Kansas veteran served two military branches, spent several decades as a first responder
20 July 2023
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – Becoming a Marine is all Jim Culver ever wanted.
President Lyndon Johnson committed America’s first ground troops in 1965. Jim joined the Corps as soon as he could (one year later) and was shipped out to Vietnam soon after.
Jim didn’t expect to return home when he left for Vietnam, but he went anyway and was shipped to South Vietnam and assigned to Marine Operation Squadron 6, known as VMO 6.
The Marine veteran wanted to share his story, but he was recently diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, and the condition quickly robbed him of his ability to speak.
Jim uses communication cards and the assistance of his wife, Vada, to communicate.
Jim Culver’s Veteran Salute (KSN Photo)
Jim Culver’s Veteran Salute (KSN Photo)
“Tried to join at 13? Oh my gosh,” said Vada.
Instead, he had to wait to join until he was 17.
“I always wanted to be a Marine,” said Vada on behalf of Jim.
Jim arrived in South Vietnam and joined VMO 6, which provided air support out of Ky Ha Airstrip in Chu Lai. He was a door gunner on Marine Hueys that provided unarmed medevac helicopters with 24-hour air escorts. Jim’s son, Jake, helps tell his father’s story.
“He was on missions where he was in the lead helicopter, and the tail helicopter got shot down, and he was in on missions where he was in the tail helicopter, and the lead helicopter got shot down, but he always gave credit to god that he made it back. Although I think he did not expect to come back from Vietnam,” said Jake.
Jim Culver’s Veteran Salute (KSN Photo)
His unit’s call sign was “Klondiker,” and in 18 months in battle, Jim survived 300 combat missions and was awarded 15 air medals.
“My mom told me recently that when he left for Vietnam, he considered himself already dead,” said Jake.
Jim was stationed in St. Paul, Minneapolis, in 1969, where he repaired the hydraulics of the C-119 and tended to funeral details for those killed in action.
“And he would go around transporting fallen soldiers to their final resting place and handed flags over to grieving parents,” said Jake.
Jim moved to Wichita in 1971 and went to work for Cessna. He retired in 2009 and started his own motorcycle towing business, Klondike Motorcycle Medevac & Transport.
Even in the fight for his life, Jim remains a proud marine.
“Thankful he always gave me the impression that serving your country was a way to make your life worth living,” said Jake.
Jake would follow in his father’s footsteps and join the Navy, serving seven years.
“Coming back to raise four kids after spending 18 months in Vietnam …. he’s one of the millions of men who did that … in a culture with all that new technology and all the changes that are happening, protests and being called a ‘baby killer’ … life is hard. But I’m proud to have my dad as an example of how to live a life worth living,” said Jake.
Jim has two other sons, Jason and John, who also joined the Military. Jason is serving in the Air Force, and John is serving in the Army and the Air National Guard.
Vada and Jim are planning to attend a VMO 6 reunion in Florida in October.
If you want to nominate a veteran for our Veteran Salute, email KSN Reporter Jason Lamb at [email protected].