MCLEAN, JAMES HENRY

Name: James Henry McLean
Rank/Branch: E4/US Army
Unit: Medic assigned to  Advisory Team 88, MAC-V
Date of Birth: 16 June 1944
Home City of Record: Los Angeles CA
Date of Loss: 09 February 1965
Country of Loss: South Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 114847N 1071522E
Status (in 1973): Prisoner of War
Category: 1
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: Ground
Other Personnel In Incident: none missing

REMARKS: CAPTURE CONF BY VIET PWS

Source: Compiled by  from one or more of the following: raw data from U.S.
Government agency sources, correspondence with POW/MIA families, published
sources, interviews. Updated by the P.O.W. NETWORK. 2020

SYNOPSIS:  SP4 James H. McLean was a medic assigned to Advisory Team 88,
MAC-V, serving with a South Vietnamese Regional Forces unit at Duc Phong,
Phuoc Long Province, Republic of Vietnam.  On February 9, 1965, at about
midnight, Duc Phong came under attack and was seized by the Viet Cong.

The following day, an ARVN unit was inserted into the area, and learned that
an American had been observed being held captive in the vicinity of Duc
Phong. Enemy fire drove observing helicopters away.  By mid-afternoon on
February 10, the ARVN unit that had been inserted had recaptured the camp
and recovered the remains of 3 American advisors.  As none of them was
McLean, it was determined that the captured American was McLean.

Several released and escaped South Vietnamese captured in the same incident
or held in various camps with McLean later reported that SP4 McLean had been
captured uninjured.  He was last seen alive in late 1966, having detained
all this time in camps in northern Phuoc Long Province.

Although one of the released POWs stated that he had seen McLean sick and
then never saw him again, McLean's name never appeared on lists provided
which named those who died in captivity.  He was not released in 1973 in the
general prisoner release.

McLean is one of nearly 2500 Americans who remain prisoner, missing or
otherwise unaccounted for in Southeast Asia.  There can be no question that
the Vietnamese know his fate.  With thousands of reports being received
relating to Americans still held prisoner, one has to wonder if McLean is
one of those that experts believe are still alive.  If he is, what must he
be thinking of us?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
UPDATED  01/06/96
extracted from the newsletter by: NATIONAL ALLIANCE OF FAMILIES FOR THE
RETURN OF AMERICA'S MISSING SERVICEMEN WORLD WAR II - KOREA - COLD WAR -
VIETNAM

DOLORES ALFOND - VOICE/FAX - (206) 881-1499 LYNN O'SHEA ---- VOICE/FAX -
(718) 846-4350 BITS 'N' PIECES      JANUARY 6, 1996

IN OUR OCTOBER 7TH EDITION WE DISCUSSED PROJECT X.  WE HAVE HEARD FROM SIX
FAMILIES WHO WERE UNAWARE OF THE EXISTENCE OF "PROJECT X" AND ITS
RELATIONSHIP TO THEIR LOVED ONES CASES.  NO "PROJECT X" INFORMATION WAS EVER
PROVIDED TO THESE FAMILIES AND NO "PROJECT X" INFORMATION WAS CONTAINED IN
CASUALTY FILES REVIEWED BY THESE FAMILIES.   THE OBVIOUS QUESTION -- WHAT
ELSE IS OUT THERE THAT THE FAMILIES DON'T KNOW ABOUT?

ONE OF THE "PROJECT X" CASES IS JAMES MC LEAN, CONFIRMED CAPTURED.   WE
DECIDED TO LOOK AT THE CASE OF JAMES MC LEAN TO SEE WHAT INFORMATION WAS
AVAILABLE.  HERE BASED ON OUR LIMITED EFFORTS AND RESOURCES IS WHAT WE HAVE
ON JAMES MC LEAN.

THE FOLLOWING IS FROM THE "PROJECT X" REPORT:  "RATIONAL FOR SELECTION:
THERE ARE REPORTS THAT SP4 MC LEAN WAS CAPTURED ALIVE AND UNINJURED, AND
NUMEROUS LATER REPORTS IDENTIFIED HIM AS A PRISONER OF WAR.  NO REPORTS OF
DEATH HAVE BEEN RECEIVED SUBSEQUENT TO THESE SIGHTINGS."

SUMMARY OF  PROJECT X SUMMARY: A: VIETNAMESE CAPTURED IN SAME INCIDENT AND
 RELEASED 27 MARCH 1965 REPORTED AT TIME OF CAPTURE MC LEAN "HAD NOT BEEN
 WOUNDED."

 B: IN JUNE 1965 - AN ARVN RANGER HELD BY THE VC FROM 11 MAY 1965 TO 9 JUNE
 1965 REPORTED SEEING MC LEAN IN THE SAME CAMP.

