Growing up on a small tobacco farm in rural East Tennessee, Jim Beidleman admits he had no intention of joining the military. His life was routine, normal. And the mountains of Tennessee were peaceful and a way of life for him.
But a place across the globe called Vietnam changed that perspective.
It was 1968 when the North Vietnamese launched the Tet Offensive. American and South Vietnamese forces were under an “all-out attack.” Tensions and uncertainty were flourishing within the United States, and the miliary draft soon become the discussion at every family dinner table. The subject would soon arise at the Beidleman table as well.
“The military needed as many as it could get, and the military draft was going full speed,” Beidleman said. “Here at home, the war was very unpopular, and there were anti-war protests across the country.”
Beidleman was only 25 years old when his draft noticed arrived for him.
“It came as a surprise to me, and I thought I might had perhaps missed the draft,” he admits. “But I did not. I got my notice when I was 25 years old.”
Beidleman said he had no desire to join the military, but that choice was not up to him anymore. Despite uncertainty, he tried to make the most of the situation.
“When you are in the mountains of Tennessee, the sea always seemed like a great place,” he said. “I chose to join the Navy.”
Beidleman quickly found himself in boot camp, and it was a learning experience for the young man.
“My first five weeks in boot camp proved to be right…it was my worst nightmare,” Beidleman said. “It was hell. The last few weeks were really not very bad once I understood what the Navy was trying to do. Follow orders when given, keep your mouth shut, and be very careful when you volunteer for anything.”
Through the military, Beidleman was provided the opportunity to pursue training in Information Technology, using the latest computer technology at the time.
“I didn’t realize this path would take me to Vietnam, but I should have,” he said.
Beidleman was at boot camp at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center, located near Chicago. The station was located near an island that served as a site for the 1932 World’s Fair.
“It was cold and memorable,” Beidleman said. “But it was soon over, and my computer training started at Vallejo, California near San Francisco.”
Beidleman said the SEALAB experiment soon consumed the Navy. The concept involved experimental underwater habitats developed by the Navy to research saturation diving and humans living in isolation for extended periods of time. The project was to aid in the understanding of the psychological and physiological strains humans could endure.
“The Navy’s attention was spent on what it would take to live at the bottom of the ocean,” Beidleman said. “It was a total failure.”
When the SEALAB program came to a halt, Beidleman would find himself heading to Vietnam.
“I was assigned to the USS Blue Ridge, headed for Hawaii, Guam, the Philippines,” he said. “Our real destination was the Gulf of Tonkin in the South China Sea, just off the coast of Vietnam.”
Beidleman recalls the time he spent on the sea. Leaving the mountains of Tennessee, he assumed he would enjoy his time on the water. However, that opinion soon changed.
“We were out so long at sea,” he said. “It would be like being in one small room for the whole summer without ever being able to go out of it.”
Beidleman said he remembers being on his way to Guam from Hawaii when all hands were ordered to the mess deck to write a will.
“For the first time, I realized this was a situation bigger than my life, the meaning of commitment,” he said. “It was time for me to get my act together.”
Beidleman continued to request to be taken to other operations closer to “home.”
“Each time, I was moved farther away,” he said. “I finally just quit asking when I realized I was closer to Vietnam.”
The USS Blue Ridge was an amphibious command ship, designed to direct and support Marine ground forces using the latest technology, such as computers, satellites and telephony. Beidleman found himself right in the middle of action with direct ground and air strikes.
“Marines were helicoptered from our ship to fight, and we were involved in heavy action at a place called Quang Tri,” Beidleman said. “We were also involved in placing mines in Haiphong Harbor in North East Vietnam. We were out at sea for 87 days without ever going to port.”
With limited landing capabilities, Beidleman remembers when one Marine helicopter could not land safely, resulting in a crash.
“I had a view of the Marines landing,” he said. “The first time, nothing happened. The second time, after heavy bombing…it didn’t go so well. I don’t think I have ever told anybody about seeing that.”
To this day, Beidleman does not like to travel in a helicopter.
During his travels, Beidleman recalls when he crossed the equator, a moment that remains with him.
“The ship had air-conditioning, but it was so hot it felt like you were melting with the heat and the humidity,” he said.
The experience included an “induction” for those who had never crossed it before.
Taking “liberty,” Beidleman was also able to visit Hong Kong, China while it was still under British leadership.
“It was the trading center of Asia,” he said. “There were goods from all over the world there. One morning, I was measured for boots. They had them ready for me by that afternoon. I wore them until they literally disintegrated.”
Beidleman was able to bicycle through Okinawa, and he also visited Singapore. But those travels also reminded him of the blessings he had as an American back home.
“Fresh air and water mean a lot,” he said. “In those third-world countries, you begin to appreciate when we have here.”
Beidleman served in the Navy from 1968 until 1974, with two tours in Vietnam from 1971 until 1974. And he will never forget the most important lesson he learned while aboard the USS Blue Ridge.
“While aboard, I really learned the importance of what teamwork means and the importance of having your buddy’s back and knowing that he has yours,” he said. “You finally understand who you are and what you can do for the benefit of your unit.”
After being discharged from the Navy, Beidleman returned to his home in Bristol, Tennessee to work for a computer manufacturer…UNIVAC, the same computers he used in the Navy. He would eventually join Mississippi Chemical in Yazoo City, where he would meet his future wife, Sharon.
“My training and experience in the Navy ultimately brought me to Benton, where I am today,” he said. “The Navy was one of the best things that ever happened to me.”
