The Wall › Panel 1W › Alabama › James Arthur Barefield
JAMES ARTHUR BAREFIELD
Warrant Officer 1 · U.S. Army
February 17, 1941 – May 24, 1972
Service recordJames Arthur Barefield, of Midland City, Alabama, served as a Warrant Officer 1 in the U.S. Army. He died on May 24, 1972, in Thua Thien Province, South Vietnam, at age 31. His name is inscribed on Panel 1W, Line 29 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
On the Wall
Panel 1W · Line 29
Names are inscribed in the order of loss, starting at Panel 1E at the apex and ending at Panel 1W. At the Memorial, find the panel number at the base and count down from the top line.
Remember
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Service
- Branch
- U.S. Army
- Rank
- Warrant Officer 1 (WO1)
- Service
- Reserve / National Guard
- Occupation
- Cargo Helicopter Pilot (100C)
- Unit (as recorded)
- 1 AVN BDE
- Born
- February 17, 1941
- Home of record
- Midland City, Alabama (Dale County)
Casualty
- Date of death
- May 24, 1972
- Age
- 31
- Province
- Thua Thien
- Country
- South Vietnam
- Casualty type
- Hostile
- Category
- Killed in Action
- Circumstance
- Unknown
Context · from the records
What was happening
12 names on the Wall carry the date May 24, 1972; nine of them were lost in Thừa Thiên Province. In May 1972, 113 Americans whose names are on the Wall died in the war.
The 1st Aviation Brigade, his unit in the record, lost 22 of its members that month.
He died in Thừa Thiên Province while the Easter Offensive was under way. On 30 March 1972, North Vietnam launched its largest offensive since 1968, attacking across the DMZ, toward An Lộc and into the Central Highlands. By then few U.S. ground troops remained; American advisers and air power fought alongside the South Vietnamese.
Also on Panel 1W, Line 29
- GORDON ELLIOTT STONEMajor · May 21, 1972
- THOMAS DANIEL WOOD JRMaster Sergeant · May 21, 1972
- CHARLES EDWARD BARNETTCommander · May 23, 1972
- DAVID ALAN BAUSCHSpecialist Four · May 24, 1972
Same unit, same day
- DAVID ALAN BAUSCHSpecialist Four · Panel 1W, Line 29
- DAVID LEE BROOKS JRPrivate First Class · Panel 1W, Line 30
- DAN CHRISTIE KINGMAN JRMajor · Panel 1W, Line 30
- BRUCE EUGENE KLINEFirst Lieutenant · Panel 1W, Line 30
- TIMOTHY JAMES MONKELBAANSpecialist Four · Panel 1W, Line 31
- FRANK ALLEN NEWMANSpecialist Six · Panel 1W, Line 31
- HARRY LINDSAY THAINCaptain · Panel 1W, Line 31
- CHARLES WILLIAM GACHESSpecialist Five · Panel 1W, Line 74
From Midland City
- CLIFTON BRADLEY SMITHLance Corporal · November 30, 1967
Source. U.S. Department of Defense, Defense Casualty Analysis System, Vietnam Conflict Extract Data File (as of April 29, 2008), Records of the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Record Group 330, National Archives (NAID 2240992). Panel and line as recorded in that file. This page presents the official record and its historical context; no biography has been written for him yet. See something wrong? Report a correction.