James "Jim" Cain's Photos
Pictured here are pages from the training program that Jim created along with their Vietnamese translations. These were used during Jim's first tour of Vietnam, immediately after Tet 1968.
Jim's doodle of a Provincial Area Intelligence Representative, from one of the pages in his training manual.
These are Jim's original Captain's Bars (for a Class A dress uniform). He made Captain in early 1969 and never wore the Class A uniform again after 1972.
These are Jim's original dog tags from his first tour of Vietnam, along with a P38 can opener.
Jim is pictured here with his boss, Major Al Bissio during his second tour (1972-73). They are waiting for transportation to An Kag, Vietnam.
This picture was taken in Bangkok within days after the Vietnam cease fire. Jim is in the center with colleagues from Detachment K of the 500th MI Group, wearing his Army Commendation Medal.
After the Vietnam cease fire, the State Department began managing the war effort. Jim is pictured here, in Nha Trang Vietnam, with members of the Defense Liaison Office Team for II Corp.
This little medal (equivalent of a challenge coin) was received after six months of excruciating training at the Camp Peary, VA, home of the FARM.
This is an unofficial patch worn on the duty uniforms of members belonging to the 525th MI Group in Saigon, Vietnam.
James "Jim" Cain's Story
Jim Cain served 26 total years with the Department of the Army and seven years with the Bureau of Indian Affairs. He completed four tours of Vietnam and visited all but one providence of Vietnam (36 out of 37). He retired as SES-4 (Senior Executive Service). SES is a position classification in the civil service of the federal government, equivalent to general officer or flag officer ranks in the U.S. Armed Forces. Level 4 SES can be compared to between a two and three star general.
Jim graduated from high school in 1964 with two college credits and a scholarship for track and field. It was one year earlier, as the Vietnam War began to escalate, that Jim began thinking about serving his country. He remembers seeing television footage of the Vietnamese Buddhist Monk, Thích Quảng Đức, whose self-immolation protest made headlines. He wanted to enlist in the Navy, but he was too tall for submarines. The Marines wouldn't accept him because of his poor vision. So Jim took a battery of Army tests and he earned the highest scores ever!
Both of Jim's parents served in the military during WWII. His father, James Cain, was a member of the Navy and worked as a Water Tender Chief in the boiler room of the USS Chester. His mother, Daisy DeBerry Cain, worked as secretary of Marine Headquarters in Washington, D.C.
His parents always encouraged him and gave him advice saying, "If the opportunity presents itself, look at it, analyze it, and if it makes sense ... take it!"