Major James T. Newman – February 18, 1971
101st Airborne Division
Much-decorated Vietnam helicopter pilot dies at 73
James T. Newman, a Vietnam War helicopter pilot whose rescues of downed airmen earned him the Distinguished Service Cross and other honors, has died. He was 73.
Newman’s son, Jay, said he died Sunday at the University of North Carolina medical center in Chapel Hill of complications associated with lung cancer.
Newman was twice nominated for the Medal of Honor, the highest military award for valor. While he did not receive that medal, he did get a Distinguished Service Cross, the nation’s second-highest award for combat valor, the Silver Star, four Distinguished Flying Crosses, the Bronze Star, Purple Heart and 23 Air Medals, among others.
In an interview years later, the Georgia native said he could “get the shakes” in recalling such incidents although at the time he had felt “no fear.”
He first served in Vietnam in 1966, suffering a leg wound that nearly led to an amputation. Regaining flight status, he returned in 1970 as commander of C Troop, 2/17 Air Cavalry, 101st Airborne Division.
His first nomination for the Medal of Honor came in February 1971, when he rescued four U.S. crewmen from a crashed medevac helicopter on a mountaintop base in Laos where South Vietnamese Rangers were under heavy attack by North Vietnamese troops.
The same week, he rescued two other downed pilots by chopping down small trees with his main rotor blade, an act that astonished helicopter experts but earned Newman a Silver Star.
Five months later, Newman rescued two more pilots injured in a crash near the Laotian border, spotting a flash from their signal mirror and extracting the men with seconds to spare.
Richard Frazee, another former C Troop member, called Newman “a man of immeasurable courage who made us all feel invincible.”
In 2000, Newman was inducted into the 101st Airborne Division’s Hall of Fame at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.
Burial will be in Arlington National Cemetery, the family said.
NEWMAN, JAMES T.
Department of the Army, General Orders No. 23 (May 30, 1972)
Synopsis:
The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to James T. Newman, Major, U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations involving conflict with an armed hostile force in the Republic of Vietnam, while serving with Troop C, 2d Squadron, 17th Cavalry, 101st Airborne Division.
Major Newman distinguished himself by exceptionally valorous actions on 18 February 1971. His extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.
NEWMAN, JAMES T
MAJ US ARMY
VIETNAM
- DATE OF BIRTH: 04/25/1935
- DATE OF DEATH: 01/11/2009
- BURIED AT: SECTION 64 SITE 6797
ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY
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Michael Robert Patterson was born in Arlington and is the son of a former officer of the US Army. So it was no wonder that sooner or later his interests drew him to American history and especially to American military history. Many of his articles can be found on renowned portals like the New York Times, Washingtonpost or Wikipedia.
Reviewed by: Michael Howard