Data Sources - Air Force Manual No. 200-25A, Department of the Air Force, Washington, October 16, 1961 page 1. Sanitized copy. National Archives KOREAN Conflict Casualty File (KCCF) 1950-1954.
MIAs in incident; Jones, James Lewis; Phillips, Duane M.
03/92 -- Korea, and the men yet to be accounted for -- the "official list" -- is a list of U.S. servicemen known to have been
held as prisoners of war by the red Chinese and North Koreans from the Korean War
but not released or accounted for by the communists, as released on May 27,
1957 at a hearing of the House Subcommittee on the Far East and Pacific by the Department
of Defense.
The lists, the printed minutes of the May 27, 1957 hearing and the
"sense of congress" resolution were subsequently buried in the
archives. The original list had 450 names compiled from American POWS who were
repatriated by the Reds, as well as from photographs released by the Reds, Chinese
radio propaganda broadcasts, and letters written home by captured men. The "revised" list was narrowed down in august of 1961 to 389 men, and
all were arbitrarily declared dead by the military services, the USG still
lists them as "unaccounted for".
Names and ranks only were released at the time, and printed in "The
Spotlight" on August 27, 1979, along with the above information and background.
Further information has been compiled by the P.O.W. Network from the Hawaii POW/MIA
Korean Memorial records, National Archives documentation, and public United
States Air Force documentation, and changes made to the original published
information. (FEBRUARY 1992)
James Jones is listed on the "HONOR ROLL OF FORGOTTEN AMERICANS" yet is noted as having died "while missing" by the National Archive.
03/12/2021
- KOREAN WAR
- UNITED STATES AIR FORCE
- Unaccounted For
Early in the morning on April 7, 1951, a B-29 Superfortress (tail number
44-86268) with a crew of eleven aviators departed Kadena Air Base,
Japan, as part of a 36-Superfortess strike force. The briefed mission
was a daylight bombing operation targeting the highway and railroad
bridges near Uiju, which crossed the Yalu River between North Korea and
China. Just before
releasing its bombs, the Superfortress was attacked by enemy fighters,
sustaining severe damage including the loss of two engines and its
communications systems. In hopes of reaching friendly territory, the
pilot began flying south along the west coast, but a fire broke out in
the rear bomb bay. Realizing that the B-29 could no longer sustain
flight, the pilot turned out over the water toward a rescue ship, and
the aircraft commander gave the order for the crew to bail out. Three
parachutes were seen to emerge from the aircraft before it exploded in
mid-air and crashed into the water. An extensive search of the area
located one of the eleven aviators on board.
Airman First Class James Lewis Jones, who joined the U.S. Air Force from
Nebraska, was assigned to the 371st Bombardment Squadron, 307th
Bombardment Group. He was a gunner aboard this Superfortress when it was
lost. No
returning POWs mentioned contact with A1C Jones, nor was he seen at any
known holding point, interrogation center, hospital, or permanent POW
camp. He remains unaccounted-for. Today, Airman First Class Jones
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 Deferred.
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.
 A1C JAMES LEWIS JONES
|