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James Alley
by Sgt. Bob Dinkins |
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Jim
was a classmate of mine for four years. We
graduated (1967) from Stranahan HS in Fort
Lauderdale, Fl. Jim was an honest and
trustworthy friend, a great student and good
athlete. Little do people know that Sgt James
Alley was a hero. Jim was on the rescue mission
(read the following story of "BAT 21"), and was
a crew member onboard one of the choppers that
were shot down. In 1972, a U.S. observation plane is hit by a V.C. missile. The only survivor of
the crew is the Lieutenant Colonel Iceal
Hambleton, an expert in missile weaponry.
Because of his knowledge, it is crucial to
rescue him before the Vietcong get their hands
on him. It's a very difficult task because the
enemy is listening to Hambleton's radio
transmissions. He is better known as by his
tactical radio callsign, "Bat 21", he used in
Vietnam when he was shot down in 1972 while
jamming enemy radar, and parachuted behind enemy
lines.
When on the ground Col Hambleton found himself
in the midst of an invasion force of over 30,000
North Vietnamese troops. While evading capture
for eleven days he used his survival radio to
call in air strikes against the invasion force.
Rescue crews gave him coded instructions on
where to go to be rescued |
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based on
golf course that he had played on at different air force
bases. Hambleton's harrowing ordeal was recounted in the
book Bat 21 (1980), which was made into a movie of the
same name in 1988, he was played by Gene Hackman. He
died from cancer on September 19, 2004 at age 85.
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Sgt. Bob Dinkins, USAF Nam 69-70 C-130A Crew Chief 834th
Air Division, Det 2 Cam Ranh Bay, RVN
Monday, November 22, 2004 |
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Memorial at
Arlington National Cemetery |
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Memories of James Alley
by
Will
Hanners (James' Cousin)
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I always thought that perhaps it was FATE that
James graduated in '67 and his final call sign in the
Air Force as Jolly 67!!! He was jolly, in his own quiet
way. He and I spent off duty hours sometimes working at
a Catholic Orphanage near where we were stationed. He
would beam with joy when the children were around. We
taught some of them to play baseball and presented them
with a small bat and ball. Twenty years later, a friend
of mine, who headed a POW/MIA search team visited the
orphanage and took along some photos I had sent him. Two
of the little boys in a photo were young men working in
what was now a Catholic Day School. The photo of them
was the only one they now had of their childhood. They
still had the baseball and bat. That same friend took
the research I had conducted on the crash site and
actually visited the area and began the long process of
recovery of remains. So many people died in a three day
period - almost 25, attempting to rescue two people. His
good works and memories live on...
Submitted by Will Hanners
5/9/10 |
If you have memories of James you would
like to share, please contact the webmaster:
graham@stranahan67.com
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