SALLEY, JAMES JR.
Name: James Salley, Jr.
Rank/Branch: E7/US Army, 20 year veteran
Unit: Advance Team 22, MACV
Date of Birth: 17 August 1930 (Denmark SC)
Home City of Record: Columbia SC
Date of Loss: 31 March 1971
Country of Loss: South Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 143740N 1074329E (YB935188)
Status (in 1973): Prisoner of War
Category: 1
Acft/Vehicle/Ground: Ground
Refno: 1737
Other Personnel in Incident: Philip Terrill (missing)
REMARKS: 710715 DIED LAOS WITH ALLWINE
EGRESS: Buried in Laos near the Ho Chi Minh Trail
SYNOSIS: SP4 Philip Terrill, a rifleman from HHB, 1st Battalion, 92nd
Artillery and SFC James Salley, Jr., an advisor from Advance Team 22, MACV,
were part of an integrated observation systems team and were taken captive
together on March 31, 1971 after fire support base Number 6 on Hill 1001 was
overrun by elements of the 66th NVA Regiment. The support base, including an
ARVN camp, was located in Kontum Province, South Vietnam.
Liberation Radio and Hanoi Radio broadcasts in early April 1971 and a Quan
Doi Nhan Dan article appearing in July 1972 referred to this battle and the
capture of the American advisors.
In 1973, 591 American prisoners were released, but Terrell and Salley were
not among them. Sgt. David F. Allwine, who was released, stated that he had
been held with SFC Salley in captivity when Salley died on July 15, 1971. He
also said that he had helped to bury SFC Salley in Laos. (The loss site and
the location of the POW camp was in the tri-border area of Cambodia, Laos
and Vietnam.) According to Allwine, Salley told him that SP4 Terrell, who
had been seriously wounded, had died on the trail only four days after his
capture. When 591 American prisoners were released in 1973, Terrill was not
among them.
SFC Salley's death was officially acknowledged in January 1973 by the
Provisional Revolutionary Government (PRG) of South Vietnam, with his date
of death given as August 15, 1971. The PRG, however, never acknowledged SP4
Terrill's death, nor has Vietnam returned either of the two men's bodies.
There is no question that the Vietnamese have certain knowledge of Terrill
and Salley. By any standard, the two are prisoners of war until their bodies
are returned home. Even more tragically, thousands of reports have been
received convincing many authorities that scores of Americans remain alive
in captivity in Southeast Asia. It's time we brought these prisoners home.
--------------------------
[naf0617.95 06/18/95]
NATIONAL ALLIANCE OF FAMILIES
FOR THE RETURN OF AMERICAS MISSING SERVICEMEN
WORLD WAR II - KOREA - COLD WAR - VIETNAM
FROM: DOLORES ALFOND - (206) 881-1499
BARB SWORSKI ---- (612) 378-1947
LYNN O'SHEA ----- (718) 846-4350
TO: ALL POW/MIA FAMILY MEMBERS JUNE 17, 1995
IN OUR POSSESSION IS A BRIGHT LIGHTS REPORT. IT IS OF INTEREST THAT THE
DATE OF THE REPORT IS REDACTED, NO DOUBT TO PROTECT NATIONAL SECURITY.
WE CAN TELL THE REPORT WAS ISSUED PRIOR TO JULY 10, 1972 AS THAT IS THE
DATE A TYPED COMMENT WAS ADDED TO THE REPORT. THAT COMMENT MADE BY MAJ.
C.W. WATSON, STATES "SPECIFICS OF PHYSICAL DESCRIPTIONS DO NOT TALLY,
HOWEVER GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION, DATE OF CAPTURE AND RACIAL DERIVATION
(CAUCASIAN/NEGRO) INDICATES THIS IS ALMOST CERTAINLY NAME AND NAME LOST
31 MARCH 1971. SOURCE PUTS THE REPORTED DATE AND PLACE OF CAPTURE
ALMOST ON THE MONEY FOR NAME."
SO WHO ARE NAME AND NAME?. THEY ARE JAMES SALLEY AND PHILIP TERRILL.
THE JULY 3RD 1973 MEMO PUTS THEM IN "CATEGORY B - PROBABLY DIED IN
CAPTIVITY." THE COMMENT READS "REPORTS ON HAND THAT CORRELATE TO THIS
INCIDENT. RETURNEE (ALLWINE) REPORTED THAT HE RECEIVED INFORMATION FROM
SALLEY (DIED IN PW CAMP) THAT SUBJECT (TERRILL) DIED ON THE TRAIL TO
NVN." JAMES SALLEY'S NAME IS ON THE DIED IN CAPTIVITY LIST. HIS
REMAINS HAVE YET TO BE RETURNED. JAMES SALLEY IS BUT ONE OF THE MANY
HOSTAGES ALIVE AND DEAD, HELD BY THE VIETNAMESE.
----------------------------------------
THE INSIDER JULY 1994
30. Salley, James
A060 was placed on burial detail. He asked the guard who they were
burying and guard told it was Salley. B114, B115, D038, D068, F033, G055,
H100, H118, L049, L050, M004 M134, M137, M154, P075, S051 all reported on
Salley. M143 said Salley was a negro suffering from malaria. A060 only saw a
portion of skin which was that of a negro but did not see his face which was
covered. Burial was along the Ho Chi Minh trail in Laos.
NOTE: While case #28 and #29 give indications of death, no returned POWs
have direct eye witness knowledge. The conclusion of death is based upon
events observed, which is, in DIAs view, strong enough to assume death is
cases of DIC, but this same observation of events is not strong enough, in
DIAs view, to support a conclusion that a live captive was not released. If
evidence is good enough to draw a conclusion of death, then the same
evidence should be good enough to draw the conclusion that live captives
were not released.