The Gaps in the Flight

NEW YORK - James T. Newman, a Vietnam War helicopter pilot whose rescues of downed airmen earned him the Distinguished Service Cross and other honors, has died. He was 73.

Newman’s son, Jay, said he died Sunday at the University of North Carolina medical center in Chapel Hill of complications associated with lung cancer.

Newman was twice nominated for the Medal of Honor, the highest military award for valor. While he did not receive that medal, he did get a Distinguished Service Cross, the nation’s second-highest award for combat valor, the Silver Star, four Distinguished Flying Crosses, the Bronze Star, Purple Heart and 23 Air Medals, among others.

He first served in Vietnam in 1966, suffering a leg wound that nearly led to an amputation. Regaining flight status, he returned in 1970 as commander of C Troop, 2/17 Air Cavalry, 101st Airborne Division.

His first nomination for the Medal of Honor came in February 1971, when he rescued four U.S. crewmen from a crashed medevac helicopter on a mountaintop base in Laos where South Vietnamese Rangers were under heavy attack by North Vietnamese troops.

The same week, he rescued two other downed pilots by chopping down small trees with his main rotor blade, an act that astonished helicopter experts but earned Newman a Silver Star.

Five months later, Newman rescued two more pilots injured in a crash near the Laotian border, spotting a flash from their signal mirror and extracting the men with seconds to spare.

Richard Frazee, another former C Troop member, called Newman "a man of immeasurable courage who made us all feel invincible."

LTG Harry W.O. Kinnard was born into an Army family on 7 May 1915 in Dallas, Texas. He lived an Army life of service to his country, beginning with witnessing the attack on Pearl Harbor and the defense of the island, then later parachuting into France on D-Day, commanding airborne soldiers in Holland and directing operations during the Battle of the Bulge with the 101st Airborne Division at Bastogne.

After WWII, he continued to have a distinguished military career. In the early 1960's, he formed and tested a new type of Army division and after 2 ½ years transformed and lead it into combat in Vietnam as the 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile).

This new Division set the standard for future U.S. Army airmobile operations. He ended his Army career as the Commander of Combat Developments Command at Ft. Belvoir, Virginia in 1969.

He received … the Distinguished Service Cross, and [was] knighted by the Queen of Holland for his actions in Holland in 1944.

LTG Kinnard commanded the First Team from July 1965 to May 1966 and served as the President of our Association from 1976 - 1978.

I would like to join you in offering my personal condolences to the family, friends and fellow brothers in arms on the passing of Lt Gen Harry W. O. Kinnard. I had the pleasure of serving with him in Hq EUCOM, Camp des Loges, France in 59-60 when he was on the staff of Gen Charles Palmer.. He was a Soldier's Soldier. May the Lord receive him with open arms to a soldier's rest "well done, good and faithful servant."

My prayers are offered for the family.

My sincere condolences on Gen Kinnard's passing, one of the founders of Army Aviation Airmobile/Assault concepts. It was my privilege to serve with him at Fort Benning. May God rest his soul and bless his family and friends...slow hand salute...