William Tubbs gazes over the war memorial outside of the Yazoo County Courthouse, looking over a few names of local friends who were killed in the Vietnam War.
In his wheelchair with a prosthetic leg, he knows his name was almost written on that monument.
“I knew two of the people whose names are on the monument,” Tubbs said. “I thank God that He had a purpose and plan for my life. It was His Grace and Mercy that kept me alive. I give all praises and honor to My Lord and Savior Jesus ‘The’ Christ for bringing me through this experience.”
Tubbs’ story of his time in the armed forces and his tour during the Vietnam War is incredible. The farm kid from Satartia would serve his country in his early 20s. He befriended a fellow soldier who would later direct the movie “Platoon,” and even had a character named after him. His injuries following an explosion will last with him for the rest of his life. And a simple prayer said moments before his injury will remain with him for a lifetime.
And, yet, he smiles constantly. He is a war veteran. He is a Yazooan. And he is an inspiration.
Tubbs was born on Nov. 12, 1946 to Joe and Jerlene Johnson in Satartia. The Tubbs family, including his four siblings, worked on a farm, picking cotton and raising animals. He enjoyed deer and squirrel hunting. And he could often be found exploring the countryside he called home.
“We lived on the Yazoo River, and we could see the tug boats going down,” Tubbs said. “They were real pretty at night because the lights were shining. The Yazoo River bridge would have to be raised up before the boats could go under. That was an awesome sight just to see that.”
Up until first grade, Tubbs attended a one-room, one-classroom school with the bathroom located outside. With a grin, he admits that school wasn’t his top priority at the time.
“I was an average student,” he said, with a smile. “I really didn’t apply myself. Maybe I wasn’t motivated as I could have been at that time.”
Tubbs would later attend junior high school in Holly Bluff and earn his high school diploma from Yazoo City Training School in 1964.
Tubbs began his college career at Mississippi Valley College, majoring in elementary training. He would later change his major to music. With his grades not where he wanted them to be, he decided to transfer to Coahoma Junior College, where he pursued his general courses.
Tubbs then decided to head to Jackson State University. It was there that he got a job, bought a motorcycle and did what most young men do.
“Instead of me studying, I would be with the guys riding and chasing girls,” he said, with a laugh.
And then it happened. Tubbs received his draft notice on April 1, 1967.
“I was hoping It was an April Fool’s Day joke,” he said. “I had several friends with me while in college who had already been drafted. Many would later lose their lives.”
Tubbs was only 19 years old, and his family had mixed emotions about the notice. But overall, they thought the Army would prove to be beneficial to Tubbs.
“Initially, they thought it was a good thing to go to the Army,” Tubbs said. “The Army will make or break you. But Vietnam was a tough time for young kids. Your mind is not settled, not mature enough to take care of yourself.”
Tubbs took his basic training at The United States Army Infantry School, at Fort Banning in Columbus, Ga. He also took his Advance Infantry Training at Fort Jackson in the city of Columbia, S.C.
At Fort Jackson, he had three roommates. One of those roommates was William Oliver Stone.
“He was just Stone,” Tubbs said. “We didn’t use our first names. He was just a plain nice guy. I never thought he would be a movie director. You can’t look at a person and tell what they are going to do.”
Stone would ask Tubbs if he could borrow his civilian gray trousers and shirt.
“When he returned, he put them back in my closet,” Tubbs said. “A lot of them borrowed my clothes to wear out because it was all we had among us.”
Tubbs said he believes he was later named as a character, “Tubbs,” in the movie “Platoon.”
Tubbs was trained to destroy tanks. However, the Viet Cong had no tanks, he added.
At 21 years old and after receiving his training, Tubbs headed to South Vietnam.
When Tubbs arrived in Vietnam, he was amazed at the natural beauty of the country. Having never really traveled, it was sights he had never experienced. He said he was sad that the country was so beautiful and “spectacular” yet the bloodshed of war surrounded them.
“I was a new guy in a strange land,” Tubbs said. “I was amazed at the wilderness. The ants were really big, and they would bite you. Me being from country, we would dig up earthworms. You could have a ball with worms fishing because they were so huge.”
But it wasn’t long until Tubbs forget about the beauty of the land. He was in war, and he had a job to do.
“I was assigned to a mechanized unit of (Armored Personnel Carriers, the 25th Infantry Division in Chu Chi, South Vietnam where I rode everywhere we went,” Tubbs said. “I was only in Vietnam for several months. I thank God that I did not kill any Viet Cong soldiers.”
It was at this time, Tubbs said a prayer to God. Little did he know, several days later, he would be wounded.
“I asked the Lord, not to keep me alive, but that if anything happened to me, let it be my legs,” he said. “I didn’t want to lose my hands.”
It was a prayer that God answered.
On Oct. 24, 1967 around 10 a.m., Tubbs and his men were providing security around a rubber plantation in the jungle near the town of Cho Chi. Carrying a flashlight, he made his way to inspect a tunnel.
