they noticed that I was a welder in a mechanic. So they said we had just the thing for you if United States Navy Seabees. He said it's a Navy unit. So he's after I'm not going to Vietnam. You said you going to be going to Hawaii and sitting on the beach drinking a drink with a little umbrella in it not to sign me up and he sign me up.

04:06 Six months later. I was in Danang going I end up spending the next three tours in Vietnam. I was all over the Philippines open now near Hawaii Alaska that was in August of 66 when I went in and I got my discharge and 70 1972.

04:48 How did I get into the the Navy like I mentioned before the Navy recruiter was next door to my dad service station my uncle and World War II his little brother and the battle of the Coral Sea. He was killed. I was named after my Uncle Jimmy. I tell Jesse the story that three times he was captured by the Germans and three times he escaped but I remember the stores used to tell me about the Army and not I says well if it's meant to be it's meant to be I might be on a ship but I'm going down with the Navy and soul and my dad was in the Navy so we got the cross paths and that's one of the the things that that we have in comments. His dad was Jesse's dad was a mic on a mine on a on a PT boat and my first assignment was on the USS Hornet CVS.

05:48 12 my great niece got me that hat. I went to electronic school first. I didn't really care for that. So I told him for Christmas. I want to go home and send me out in the fleet. So they put me on this carrier and right away. I had skills like typing and good memory and that's my memory is gone now. But anyway, I could became a captain's Yeoman and I was on there for two and a half years after that.

06:26 Two years and I sure enjoyed care of your life. I had no idea what what I'd be out there in the jungle fighting and being on a Minesweeper. My my battle station was twin 50s cuz they software I could shoot and I could hit barrels out at Sea. We going up and down Bobby. So they says you're going to be the the mount captain on the M20, but then they say there was no need for that. So they put me on standby on the twin fifties and I never left at that battle station boot camp. I had a choice of going to San Diego or going to to Great Lakes, Illinois, and I thought I've never been away from Las Cruces. So I am going to see the seeds.

07:26 Country they put me on a train and here I went to Great Lakes Illinois. It was in the summer. It was kind of humid. But I did enjoy boot camp made a lot of friends some of which have passed away already George careful Otis. I don't think I've ever mentioned it to Jesse or maybe he's heard the name. He was from Chicago Greek and I met his folks, but we we became good friends. He was killed and that was a sad moment. You hate to lose her a shipment. I'll talk a little bit more about the Minesweeper in a little bit and I'm going to let Jesse tell us what he did.

08:13 Remember that talk to each other and talk to each other. Yeah, go ahead. Jesse tell us about I like your stories about about the you being in Danang and monkey mountain and running over the wire well.

08:28 Jimmy was a blue-water sailor. I was a Navy Seabee and we call ourselves mud Sailors cuz we're always in the dirt my first tour in Danang. It was my first time getting shot at and I have a good friend of mine. He's recently passed away while we were in in a firefight in Danang and our Firebase and he get one to jump up and I kept pushing him down. He just came down and you can hear the rounds going right over the top of our heads and you can see the tracers afterwards. He looked at me the next when the sun came up New England back in the hole was eyes are bugged out and he cuz I think they're trying to kill us I said, yeah, I think that's the idea. We're on the other side.

09:28 You know, but my boot camp was a lot different than we were Seabees. So they sent me to Quonset Point Rhode Island better known as Davisville. And that was I thought I could go to Great Lakes but no no no, they always send you a thousand miles away from where you live and that's a fact since I lived in Chicago and Great Lakes is only like 30 miles so we can go now to Davisville, Rhode Island and when I got there

10:04 I met another guy another CB and we're both first Chicago and his name was Anthony Grasso.

10:14 And Anthony Grasso and I became the best of friends Little Italian kid from the from the westside of Chicago. And so we hung out together. We did everything but he would get us in more trouble. I never met a guy to get you in that much trouble.

10:37 He was really good at mimicking joke records, so when they turn out the lights at night with all go to sleep and he was sit up there and just start telling jokes and hold Barracks are go up and laughter and the next thing you know, we're out running around with a rifle overhead and ODI screaming at us.

11:00 And so the next time I was on fire watch so he gets up and comes in there cuz you don't watch as again. He said let's go shoot some pool. I said they put the pool cues up at night. You can go in there. He's just now know how it goes over and put the porch broom unscrews a handle out. And here we are at 2 in the morning shooting pool. You said what you had to be quiet. So but we promised each other if we went to Vietnam that we would have each other's back and

11:37 Unfortunately, August 67.

11:42 He was killed in Donna and I happened to fly into downtown, on my second tour and I decided I would do it look for him cuz I knew mc-11 was there so I'm walking around looking for him and I happen to see another friend of ours that was in boot camp with us and he was walking up the road and I stopped him and he had that thousand-yard stare and he was staring at me since I said, where is he? Where's Anthony where is Thornwood? He said you did.

