Former Soldier Gives Musical Salute to Viet Vets

The filled room gets quiet as Earl Watts strums his guitar while singing his tribute to Vietnam veterans.

The Vietnam-era veteran performs his original tune “Ordinary Soldier,” Feb. 19 at the Ralph E. “Tut” State Veterans Home in Huntsville. His song’s other title is “To My Brother Private William Jones.”

Watts and other members of the Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 1067 delivered 88 Vietnam veteran lapel pins to residents of the 150-bed facility. These residents had served on active duty during 1955-75.

“Ordinary Soldier” has received air time in many places, including Australia.

“It’s still hard for me to do,” Watts said.

He got drafted in January 1964 and served in the Army until January 1966. He did basic training at Fort Polk, Louisiana, and then went straight to Fort Lewis, Washington, as an infantry Soldier.

“It was cold and wet up there,” the Huntsville resident recalled. His unit was the 4th Infantry Division.

Watts, 78, was born in Wheeler, Texas, and traveled around because his dad was a preacher. He was living in Taft, Tennessee, when he got drafted.

Self-employed in hardware sales, Watts wrote his musical tribute to Vietnam veterans about 10 years ago.

“I got started on it, and I couldn’t get it to come together. It kept coming back,” he said. “I worked on it about a month (in 2010) and then after that it kind of came together. I played it at Vietnam veterans’ funerals. I sent it out, and it got radio play.

“It’s just a tribute. I don’t know. I love those guys. I have a hard time,” he said, fighting back tears. “I feel kind of silly because I wasn’t in Vietnam, I still get emotional about it. It’s hard to get through it sometimes. I always want to let people know I wasn’t in Vietnam.”

Watts said he loves writing songs and he has written 30-40 but this is the one that drew attention. It won the $500 first-place prize at the Alabama Songwriters Festival, sponsored by the Mountain Valley Arts Council, on July 11, 2011, in Guntersville. Watts was selected out of 29 contestants.

He has performed two years at the Limestone Correctional Facility during Chapter 1067’s service for the prisoners. Watts will perform his song at the annual Vietnam veterans ceremony March 28 at 11 a.m. at the Huntsville Madison County Veterans Memorial.

“Basically the song is about everybody that was there,” he said.

Watts and his partner of 24 years, Paulette Sanders, have about 25 acres on the Flint River. She has a son, a daughter and three granddaughters. “I’m the only grandpa they know,” Watts said.

He shared his thoughts on this nation’s commemoration of 50 years since the Vietnam War.

“I think it’s great that they’re doing it. Should’ve done it a long time ago,” he said. “I get so emotional with that. I wouldn’t take anything for the experience but I couldn’t go through with it again – not at my age. That’s the first time I was exposed to: No excuses, get the job done. It was hard, it really was.”

Tags:

Back