The tunnels were an immense network of connecting underground tunnels, which were also part of a much larger network of tunnels that underlined much of the country. The tunnels were used by Viet Cong soldiers as hiding spots during combat, as well as serving as communication and supply routes, hospitals, food and weapon caches and living quarters for numerous North Vietnamese fighters. The tunnel systems were of great importance to the Viet Cong in their resistance to American forces and helped to counter the growing American military effort.
“As I walked several feet away, I stepped on an anti-personnel mine,” Tubbs said. “The force from blast pushed me backwards. As the dust settled, I tried to move my legs, but the blood was gushing out real fast.”
Tubbs broke bones in both of his legs. His left wrist was broken, bleeding.
“My mind seemed to have been spinning like a wheel, and it appeared as though I thought about everything that had happened to me in a few seconds,” Tubbs said. “When my mind stopped spinning, it stopped on that prayer that I prayed several days earlier. The Lord answered my prayer. Later as I told people about the prayer, some people told me that I should have prayed something else.”
A medic was nearby and was able to call in a Medevac helicopter. It was the longest ride of Tubbs’ young life.
“The excruciating pain was unbearable, and I felt every air pocket that the helicopter hit,” Tubbs said. “I can remember being taken into the operating room, and a nurse asked, ‘has he passed out.’”
When Tubbs awoke from his operation, his left leg was amputated above the knee. He had fractures in his legs and forearm, and he also sustained nerve and muscle damage. He had an acute renal failure, with his kidneys no longer functioning.
Tubbs would later have a number of operations and several stops at other hospitals. He was put on a kidney machine and was given 54 pints of blood. With his weight dropping down to 105 pounds, he would also wear a cast on his arm and leg for several months.
Tubbs obtained the rank of Specialist E-4, which is equivalent to a corporal. He was also awarded the Purple Heart, a Vietnam Campaign Medal, a Vietnam Service Medal and a National Service Medal.
After several months of recovery, he was discharged on Oct. 24, 1968.
And it was back to life.
“I was lucky,” he said. “I never had any nightmares. Being in all those hospitals, I met men who lost their arms, legs, eyes and so forth. They had killed people during their service, and those events stayed in their minds. That affects you, just knowing you took a life. I am thankful I didn’t experience that.”
Tubbs did meet a man in the hospital that opened a door for him.
“I met a white man with hair parted down the middle,” Tubbs said. “I was rolling down hallway in my wheelchair, and this man stopped me. He said, ‘you look like you ought to be a bookkeeper.’ I didn’t know what a bookkeeper was. He talked to me and was really nice.”
Tubbs did just that. He returned to JSU, where he would later earn hid degree in accounting. He would also obtain his Master’s degree and a Bachelor, Masters and a Doctoral Degree in Theology from the Bentonia Branch of Trinity Theological Seminary.
Tubbs married Mildred Smith from Brickyard Hill in Yazoo City. The couple had four children, Kimberly Newsome, Nicole Collins, William Tubbs Jr. and Christopher Tubbs.
Tubbs also worked at Deposit Guaranty Nation Bank in Jackson 17 years as an Accounts Payable Clerk and a Field Auditor and Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi for 16 years as a Medicare Auditor and Reimbursed Auditor.
He is a member of the Perry’s Chapel CME in Satartia, where he serves as Minister of Music, Sunday School Teacher and Church Treasurer. He is also president of the Community Outreach Ministry in Jackson, where he has held a radio program every Sunday morning at 8:00 a.m, WMPR 90.1 FM for 30 years.
And he continues to give back to his community.
“For over 20 years, my family and I along with friends and other organizations tried to give something back to the community,” he said. “Every year in October, we have a day of fun, which is called the Picnic in the Pasture.”
But it was a long journey for Tubbs. He admits there were times when he wanted to give up as he struggled to adjust to life with his number of disabilities from his Vietnam injuries.
“It was as if I was helpless,” he said. “But it was all in my mind.”
It wasn’t until a hospital worker refused to assist Tubbs move from a seat that all that changed.
“I was left alone, yelling for help,” he said. “But it was the best thing that happened to me, and they knew what they were doing. I was able to move myself. It gave me the motivation that I needed.”
Robert Shearry, Tubb’s neighbor for the past 20 years, said watching Tubbs go through each day with high spirits and determination inspired him.
“Some veterans come back with bad experiences,” Shearry said. “But I have never heard him put the war down. He has never complained. He has instructed me and my own family to move forward with encouragement.”
Tubbs relies on his favorite Bible scripture, Philippians 4:13. I can do all things through Christ which strengthened me.
And he has six points he lives by daily. Always put God first in everything. Be obedient to God’s word by hearing and doing it.Each day try to find something to be thankful for. Be respectful to others. Be a blessing to someone each day. Save as much money as you can.
“I am glad to have had an opportunity to serve my country,” Tubbs said. “I am proud to be an American. I say thank you to all military men and women for their service. I salute you and may God keep on blessing you.”
