Veteran credits miracle for recovery
Published: November 12, 2005
Willie Hampton’s scars from bullet wounds and multiple chest and back surgeries have made the Vietnam veteran a believer in miracles.
When Hampton, 57, volunteered to join the Army in August 1967, the Starkville resident and sociology major at Mississippi Valley State University looked at serving his country as a way to get money for college after completing his service.
He had no way of knowing doctors would later tell his parents he likely would die.
As millions of U.S. citizens honor veterans throughout the country during Veterans Day weekend, Hampton will take a few moments to thank a higher power for being alive. “I thank God every day,” he said. “I know it could have been just the other way around.”
The miracle had its beginnings in Vietnam. Hampton and the rest of his platoon were crossing a river north of Chu-Lai in 1969 when enemy soldiers opened fire. Two bullets slammed into him. The first piece of lead caused a stinging sensation.
“It went all the way through,” Hampton said. “And the other one lodged inside my liver.”
The Mississippi native blacked out after he was shot, not waking until he was in a hospital bed in Chu-Lai.
Hospital stays
For months, Hampton lay in hospitals in Vietnam, Japan and the United States. Medical staff fed him intravenously because wound-induced stomach problems prevented him from eating solid food. His last hospital stop while in the military came at Walter Reed Military Hospital in Washington, D.C.
One night at Walter Reed, doctors informed Hampton’s parents about his condition, preparing them for their son’s death.
But Hampton, although weak, prayed throughout the night. At some point, Hampton says, he looked toward his bed’s footboard and saw a glowing, circular shape. The middle of the glowing figure had a skeleton-like face.
“I was praying and it appeared to me,” he said. “All I could assume was there was Jesus to see me through this hard time.”
Whatever happened that night, it apparently helped. Hampton awoke asking doctors and nurses for bacon and eggs. Within weeks, Hampton’s health improved.
“From there I made a complete recovery and they sent me back to active duty,” Hampton said. “That’s a story I don’t tell very often, but that’s what happened.”
Hampton spent the rest of his active duty in California and Germany. Shortly after returning to the United States after his discharge, he married the former Brenda Clay, who had exchanged letters with Hampton while he served in Vietnam.
Brenda said she liked her future husband’s eyes and the way he talked, but what really sealed the deal was his writing ability.
“What really kept us going was the way he wrote letters,” she said. “He could really express himself in writing.”
Decades after Hampton left Vietnam, his scars remain - both physical and psychological. Although the episodes aren’t as frequent, some nights while sleeping Hampton talks as if he’s still with his platoon.
“For a while there, he was speaking like he was over there,” Brenda said. “I didn’t know what he was saying.”
Brenda doesn’t like to talk about her husband’s war experiences. But she’s thankful he’s alive and her life-mate.
Hampton, now shuttle supervisor for Mississippi State University, said he loves his life and job in Starkville.
“Each day is a little bit different from the day before,” he said.
Willie Hampton’s Vietnam War decorations:
- Bronze Star
- Purple Heart
- National Defense Service Medal
- Vietnam Service Medal
- Vietnam Campaign Medal
- Combat Infantry Badge
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