12:23 That's a sad moment and he walked away and he didn't turn back and didn't and then say anyting but never never meant it never look back at me and I was hurt and I was walking down the road and they told us getting on the 6 by you going south so they took us the queen tree.

12:43 And all the years I was in 1967. I had felt that I had to let him down that I should have been there when you got hit course, I probably been dead too. But that's not that's not the point. The point was we promised we would protect each other and the strangest thing I tell you how funny life is.

13:09 I moved to Los Cruces New Mexico in 1995. And my son would retire from the Army told me so you need to go and check in to a PTSD group in the wrong with me and we grew up with you. We know you got a problem. So I went down there and I join up and there was a CB in there sitting right next to me.

13:39 And I talked to him these I said I had a good friend of mine Anthony Grasso. He said he said

13:52 I said was he crying or whining should know he was Butte barking out orders and tell people stuff. We going to make this news talk to the guy that got hit with both of them succumb to the wounds and died. But they're just the fact that I met this friend of mine and Las Cruces that was there when he got hit and it told me exactly what happened after years of alcohol and drinking and doing a little everything trying not to remember him that that took the hurt away.

14:32 I have a I have a friend that he was a lot younger and I was but he like to hang around with me. I had a 52 Cadillac limousine and his dad owned American Lennon and so he'd come by the station and my dad would help us polish that car. So he was 19 years old. He joined up with a Marines and I knew he'd join the Marines cuz I went to his going away party and I always wondered

15:02 Course Sharon Las Cruces. We Have A & E Cabrera that got hit Chavez never came back, but but this is

15:21 Friends of Jose and mine

15:24 Am I want my my my mind went blank. It'll it goes blank and then it comes back. So it I'll I'll bring the name back Mike Lutz and him were he and his dad were Partners this at this American linen. But anyway, I'll talk to Joe Gomez one time and I said, do you know whatever happened to Andy says yeah. I saw him get killed in Vietnam and he was a local guy. I mean, can you imagine I mean I had the name before we started the conversation and now it's gone and that's the way it works with me. I used to I used to be and I told him 20 years ago that my mind was going

16:10 And yeah, they says I know I didn't it does go and I didn't want to continue on this Commander there at the VFW, but they said well, nobody else can do it and you got so much practice at you. Continue anyway.

16:27 You talk about a small world. And yep, you run across people and places like Alshon China a David Corvette on I remember him. He was on a he was on a repair ship and I was on that Minesweeper and we pulled in with lost a screw and they fixed it for us and Ernest Ernest Rivera. I ran across him in a longer pole there in the Philippines in the Philippines. We'd always run across somebody would go to a different the nightclub and there'd be somebody there for me from from back home. I miss seeing Anthony or whatever but one of the big things that I remember about being starting out in that Minesweeper right out of Guam, we hit a typhoon that it was a typhoon of all typhoons. That's the reason I was a sailor.

17:27 I don't need to be out in the middle of the water and I tell you we had we had some stuff that's out there floating in the ocean. And we almost we almost went down on that Minesweeper, but that we were able that's our job keep that keep that ship afloat minesweepers are made out of wood. Cuz if they detect metal do magnets and Minds hit him because of the middle Halls, they'll go up. So we were wooden ship tell me tell me about your experiences with the actual repairs before you told me you'd pick up all kinds of

18:17 Army, or whatever, show that the power of the Ender came down at 2 in the morning. Got me out of jail, and he's decided that they owed him. So we got to Okinawa.

18:55 And he got drunk at the Air Force Base Cadena and he comes down and back to the base and runs off the road and hit a tree and then so he comes to mind rack and wakes me up and goes, you know, you owe me right I said, yes, sir. He said the Jeep is in the tree and I need you to go down there and get it and bring it back and fix it. So we get up and get a record and we go down there and sure enough. There's a in the bushes. There's a whole going through the off the road and the sure enough it was there in a tree up in the tree and then hit the tree was up in the tree literally flew in felling a tree so we had to unhook it and pull it down and got it down and it was kind of it was beat up.

19:52 So we got it back to the basement and we looked at it since things unrepairable. And I said well, let me think a minute. You know, the Air Force has got a lot of jeeps and all we need a front end off of Jeep and the radiator and everything. He says yeah, but how you going to get it? So don't worry about it. We'll take the wrecker. I'll make out a chip that says if we're here to pick up a a Jeep and we drove down there and picked up the Jeep. It's 2 in the morning probably 3 by then and the guard is about half asleep. Anyway, so we going there with the record. He just go he just freezes in so we go down there to pick up the Jeep take it back and took the front end off of it took the radiator take everything off of it. Put it on the tennis Jeep.

20:39 And in any we were looking at it except the Air Force is a blue and ours of course is OD and he goes that's not going to work cuz we're going to paint it. We're going to make it work. So we painted it and put the FSM numbers on it.

