In the first of our three part series, "A Conversation with Tom Williams," we learned about the Marine Captain's extraordinary family, his childhood in what was once known as Peking, and his subsequent path to Annapolis and the Marine Corps.

In this, part two, of my conversation with Tom, we learn about his two tours of duty in Vietnam in the years before and after the infamous Tet Offensive in 1968. We end our discussion at a pivotal point in Tom's life: a viewing of what was one of the first serious films about the Vietnam War: "The Deer Hunter." The effects of that experience on Tom's life and career will be the subject of our upcoming final interview conversation.