NASHVILLE, TN — Lt. Col. James W. Williams, an alumnus of Tennessee State University and Vietnam prisoner of war, was recently inducted into the Georgia Military Veterans’ Hall of Fame at a ceremony on Nov. 4 in Columbus, Georgia. He was among 15 distinguished service men and women selected for the GMVHOF’s Class of 2023 inductees.
“I am honored to be among these outstanding individuals who sacrificed so much for our country,” said Williams, who was one of two Vietnam War POWs inducted. “Moreover, I am elated that, although here in spirit, I feel the heavenly rejoicing of my parents, my two sisters, and my brother. God had other plans for me on May 20, 1972, which is the strength I held on to through all I endured. I’m blessed to be here and humbly share this honor with my family and friends.”
On that infamous day more than 50 years ago, Williams was close to wrapping up his tour when North Vietnamese forces shot down his F-4D Phantom fighter jet. He was part of the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy’s bombing campaign against North Vietnam known as Operation Linebacker I.
Williams was forced to eject and soon captured. He ended up imprisoned at Hoa Lo Prison, or the “Hanoi Hilton,” for 313 days. Late U.S. Sen. John McCain was imprisoned with him for a period of time.
Williams endured solitary confinement and around-the-clock interrogation. He said they tried to break him down for information, while he stuck with his created story that he was only on his 12th combat mission and had been in the country for just three weeks. Williams was finally released on March 28, 1973, after the war’s end.
In 2019, Williams made national and international headlines when he met the widow of the pilot who shot him down. He and other veterans returned to Hanoi, Vietnam, to gain closure from their time at war.
The trip was organized by the Valor Administration, Vietnam-USA Friendship members and North Vietnamese combat veterans. Unbeknownst to Williams, they had arranged for him to meet the pilot’s widow, Nguyen Thi Lam. Through her, he learned more about her late husband, Do Van Lanh.
Williams said he felt uneasy when he first met Lam. But once they started talking through an interpreter, the tension began to fade. Lam shared pictures of Lanh, and she said she was sorry it had to be her husband who shot Williams down.
“I found out her husband died in 1980,” recalled Williams. “I expressed my condolences for his passing. The trip definitely helped me. It gave me some closure.”
Williams spent 28 years in the military, retiring from service in 1995. He then launched an Air Force Junior ROTC program in a Georgia school system, where he taught for 20 years. Currently, Williams is on the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs POW Advisory Committee.