20:59 Seabees have the big yellow bee on it. So we put the beat on rattle can and put the v on it. So the next morning we take it down and put it in his spot cuz he has an inspection that morning and so we saw him walking up the road. He ain't just like you got in my Jeep. Don't touch the paint is still wet understand, but my best friend and now I will follow him anywhere and then he decided that we were going back to he was a Mustang or came up from you want to a lieutenant and he just wanted to be in Vietnam. So he decided we going back and the first person's name put on the list was mine.

21:59 I ended up going back and was my second tour.

22:02 And we ended up in back in October of 67. We landed in Don Hall with the queen tree and

22:15 I want while we were there we built that 4000 foot are script and I will build all the hangers for the 3rd Marine Air Wing and then of course and I was in 68 January 68 when finished and that wasn't a defensive started and we got hit all night long every night on the river. It was it was crazy when I remember very vividly we had

22:49 Fog come in and it couldn't get any planes up and we are getting hit and then we will figure we will get overrun and so we are on the radio talking back and forth. I need to know we can't get up we can get anything up to foggy. So this all of a sudden the radio breaks in and did the USS New Jersey and it's sitting there and it goes exactly what your coordinates and we had Air Force guy there that was that was that you gave coordinates and so he gave it to the Navy and they said okay put your head down. We're going to fire for effect.

23:32 And we 18 inch guns and they put out of something big is a Volkswagen and it came flying through the air and you can see that you can hear it all you can hear it was like a jet plane coming in and now it was so foggy and when they went to the following you can see that look like hair around to the shell and when it landed I was I was laying on the ground when it landed the ground came up and hit me in the face and I will tend to get in there gases and they change the cord that's a little bit. He's just okay incoming incoming and many mustache out about 20 rounds in there. I mean, they must be all broadsided thing now on that ground shaking it had holes out there big enough you can put a 6 by truck in it.

24:18 But it does the vc-backed off. I was alongside the New Jersey where are condensers went out. So we were taking in water and the 5-inch guns went off in that shook our little mice Weaver and they said wait wait, wait when you pull off the 16th are going to go off and when they went off are we were rocking and rolling? I couldn't believe that you know, one of the things you mentioned Oh, I thought of my best friend's name is Jon Risinger and Mike Lutz and him were together their dad's only American linen and Mike Lutz was in our class of 62. We graduated together. He went on to train dogs there in Riverside, California.

25:15 And of course there was a white say about 10 of the class of 62 that went into the service one came out of Colonel Bobby Arjen Gates. He was a helicopter pilot, but some of the ones that didn't come back gosh. I mean like that Chavez and the course John Risner you look around Las Cruces and you think of where we used to run around with drag the Shamrock which was a like a soda Drive-In type thing and it would go see the Roadrunner there at the fiesta Drive-In or the rocket. That was one of the things we would go to the show just to see the Roadrunner but the military

26:15 Dustforce tonight increase young young folks put in 2 years at least kind of like the Peace Corps get the experience. You meet a lot of friends. And of course you like Jesse says you you want you hanging around with people they become your best friends and you tell each other. I've got your back or stay separate you and in 1966 and the friends that I met then are still my friends today 55 years later and we can see each other brothers and even though we discussed

27:04 We don't discuss that much but don't discuss we talk politics we go back and forth. And but what we do is we respect the fact that you have your leanings and he has his and you respect both of them. So as military people that's that's what we do. We don't talk about politics. We bring it up now and then but we are here to keep this country what it is we muddle through.

27:35 All like the Revolutionary War Civil War Wii remote through World War II, but we come back as and people ask me. How come you're still in the VFW? I tell him I'm the world's greatest country. I wouldn't trade it for anything. I am I am 51 years in the American Legion. I am the oldest continuous member of post 10 here in Las Cruces and I've been in the VFW 40 some-odd Years of the Vietnam veterans is there's a veterans organization. I can help I will help him and I had a girlfriend tell me you're married to the VFW message. Yep. I hope I hope with the VFW never divorce this week. I might I might be separated for a little bit, but I'll come back veterans to me. That's what keep this country going and Jessie and I

28:35 Of course, we're on the same way. You live. Politically walking to the VFW no matter what branch you're in. You're still our brother. That's the right and we welcome you would have welcomed our open arms and then we buy you a beer. That's right, you know, you asked about transition from the military to civilian life. I joined in 65 and I got out in 69, but I continued the Navy Reserve. I was in the naval Reserve for 11 years and then my brother switch me over to the Army Reserve and I finished up there. So I am retired reservist and I-90 one that gave us full medical what are some benefits that that went along with I didn't expect them, but they they this country sees how we need to help veterans and they do

29:35 They have their little behind are they don't always do what they you think they're going to do, but when you have 21 million veterans,

