LAMAR, JAMES LASLEY
Name: James Lasley Lamar
Rank/Branch: O5/United States Air Force
Unit: 421st TFS
Date of Birth: 18 September 1927
Home City of Record: Eudora AR
Date of Loss: 06 May 1966
Country of Loss: North Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 213900N 1045100E
Status (in 1973): Returnee
Category:
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: F105D
Missions: 84
Other Personnel in Incident: none
Source: Compiled by P.O.W. NETWORK April 1995 from one or more of the
following: raw data from U.S. Government agency sources, correspondence with
POW/MIA families, published sources, interviews.
REMARKS: 730212 RELEASED BY DRV
SOURCE: WE CAME HOME copyright 1977
Captain and Mrs. Frederic A Wyatt (USNR Ret), Barbara Powers Wyatt, Editor
P.O.W. Publications, 10250 Moorpark St., Toluca Lake, CA 91602
Text is reproduced as found in the original publication (including date and
spelling errors).
JAMES LESLEY LAMAR
Colonel - United States Air Force
Shot Down: May 6, 1966
Released: February 12, 1973
Born 18 September 1927 in Eudora, Arkansas. Graduated from high school in
1944 at DeWitt, Arkansas. Graduated from college in 1963 under the
"bootstrap" program with a B. S. degree from Oklahoma University.
US Naval Reserve from 1945 to 1948 (active duty, EM, 1 July 1945 to 24
August 1946). US Air Force from October 1948 to present. Was an Aviation
Cadet from October 1948 to September 1949 and received my commission 30
September 1949. Fighter pilot in Japan and Korea from November 1949 to March
1951. Flew 100 combat missions in Korea in F-51 and F-80 aircraft. Was
fighter gunnery instructor at Luke AFB, Arizona from July 1951 to August
1955 in F-51, F-84E, F-84G and F-84F aircraft. Then to Kadena AB, Okinawa as
a fighter pilot from September 1955 to March 1958 in the F-86 and F-100
aircraft. Instructor of pilot training at Vance AFB, Oklahoma from May 1958
to April 1963 in T-33 and T-37 aircraft. From May 1963 to November 1965, was
a fighter pilot at George AFB and McConnell AFB in the F-105 aircraft. Back
to SEA to Korat AB, Thailand as a fighter pilot in the F-105 from November
1965 to May 1966. POW in North Vietnam from 6 May 1966 to 12 February 1973.
I have four children (girl, girl, boy, girl). My future plans are to attend
Senior service school (Industrial College of the Armed Forces, National War
College, or USAF War College), concurrently obtain an MS in Political
Science, and then attend the POW Pilot Recurrency Program at Randolph AFB. I
plan to remain in the USAF until retirement after 30 years, on September 30,
1979.
I was shot down on 6 May 1966, while piloting an F-105D aircraft on my 84th
combat mission over North Vietnam, dive-bombing a military target near the
town of Yen Bai, NVN. North Vietnamese peasants captured me but did not
mistreat me. However, during the six years nine months and six days of my
captivity, I was tortured on four separate occasions, beaten, harassed and
humiliated on many other occasions. I was also constantly bombarded with
propaganda designed to undermine my faith in God, my country and my family.
During these years I turned to God for help and my prayers were answered
many times. With this help from above and with the help of fellow prisoners
I was able not only to maintain but to strengthen this faith. In particular,
I was inspired by the examples set by Colonel John Peter Flynn, Colonel
Robinson Risner and Navy Captains James B. Stockdale, Jeremiah A. Denton and
F.A. Franke, Jr.
December 1996
James Lamar retired from the United States Air Force as a Colonel. He and
his wife Judy reside in Texas.
Use your Browser's BACK function to return to the PREVIOUS page