Undaunted Courage under Fire

By Mathew Greenlee

William Adams

June 16, 1939-May 25, 1971

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William Adams was born on June 16, 1939 in the small town of Casper, Wyoming.[1] Throughout his childhood years, he would find himself living in one of the most rural states in the United States. Wyoming has had a small population in comparison with many other states during its time, and has been defined frequently by a “cowboy” culture emphasizing freedom, ruggedness, and ingenuity.[2] Living among the windy hills with his family would surely have a strong impact on his personality as he grew older. As a child, he would hear of the Second World War and Korea, two demanding military conflicts that served to define the United States as a global superpower. To a young boy from the land of the cowboys, it would be hard to ignore stories of gallantry, service, and sacrifice coming from both wars.

After high school, Adams would leave the land of the cowboys and join the Wentworth Military Academy in Lexington, Missouri. Founded in 1880 and closed in 2017, this private military college targeted young men seeking positions as officers in the military.[3] Drawn to the academy for prestige, profession, duty, and a desire to become one of the heroes of the next great war, young men from all over the country sought out an education and an officers position there.

The college was renowned for its football rivalry with nearby Kemper Military School and College, such that every Thanksgiving trains bursting to the seams with young cadets would ferry students to cheer on their team, while Kansas City and St. Louis newspapers referred to the contests as the “Little Army-Navy Game.”[4] It is without doubt that William would have found himself aboard a train to cheer on his team at some point in his time there.

After his years at Wentworth, Adams would then pursue an academic degree from Colorado State University, from which he would graduate in the class of 1962. However, in 1962 after completing his degree, he would join the Army from Kansas City, Missouri, where he was likely living or visiting after graduation. During his years at school, he would have slowly seen his nation once again commit itself militarily overseas. The war in Vietnam would draw tens of thousands of young men and women from all over the country ever deeper into its inescapable grasp. For trained officers like William, such a commitment overseas could only look more like an undeniable path that they must walk. With stories from Korea and the Second World War fresh in their minds, many young Americans would step up to serve their country just as their fathers and grandfathers before them had.

The war in Vietnam, however, was unlike the wars the older generations had faced. Bogged down in swamps and jungles, fighting an enemy poorly defined and understood, and constantly under threat from surprise attacks, soldiers in this war were subjected to horrors unseen in American military history. At the forefront of this conflict was American air superiority, with massive bombing campaigns, devastating air strikes, and extensive helicopter action.

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Adams was a helicopter pilot, charged with the transportation of men and supplies across the entirety of the country. He deployed during the Counteroffensive Phase Three campaign in 1968 as a Major in the Transportation Corps, specifically in the 227th Aviation Battalion. During his three years in Vietnam, he would see the Tet Counteroffensive, constant surges and withdrawals, and unprecedented levels of brutality growing on both sides. He would also no doubt hear of rising discontent from home, as public disapproval of the war began to peak during the late 1960s and early 1970s.[5] Adams was eventually killed in combat during a daring action, described below, that would later result in a posthumous award of the Medal of Honor.

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“Maj. Adams distinguished himself on 25 May 1971 while serving as a helicopter pilot in Kontum Province in the Republic of Vietnam. On that date, Maj. Adams volunteered to fly a lightly armed helicopter in an attempt to evacuate 3 seriously wounded soldiers from a small fire base which was under attack by a large enemy force. He made the decision with full knowledge that numerous antiaircraft weapons were positioned around the base and that the clear weather would afford the enemy gunners unobstructed view of all routes into the base. As he approached the base, the enemy gunners opened fire with heavy machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades and small arms. Undaunted by the fusillade, he continued his approach determined to accomplish the mission. Displaying tremendous courage under fire, he calmly directed the attacks of supporting gunships while maintaining absolute control of the helicopter he was flying. He landed the aircraft at the fire base despite the ever-increasing enemy fire and calmly waited until the wounded soldiers were placed on board. As his aircraft departed from the fire base, it was struck and seriously damaged by enemy anti-aircraft fire and began descending. Flying with exceptional skill, he immediately regained control of the crippled aircraft and attempted a controlled landing. Despite his valiant efforts, the helicopter exploded, overturned, and plummeted to earth amid the hail of enemy fire. Maj. Adams' conspicuous gallantry, intrepidity, and humanitarian regard for his fellow man were in keeping with the most cherished traditions of the military service and reflected utmost credit on him and the U S. Army.”[6]

Immediately after his death, especially in the context of his above sacrifice, William was awarded honors by the military, and a memorial in his honor was even erected at his former cadet campus of Wentworth. Later honored by Colorado State University and other Medal of Honor sources of recognition[7], William’s sacrifice has been remembered and recognized in later generations when many of his own generation were leery of recognizing veterans from a war that lasted decades and had a complicated reception at home.

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Footnotes ↓

[1] 1940 United States Federal Census, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.

[2] TravelWyoming.com

[3] Wentworth Military Academy & College, https://wma.edu/wentworth-military-academy-history/.

[4] James Wright, An Official Publication of the Wentworth Military Academy Alumni Association, December 2012.

[5] Vietnam War Protests, History.com https://www.history.com/topics/vietnam-war/vietnam-war-protests.

[6] "William E. Adams" Claim to Fame: Medal of Honor recipients, Find a Grave, Retrieved 2007-10-23.

[7] "Medal of Honor recipients to be honored at Colorado State University October 24". Colorado State University. October 22, 2009. Retrieved November 20, 2009.

[8] Photos courtesy of Ancestry.com.

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