Send Me

And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.” The above quote from Isaiah 6:8 best describes the 38-year career of Lieutenant General James B. Vaught (USA ret.). From his first permanent duty assignment until retirement, Vaught frequently found himself in the position of being selected for some type of special assignment or mission. His attitude and answer were always the same: “We’ll get it done.” The “We’ll” in that statement was the key to Vaught’s success. He never forgot the Army required teamwork from the most junior private to the most senior general. It is not an organization that can have one person going off and doing his own thing. Nobody succeeds alone. Drafted out of college in the late stages of World War II, Vaught passed his induction physical on April 12, 1945, the same day that President Franklin D. Roosevelt died, and he entered the Army as a private. After completing basic training and infantry training, he applied and was accepted for Officer’s Candidate School, earning a reserve commission as a second lieutenant in the Army of the United States on February 20, 1946, at the age of 19. During his career, Vaught served in combat as a company commander in Korea and a battalion commander in Vietnam. In addition to his initial infantry training, Vaught also completed glider flight, paratrooper, and Ranger school at Fort Benning, Georgia and Army flight school for fixed wing and helicopters at Geary Air Force Base, Texas. While on active duty, Vaught found time to complete his college studies earning a Bachelor’s Degree from Georgia State University and a Master’s Degree from George Washington University. He also successfully completed all the special military schools necessary for promotion including the Army Command and Staff College, the Armed Forces Staff College, and the National War College. He still proudly wears the pair of gold cuff links presented to him by General Lemnitzer, per school commandant Admiral Fitzhue Lee, for graduating as the number one student in his class from the National War College. Among the numerous medals that graced the left breast of Vaught’s uniform when he retired were two combat infantry badges, two silver stars, two bronze stars, a distinguished flying cross, and three Legion of Merit medals. Over the course of his Army career, Vaught had literally “been there” and “done that.” When asked which decoration meant the most to him, Vaught put his right hand next to his ear and snapped his fingers several times, imitating the sound of small weapons fire. “If you haven’t been in a position to know what that sound means, you haven’t been in the real Army,” he said. “The combat infantry badge stands above all others because it means you’ve been tested in combat over a period of time and passed the test.” Vaught and the men he commanded passed many tests during his long career. He looked for two traits in those men: courage and competence. Both come from the experience of having done something and knowing you can do it again, according to Vaught. “With those two traits, a person develops a willingness to get the job done whatever it takes,” Vaught said. “Those were the unique men I looked for when something out of the ordinary came up.” Using the term special operations to mean any mission outside the purview of normal Army doctrine, Vaught participated in various special operations-type missions during his career. The last of these, the Iranian hostage rescue mission of April 24, 1980, remains the most bittersweet moment of his career, but also was the most important for the development of the Army as it is today.