52 Ancestors #49: Killed in Vietnam

Ancestor Name: TAYLOR, James Lawrence (1943-1966)

I have written about many of my veteran ancestors as part of Amy Crow's 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge. And this post will be no different. James Lawrence Stewart was my 6th cousin; our shared ancestor was my five times great grandfather, Adam Beard (1725-1777).

James was born on 9 June 1943 in Putnam County, West Virginia, to Monte Samuel and Ruth Muriel (Ogburn) Taylor. He was their third son.

According to a medal citation, he was Sergeant in the Special Forces, Detachment A-102. On 9 March 1966 Jim's unit was sent to Camp A Shau in the Thua Thien province of South Vietnam to reinforce another special forces detachment already deployed there.  The next day the camp came under attack. Sgt. Taylor died while in close combat with the enemy.

James Taylor's name is engraved on the Honolulu Memorial, also known as the Courts of the Missing, which is located at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. The cemetery is situated in an extinct volcano called the Punchbowl.

Honolulu Memorial; photograph courtesy of Find a Grave members
Harold and Wanda Blackwell

Photograph courtesy of Find a Grave member Sunny

He was awarded the Silver Star posthumously in June 1966 and his parents were presented with medal in a ceremony in South Charleston, West Virginia.

Mr. and Mrs. Monte Taylor receiving the Silver Star awarded to their son,
Jim Taylor. Robert Taylor, another son, looks on. Photograph courtesy of
West Virginia Culture

The Silver Star citation reads as follows:

TAYLOR, JAMES L. RA13688444 SERGEANT E5 United States Army
Det A-102, 5th SFG (Abn), 1st SF, APO 96240
Awarded: Silver Star (Posthumously)
Date of Action: 9 March 1966 to 10 March 1966
Theater: Republic of South Vietnam
Reason: For gallantry in action

Sergeant Taylor distinguished himself on 9 and 10 March 1966 while serving as a weapons platoon leader of a Nung "Mike Force" company during a mission to reinforce a special forces detachment at Camp A Shau, Republic of Vietnam. When the camp was attacked by intense mortar and small arms fire at 0350 hours on 9 March 1966, Sergeant Taylor organized and encouraged his weapons squads in defending their positions. Throughout the entire day, he exposed himself to the deadly fire and ran from position to position to insure that his men were effectively defending the camp. When the "Mike Force" company commander was killed, Sergeant Taylor immediately assumed command and prepared his men to repel the imminent Viet Cong assault. 

At 0400 hours on 10 March, the fanatical insurgents launched a regimental size assault in conjunction with accurate mortar and recoilless rifle fire. Wounded and cut off from other friendly forces within the camp, Sergeant Taylor organized his defenders in a circular defense and fought off the attackers on all sides when the Viet Cong breached a wall to his right flank. As a result, the Viet Cong assault on his position was stalled and the camp was not immediately overrun. When he rejoined the friendly troops at another wall, he set up a strong defense and personally engaged an insurgent recoils rifle position. After receiving a direct hit from the insurgent recoils rifle, Sergeant Taylor died en route to a rescue helicopter. 

Sergeant Taylor's extraordinary heroism in close combat against a numerically superior hostile force was in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.

Authority: By direction of the President under the provisions of the Act of Congress, approved 9 July 1918.

This is my entry for Amy Johnson Crow's 52 ancestors in 52 weeks challenge.

Shot down Over Cambodia

On 19 December 1971, Warrant Officer Thomas William Skiles was piloting a Hughes Cayuse Observation (OH-6) helicopter on a bomb damage assessment run southeast of Dambe, Kampong Cham Province, Cambodia. The aircraft received intense automatic weapons fire and burst into flames and crashed. WO Skiles' remains were not recovered. His name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu memorial.

The Honolulu Memorial is located within the National Memorial of the
Pacific. On either side of the grand stairs leading to the memorial are eight
Courts of the Missing on which are inscribed the names of those missing
from World War II, the Korean Conflict and Vietnam; photograph
courtesy of Findagrave.com members Harold and Wanda Blackwell

WO Skiles served with the Air Cavalry Troop, 2nd Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, known as the "Blackhorse Regiment." At a Blackhorse reunion some years ago, Brig Gen Terry L Tucker, who was a colonel with the regiment during Vietnam, gave a speech about his work on the Joint Task Force "Full Accounting." In that speech he spoke about WO Skiles:

For the past 2 years, I have been privileged to command Joint Task Force "Full Accounting." In that assignment I led 160 outstanding men and women from all services on a mission to achieve the fullest possible accounting of Americans still unaccounted for as a result of the war in Southeast Asia. We conducted over 1,000 investigations and 125 recovery operations and brought home 67 Americans to their families in that 2 years. Let me tell you about one case that I shared with my brother Blackhorse troopers at the July reunion.

In January 1998, we investigated the site of a 19 December 1971 OH-6 helicopter crash in central Cambodia. In March 1999, we excavated that crash site. The recovery team did not find remains of the crew. However, they did find several items of personal effects. Found were a military identification card and part of another card with an unidentified sticker on it. The recovery team could clearly identify the photograph and name on the identification card, but could not identify the sticker on the second card. Upon my arrival, several possible explanations were offered as to what the sticker might be. After listening to their speculation, I opened my wallet, removed my Blackhorse Association Membership Card, and showed them the exact symbol they were trying to figure out. It was a Blackhorse patch.

The crew of that OH-6 was 1st Lt Peter Forame and WO Thomas Skiles, Air Cavalry Troop, 11 ACR, two of the last Blackhorse troopers to die in Southeast Asia. They were piloting an OH-6A scout helicopter on a bomb damage assessment mission southeast of Dambe, Cambodia. They were hit by .51 caliber and .30 caliber machine gun fire and crashed into a tree line. The helicopter exploded upon impact and was completely destroyed by fire in a short time. Two other helicopters attempted to recover Lt Forame and WO Skiles, but were driven off by heavy automatic weapon fire and rocket propelled grenades. With one helicopter suffering extensive damage. After helicopter gunships arrived to suppress the enemy fire, it was verified that the helicopter was destroyed and that there were no survivors. Further attempts to recover the pilots were unsuccessful despite numerous airstrikes on known and suspected enemy positions.

Thomas William Skiles; source of photograph
unknown

Thomas William Skiles, my sixth cousin, would have been 65 years old on 31 August had he survived the war in Southeast Asia.

_______________
Thomas William Skiles was my 6th cousin. His great grandmother was a Beard. He was born on 31 August 1949 in El Paso, Texas, to William and Dorothy Lou (Warriner) Skiles. On 3 May 1971 he was drafted into the U.S. Army and was killed in action on 19 December 1971 in Cambodia. He was married and left a wife and at least one son to mourn his death, likely two. One son has left a lovely memorial to him on Findagrave.com.