PAUL, JAMES LEE

Name: James Lee Paul
Rank/Branch: W1/US Army
Unit: Troop D, 3rd Squadron, 5th Cavalry, 1st Brigade, 5th Infantry Division
Date of Birth: 13 October 1948 (Detroit MI)
Home City of Record: Riverview MI
Date of Loss: 05 February 1971
Country of Loss: South Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 164031N 1064457E (XD865443)
Status (in 1973): Killed/Body Not Recovered
Category: 4
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: AH1G
Refno: 1699
Other Personnel in Incident: (none missing)

Source: Compiled 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 in 2020.

REMARKS:

SYNOPSIS: WO1 James L. Paul, co-pilot,and WO1 Carl M. Wood, pilot, were
flying a Cobra gunship (tail #66-15340) on an extraction mission on February
5, 1971, in the general vicinity of Khe Sanh, Military Region 1, South
Vietnam.

Shortly after the start of the extraction, WO1 Paul's aircraft entered a
heavy cloud cover which forced the pilot to go on instruments to climb out
of the weather. It was during the climb that the Cobra impacted a
mountainside and exploded. Aircraft accompanying the Cobra immediately began
a visual reconnaissance of the area and sighted the crash.

Ground search teams were inserted and a 50 meter area surrounding the crash
was searched. The search indicated there had been a violent explosion upon
impact. WO1 Wood's remains were recovered from the wreckage of the aircraft.
Weather delayed further search until February 10, 1971, during which a
baseball cap containing Paul`s name, a watch, part of a ring and map and a
chinstrap were found 1 meter from the wreckage. The team also discovered an
unidentifiable hand under the wreckage. Search was discontinued, and from
all indications, it was determined that Paul was dead.

WO1 Paul is listed among the missing because his remains were never found.
For his family, his fate seems clear. For others missing, conclusions cannot
be so easily drawn. Many were known to have been prisoner of war, or last
seen alive. Others disappeared without a trace.

Since the war ended, thousands of reports have been received relating to
Americans missing in Southeast Asia, and many authorities believe there are
hundreds still alive in captivity. While Paul may not be one of them, one
can imagine him willingly flying one more mission to bring them to freedom.

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02/2020

https://dpaa.secure.force.com/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt0000000KZQ4EAO

WO1 JAMES LEE PAUL

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On February 5, 1971, an AH-1G Cobra (tail number 66-15340) with two crew members took part in an extraction mission near Khe Sanh, in Quang Tri Province, South Vietnam. Shortly after the start of the mission, the Cobra entered heavy cloud cover. While climbing to escape the cloud, the aircraft impacted a mountainside. Aircraft accompanying the Cobra immediately began a visual search of the area and located the crash site at the base of Hill 1015. Investigation of the crash site recovered the remains of the Cobra’s pilot; however, the copilot’s remains could not be located or identified.

Warrant Officer 1 James Lee Paul, who joined the U.S. Army from Michigan, was a member of Troop D, 3rd Squadron, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 5th Infantry Division (Mechanized). He was the copilot of this Cobra and he was lost with the aircraft. His remains were not recovered following the incident. Today, Warrant Officer 1 Paul 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 Non-recoverable.

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