Darryl James attended Rutgers University and received a BS and MS in Planetary Sciences. He supported himself through six years of college with a state scholarship and playing guitar in a rock band on weekends. At Rutgers, he joined Army ROTC and was commissioned a second lieutenant.

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After graduation, Darryl entered the Army at Ft. Knox, Kentucky, and became a tank platoon leader. Three months later, he entered primary helicopter flight school at Ft. Wolters, Texas, and advanced training at Ft. Rucker, Alabama. Ten months later, he began a tour in Vietnam, flying a scout helicopter with the Americal Division. Darryl flew various missions, including convoy cover, liaison, scouting, and aerial observation.

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After Vietnam, he returned to Fort Wolters and served on the colonel's staff. The Army's Armor Branch urged him to apply to become a scientist/astronaut in the Apollo Program. The Army sought company-grade officers who were rotary-wing-qualified with a master's degree in science (preferably geology). He filled out the application and became a 10-minute celebrity at Fort Wolters. A few months passed, and the Army didn't give him definitive status on his astronaut application. Darryl was due to be discharged and had to make a decision. He elected to accept a job offer as a petroleum geologist with Exxon in New Orleans and was honorably discharged as a captain in June 1970.

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