29:49 It's hard to keep up and in the in the military will will tell you we're going to do the best we can to help you adjust to civilian life Jesse when he goes to the VA and he told you in a little bit about his PTSD class, he's got shrapnel still in his body and they try to get it out and it comes back to find it someplace else. It's funny how that works. There's there people that for years. I would not go into the VA hospital because most vets will tell you that they respect the

30:39 The person that with his lost a leg lost several extremities and that's the people that you want them to take care of my little things that I have little piece of metal here and there is shrapnel in my eye and things like that. I didn't feel that there was justifiable for me to go in there and take somebody's place that had a leg blown off or arm blown off. So I never put in for the for a purple heart for the strap when I got it cuz the guy that got hit with me almost blew his leg off and I thought well, why would I get a purple heart for just a couple of pieces of metal sticking me and this and this guy got his leg bone off. I have that documented. I got hit in the back and I never thought of it is a cold round.

31:34 And the corpsman just looked at it patched it up and I went on my way but then one day Billie Joe Bob's noticed a big old bump on my back while there was a piece of shrapnel. They cut it out. Everything is okay. I can't lift my arm too high and the my shoulders hurt my my Armand. Am I my hand on that side. I can't really manipulate. But now I'm okay and I never put her in fact, they suggested a purple heart but Isis, I think it's somebody else's really like you see. I mean Joe Gomez / guy. He's got a Purple Heart Mike Burleson.

32:22 Microsoft Azure senior had two silver stars and the stuff he went through for guy. I mean you think about it and well, you know, you wouldn't we went through some stuff but you think about them because you don't really think you went through and then you didn't really get hurt but like a I think of my uncle he was wounded. I don't know how many times and three times he escaped from German prisons. His buddy was only able to escape twice and he came back he weighed 120 when he went into prison and he came back at a 95 lb. I think he said Ricky Lopez met him Ricky's gone by

33:11 Agent Orange, it's it's something that still out there and causes cancer and diabetes and we're still dealing with that. But hopefully the good Lord will find a little cure for us and we'll be on our way. We have Vietnam veterans theater up in age, but then there's some that passed away at age 50 60 now that the Korean War veterans are almost gone. It's the Vietnam and they've been hit hard but World War I think we have one left there the post but we can all honestly say we wouldn't trade it for anything. We served our country and these are the young ROTC guys and willing to give up.

34:11 There

34:13 Young lives to be in the military. I take my hat off to him because I'm going to be honest with you. It's a volunteer service now and we got drafted put in our two years and we were out these poor guys, they're serving for five tours and they come back.

34:35 Like Jesse says without limbs PTSD. Me now, there's another word for that one. I mean completely out of your wine probably but yep, no, well if it would like I said earlier one for the military in the veterans this great country of ours would not exist.

35:01 And that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

35:07 Let's see. You want to know a little bit about what happened after I got discharged will let you know what I thought I'm going to I'm going to.

35:20 Run to work with my dad. He had to Wreckers 2 weeks before I got out of the Navy he sold them. That's just what happened. I just don't know what to do much work. You don't need to work. Will the name of the are the military had a program career opportunities and they teach you how to become teachers. So I became a teacher I was a teacher for 7 years and that's what I did and then I went into insurance but the gods have been good to me better than I deserve and I'm glad to give you this little interview Jessie wrap it up force will when I got out Ben construction mechanic and the Seabees. I went back into it became a welder.

36:08 And I took the test and became a Master Mechanic and I retired as a Master Mechanic.

36:17 And then I decided I'm still too young to the sit down. So I started a BBQ business BBQ trailer and my father was a chef cook on the railroads. So my last retirement was a BBQ trailer and the City Barbecue association and we were one of the best barbecue place ending in Las Cruces still is still people still follow me around asking me if I'm going to open again and he'll do a little cooking for Zurich to post ribs his barbecue sauce. You cannot be and of course his ribs. Everybody is waiting for a rib to yeah. I know I'm delicious just see it's still the best barbecue. We just cooked for the Honor Flight.

37:16 And from here and we cooked a hundred 50 lb of brisket and it all went 20 jalapeno hot links and we had

37:35 We have chicken to then we had chicken whole chickens and we thought he had had enough meat that would last at least 2 hours and Lasting about 45 minutes. It was gone. I did get a barbecue sandwich ER.

37:55 Well, we'll just wrap it up by saying to you. Thank you for thinking of the veterans and getting their stories because I tell you what Americans American citizens the youth they need to hear about what went on in in Vietnam, and I've got more stories going up and down the rivers close to Cambodia. They don't let you do certain things. But well many way we did him. Anyway, that's right. And then thank you.

38:34 For your organization, and I hope to be there in Washington DC at The Archives and we can go through your throat all through all your commentaries and bitter stories. Thank you. Thank you.