 C: AUGUST 1966 - A MONTANARD CAPTURED IN AUGUST 1965 AND ESCAPED SOMETIME
 IN MAY OR EARLY JUNE 1966 STATED HE MET MC LEAN AND WAS GIVEN THE DUTY OF
 CARING FOR HIM.  MC LEAN WAS ILL WITH DIARRHEA AND MALARIA.  THE MONTANARD
 STAYED AT THE CAMP TWO MONTHS

 D: TWO ARVN RELEASED IN SEPT 1965 STATED THEY WERE HELD WITH A PW BELIEVED
 TO BE MC LEAN.
 
 E: 20 OCT. 1966 -  AN ARVN INTELLIGENCE AGENT REPORTED THAT HE SAW AN
 AMERICAN PW AT (GC) YU 336 155.  THE AMERICAN IS BELIEVED TO BE MC LEAN.
 
AFTER REVIEWING PROJECT X WE WONDERED -- WHAT ELSE IS OUT THERE ON JAMES MC
LEAN?  WE FOUND THAT THE INFORMATION ON JAMES MC LEAN IS CONTAINED IN EACH
OF THE DOCUMENTS OR LISTS MENTIONED BELOW.  HERE BASED ON OUR LIMITED
EFFORTS AND RESOURCES IS WHAT WE HAVE ON JAMES MC LEAN.

  JANUARY 1973 - KISSINGER LIST APRIL 18, 1973 - DEPT. OF ARMY MEMO -SUBJ:
  PW OF WHOM PRG/DRV SHOULD HAVE  KNOWLEDGE JUNE 1973 - LIST OF 67 -
  "HOSTILE CAPTURED" JULY 3, 1973 -  MEMO TO CHIEF US DELEGATION FOUR PARTY
  JOINT MILITARY TEAM (FPJMT) - PROBABLY CAPTURED - "LAST SEEN  AS AN
  ADVISOR WHEN CAMP WAS OVER RAN.  IDENT AS PW BY COMPARISON OF PHOTOS
  FURNISHED BY FAMILY WITH SOME CAPTURED PHOTOS." JULY 14, 1973 - MEMO U.S.
  PERSONNEL BELIEVED TO BE IN A CAPTURED STATUS  - SVN PROBABLY CAPTURED -
  "LAST SEEN ON DUTY AS AN ADVISOR WHEN HIS STATIONS WAS OVERRUN BY A
  HOSTILE FORCE.  HIS FAMILY POSITIVELY IDENTIFIED SOME CAPTURED PHOTOS AS
  BEING SUBJECT.  PHOTOS INDICATE SUBJECT WAS PW OF VC. DIA 1979 LIST -
  CAPTURE CONFIRMED DISCREPANCY CASE ORIGINAL 119 JAN. 22, 1992 JCRC MEMO -
  SUBJ: STORED REMAINS - VIETNAM (THIS RELATED ONLY TO THE 119 DISCREPANCY
  CASE LIST) SECTION: C: ALL OTHER INDIVIDUALS. VESSEY 135 DISCREPANCY LIST
  55 DISCREPANCY CASE LIST AS OF FEB. 17, 1995

VIETNAM, YOU CAPTURED  JAMES MC LEAN. YOU HELD HIM AS PRISONER OF WAR. WHERE
IS JAMES MC CLEAN?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

01/2020

https://dpaa.secure.force.com/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt0000000BTn0EAG

MSG JAMES HENRY MCLEAN

Return to Service Member Profiles

 

Specialist Four James Henry McLean, who joined the U.S. Army from California, served with Headquarters, Military Assistance Command, Vietnam. On February 10, 1965, SP4 McLean was a medic with an element of Advisory Team 88 at a camp near Duc Phong, (GC) YU 458 068, when the camp was attacked and overrun by the Viet Cong. SP4 McLean was taken prisoner during the attack. South Vietnamese Rangers re-took the camp hours later. The Viet Cong moved SP4 McLean several times over the next months. In September 1965, a person held captive with SP4 McLean and later escaped reported that when last with SP4 McLean, he was ill with malaria. In 1966, U.S. officials received word that SP4 McLean died of malaria while in captivity, although these reports were not confirmed and his remains have not been located. Following the incident, the Army posthumously promoted SP4 McLean to the rank of Master Sergeant (MSG). Today, Master Sergeant McLean is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Based on all information available, DPAA assessed the individual's case to be in the analytical category of Active Pursuit.

If you are a family member of this serviceman, DPAA can provide you with additional information and analysis of your case. Please contact your casualty office representative.

Service member profile discrepancy? Please help us ensure the accuracy of each profile by submitting documentation about a service member profile.