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Bust of Vietnam War hero William E. Adams comes home

A bust of Vietnam War hero William E. Adams sits on a table in Veterans Hall in Craig.
Daily Press photo | Thomas R. Martinez
Medal of Honor Citation 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. — From Adams' Medal of Honor Citation

John Zimmerman can tell a couple of funny stories about his friend, the late Maj. William E. Adams.

Like when they decided to put seat belts in their cars. This was back in the time – about 1961 – before cars came standard with seat belts, and the two felt they should have them for safety reasons.

Well, they wanted to install two seat belts, one for the passenger and driver. They wanted the passenger seat belt in the middle of the then-bench style seats. The reason, Zimmerman said, was so that their sweethearts could be closer to them.

They spent a Saturday afternoon installing the seat belts.

“So we had two pair of seat belts in each car. The wives had to go do something in one car, so we piled into the other car. And Bill slid in next to me, and off we went,” Zimmerman said, gesturing with his hands about how close the two friends had to sit. “But we had our seat belts on.”

Or, here’s another fun fact: The Air Force veteran Zimmerman and his wife, Dorris, introduced Adams to his future wife, Sandra, by way of a blind date. It was a party at the Zimmerman’s house, and that is where Bill and Sandra met.

“I’m not sure either of them wanted to go on a blind date,” Zimmerman joked. “But I think it turned out all right.”

The name Maj. William E. Adams is well-known in the Craig area.

The Moffat County portion of Colorado Highway 13 is named after him. The local veterans telehealth clinic also bears his name.

Now, a bronze bust of the Congressional Medal of Honor winner is back home in Craig. Adams was awarded the medal posthumously for his service in Vietnam, after his death in May 1971. (For more information, see box.)

His bust had been at the Wentworth Military Academy, where Adams attended from 1954-1960. The academy is closing so arrangements were made to bring the bust here. Dave Adams, a friend of Maj. Adams from their time at the academy, drove the bust from Missouri to Craig.

A short celebration honored the arrival of the Bust Wednesday to Veterans Hall in Craig.

“I think it’s very good that we have this place here for it. To think of it as Bill’s home, especially since the school that put it together is closing down. We’re very fortunate that the VFW here has been active in trying to keep Bill’s memory alive with the highway and the health center,” said Sandra Adams, the wife of the late Maj. Adams. “So it seems very appropriate to have it here.”

Adams’ bust will stay at Veterans Hall, for the time being. The plan will be for the bust to be in the health clinic until it moves to a new location; the bust will go hand-in-hand with Adams’ plaque already in the clinic, said U.S. Army veteran Larry Nue.

 

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