Hometown: Jefferson City, TN
Branch: U.S. Army
Unit: Company C, 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division
Military Honors: Bronze Star, Purple Heart
Date of Sacrifice: April 11, 1966 - KIA near Xa Cam My, Phuoc Tuy Province, Republic of Vietnam
Age: 21 
Conflict: Vietnam War, 1959-1975

John Watkins’ family lived near Alpha, Tennessee, where John attended Alpha School until the family moved to nearby Jefferson City. John was one of six children born to Hugh and Julia (Knight) Watkins.

John worked on the family farm and attended Jefferson City High School. He was drafted into the United States Army as the nation was involved in the Vietnam War (1959-1975). According to Watkins’ youngest sister, Glenda:

John received three deferments. He was Dad’s only help on the farm at that time. Dad was 60 years old and couldn’t handle the farm on his own. The older siblings had moved to their own homes and had full-time jobs. John dropped out of high school after his freshman year to help on the farm, and he absolutely loved farming, raising calves, and such. After the third deferment, John told Dad he wanted to go to the Army. Dad told him it was okay—if he could stay long enough to help with the fall harvest. The Army allowed John time to do that, so John was there to get the tobacco cut and hung in the barn.

At the time, “Deferments were available for students, some fathers, farmers, and other occupations which supported the national interest,” according to the U.S. Selective Service System.

Watkins left for Basic Training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina on September 30, 1965. He then was sent for Advanced Infantry Training at Fort Polk, Louisiana—where he earned the Army Sharpshooter Weapons Qualification Badge.

Six months after joining the Army, PFC Watkins was sent to Vietnam with Company C, 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division on March 14, 1966.

A month later, Watkins’ “Charlie Company” was part of a 16-day search-and-destroy operation in South Vietnam’s Phuoc Tuy Province—some 40 miles east of Saigon. The strategy behind “Operation Abilene” was to send out small units of American soldiers to find and eliminate enemy Viet Cong units.

In the jungles of South Vietnam, on April 11-12, 1965, Charlie Company found itself surrounded and outnumbered outside of a Viet Cong base camp. In the 14-hour Battle of Xa Cam My, Watkins’s Company C held off three human-wave assaults, killing 31 enemy men and wounding an estimated 100. The cost to Charlie Company was also high—an 80% casualty rate, including 37 dead and 71 wounded.

Operation Abilene continued for three more days, successfully capturing multiple enemy supply caches and destroying more than 50 Viet Cong bases.

Less than a month after being sent to Vietnam, PFC Watkins was lost in the Battle of Xa Cam My. His actions would earn him a Bronze Star Medal. The citation reads:

Pfc. Watkins was manning his position on the perimeter during the first Viet Cong assault. Although his company was outnumbered by the insurgent forces, Pfc. Watkins held his position and throughout the fierce assault continually placed effective fire in the Viet Cong position. When the enemy withdrew to regroup, Pfc. Watkins was able to evaluate the situation and resupply himself with ammunition.

Although his platoon had suffered heavy casualties during the first assault and only a handful remained, Pfc. Watkins disregarding the odds, took up his position on the perimeter during the second assault and inflicted many casualties upon the Viet Cong. Displaying great personal courage and unwavering dedication, Pfc. Watkins gave his life in the defense of his platoon sector during this second assault.

He made the highest sacrifice so that others could live. Pfc. Watkins’ outstanding display of aggressiveness, devotion to duty and personal bravery is in keeping with the finest tradition of the military service and reflects great credit upon himself, the 1st Infantry Division and the United States Army.

PFC John William Watkins was laid to rest in Jefferson City, TN. He is honored at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C., where his name is inscribed on Panel 06E, Line 105.

Sources
Details submitted by Mr. Doug Goddard. Card photo original (digitally restored) and story details provided by Ms. Glenda Watkins Nichols, PFC Watkins’ sister.
The Knoxville News-Sentinel, April 14, 1966: 2 Tennesseans Killed in War
Vietnam War Commemoration: Operation ABILENE Begins
The Washington Post: On the Perimeter of Hell
Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund—The Wall of Faces: John William Watkins
HonorStates.org: John William Watkins
East Tennessee Veterans Memorial Association: John W. Watkins
Burial Site: Find a Grave