James "Duffy" Hutton
page 2

HUTTON, JAMES LEO "Duffy"

Name: James Leo Hutton
Rank/Branch: United States Navy/O4
Unit: RVAH 1
Date of Birth: 11 February 1932
Home City of Record: Washington DC
Date of Loss: 16 October 1965
Country of Loss: North Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 211700 North  1074300 East
Status (in 1973): Returnee
Category:
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: RA5C
Missions: 28
Other Personnel in Incident: James Bell, returnee
Refno:

Source: Compiled by P.O.W. NETWORK 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 "Duffy" LEO HUTTON
Commander - United States Navy, GIB
Shot Down: October 16, 1965
Released: February 12, 1973

I was  born on February 11, 1932 in Washington, D. C. and attended Eastern
High School (Class of 50); graduated from Wilson Teachers College in
Washington, D. C. in June 1954 with a B. S. Degree in Education
(Biology-Major; Phys-Ed-Minor). For a short time I taught Biology at Woodrow
Wilson High School in Washington, D. C. before reporting to active duty in
the Navy at Officer Candidate School, Newport, Rhode Island in July 1955.

After receiving my commission as Ensign in November 1955 I spent three
months at the Air Ground Officers School at NAS Jacksonville, Florida. Upon
completion of that course I was ordered to Aviation Electronics Officer
School at Memphis, Tennessee. After graduation from A.E.O. School, I was
sent to VAH-9 at NAS Sanford, Florida, reporting in February 1957. I was
then sent to Bombadier-Navigator Training at the Heavy Attack Training Unit,
also at Sanford, Florida. I was designated Bombadier-Navigator for A3 type
aircraft in July 1957 and deployed with VAH-9 to the North Atlantic in the
fall of 1957 to participate in a NATO exercise called "STRIKEBACK." After a
nine-month Mediterranean cruise from January to October 1958 we returned to
Sanford and I received orders to the Training Squadron, VAH-3 in the Spring
of 1959. During that three year tour I was the Phase Head of the
Radar-Bombing Phase of the B/N School. Next I was ordered into the
pre-commissioning detail of VAH-13 in December 1960 and served as a
Plank-Owner in that Squadron until August 1961 at which time I was ordered
to RVAH-3, also at Sanford During this tour I qualified in the A5A Vigilante
and became Phase Head for all the Navigational, Radar and Bombing systems in
the A5A. After about a year in that job I was selected as one of the crew
members to be sent to Columbus, Ohio to the North American Plant there to
become qualified in the RA5C, a reconnaissance version of the A5 aircraft.
Then for the next two years in RVAH-3 I was the A5 NATOPS (Navy Aviation
Training and Operational Procedures Standardization) B/N Evaluator.

In September 1964 I reported to RVAH-1 for  duty as an RAN (Reconnaissance
Attack Navigator) and Squadron Training Officer. Our squadron was part of
Carrier Air Wing 7 aboard the USS Independence. We deployed from Norfolk,
Virginia to Vietnam on May 10, 1965 the first East Coast Carrier to be
deployed to West Pac. My pilot was LCDR Jim Bell, flying an RA5C - who was
captured and released with me. We were shot down on the 16th of October 1965
while looking for SAM (Surface to Air Missile) sites in the Haalong Bay
area.

I ended up in my in raft in the bay in relatively good shape (torn ligaments
in my left shoulder were my only injury). I pulled out my emergency radio to
call for help only to have the battery go dead in about 30 seconds. I was
captured by a fishing  boat with about twelve heavily  armed people on
board. I checked  into the cellblock  called "Heartbreak" at the "Hanoi
Hilton"  on the 17th of October. I was moved to the "Zoo" on Christmas  Eve
'65  and remained there until  September '70, when I was moved to "Camp
Faith."  After the attempted rescue of Son Tay in November '70, I was moved
back to the "Hilton"  where I remained until  I was released.

During my time in captivity,  I designed many homes for two lots I own in
the Sanford, Florida area. I also wrote a few  poems.

I celebrated my 41st birthday the day before  my release and return to
freedom.  I am a bachelor and plan to stay in the San Diego area for awhile
and hope to be assigned at NAS Miramar.  My mother, Alma Fugitt lives in
Hollywood, Florida. I have two younger sisters,  Alma Blake  who lives in
Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, and Mary Stone, also living in Hollywood, Florida,
and an older brother, Harry  Hutton, who lives in Lakeland,  Florida.

======================

James Hutton retired from the United States Navy as a Captain. He and his
wife Eileen reside in California.

His decorations include:

SILVER STAR W/COMBAT 'V'
LEGION OF MERIT W/COMBAT 'V'
DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS W/COMBAT 'V'
BRONZE STAR MEDAL W/COMBAT 'V'
AIR MEDAL
BRONZE STAR (2) W/COMBAT 'V'

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