Native Sons Lost: Milledgeville's Vietnam War Dead
James Ralph Etheridge, known as Ralph by his family and friends, was born on October 23, 1932 on the family property, “the Etheridge Homeplace,” just outside of Milledgeville in Baldwin County, Georgia. Ralph, along with his identical twin brother, Ray, grew up on the family land that their parents, Carlton and Mattie Etheridge, had purchased around 1930 for $3,000. Ralph also had two older siblings, Carlton Jr., or “Ollie,” and Lillian Etheridge Winn. The property is still home to members of the Etheridge family.
At age 7, Ralph’s father passed away, leaving the task of raising the family to their mother, Mattie. To assist the family, an aunt offered to send the boys to Georgia Military College (GMC) in Milledgeville. Ralph attended GMC Preparatory School, graduating High School in 1949. He then attended junior college at GMC and, during his final year, was named the Distinguished Military Graduate, Outstanding Officer, and Outstanding Infantry Cadet. Ralph attended Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, graduating in 1953 as the Distinguished Military Graduate. Ralph was commissioned in the U.S. Army and embarked upon his career as an Infantry officer. Ralph married Flara Folendore and the couple produced a son, James Ralph Etheridge, Jr., while stationed in Germany in 1956.
Ralph excelled in the military. He was known for his strong leadership and quickly rose through the ranks. He completed Airborne and Ranger training, and in 1964, attended the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, a necessary step for career officers who hope to vecome General oficers. In 1965, in anticipation of a tour of duty in Vietnam, Ralph studied the Vietnamese language in Monterey, California.
Left: James Raplph Etheridge (right) and his twin brother, Ernest Ray (left), circa 1935. Courtesy of the Etheridge family Middle: James Raplph Etheridge, High School Senior photograph, Georgia Military College,The Recall, 1949.Georgia Military College Recall collection Right: James Raplph Etheridge, Junior College photograph, Georgia Military College,The Recall, 1951.Georgia Military College Recall collection
Advisor teaching Vietnamese trainee how to use a M79 grenade launcher, Camp Trai Trung Sup, Republic of Vietnam, 1967. NARA (Public Domain)
James Ralph Etheridge, circa 1966. www.vvmf.org/Wall-of-Faces/
After finishing language school in 1966, Ralph began his first tour in Vietnam on October 14, 1966 as the Deputy Province Advisor and Senior Military Advisor assigned to MACV Advisory Team 32 in Gia Nghia, Quang Duc Province. The United States Military Assistance Command, Vietnam, known as MACV, pronounced "mac-vee", which was a joint service command under the Department of Defense. MACV had been created to increase assistance to South Vietnam and to command and control all advisory and assistance efforts in Vietnam. MACV Advisory Teams consisted of small groups of American military, and sometime civilian, personnel stationed in remote areas in all 44 provinces of South Vietnam. These teams were supported only by Vietnamese forces whose capabilities and loyalty were sometimes suspect.
As Ralph navigated the complex mission of advising and training units of Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN), he endeared himself to his command. In October 1967, Ralph extended his tour for an additional six months. Dale Sterling, who served under Ralph, recounts his impressions.
"In a very short time I determine that he was a highly competent senior officer and a great human being. In my 4 ½ years in the Army, as an officer, I can honestly say he (LTC. Etheridge) and Major Purser were the life of the Team, making great strides with the civilian counterpart, to help the advisory effort. It is hard to explain to a civilian, but there was an immediate bond to both of these gentlemen. Not only were they good officers, they were caring human beings. I can honestly say during my brief time with both, I came to admire and respect both for their leadership and professionalism."
On February 23, 1968, Ralph, along with six passengers, boarded a UH-1H (Huey) helicopter with a crew of four. The mission was to ferry the group on an inspection of a small ARVN outpost north of Gia Nghia. Approximately 15 minutes after departure, the helicopter suffered engine failure. The pilot attempted an emergency landing; however, the helicopter crashed into the trees short of the landing site. Only two of the helicopter’s crew members survived.
“I was in there the day the chopper went down. I took a VN Intel team to secure the crash site and recover all the bodies and chopper. Purser and Etheridge were good guys. The team was never as effective after that.” - Dale Sterling, MACV Advisory Team 32army.togetherweserved.com/
A crashed UH-1H helicopter gunship from the United States (US) 190th Assault Helicopter Company, 145th Armed Helicopter Battalion, 1969. www.awm.gov.au
"I remember him just as an outstanding commander who was taking care of all his men every day. His loss was very upsetting to all who knew him.” - Larry Boyd, SMSGT, USAF, Ret.www.army.togetherweserved.com
Lieutenant Colonel James Ralph Etheridge is interned in West View Cemetery, West McIntosh St., Milledgeville, Baldwin County, Georgia. His location on the Vietnam Memorial is Panel 40E, Line 73.
Left to Right: Article announcing the deth of James Ralph Etheridge. Union Recorder, February 29, 1968.Georgia College Library; Military headstone application card for James Ralph Etheridge, submitted by his wife, Flara Etheridge, 1968.www.ancestry.com; Grave of James Ralph Etheridge, West View Cemetery, Milledgeville, Baldwin County, Georgia.www.findagrave.com; Photograph of Ralph’s twin brother, Ernest Ray Etheridge and his wife Dot, circa 2015.Courtesy of the Etheridge family
Rubbing from the Vietnam Memorial, Washington, D.C. - Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund.Georgia College Special Collections
Student research on James Ralph Etheridge, conducted by Kaitlyn Doran, Lauren Miller, and Ryan Robichaud, is available in the Georgia College Knowledge Box
