Herrick, now dead, had led his 29 men on a chase after two North Vietnamese they spotted as they were moving up to join Bravo Company on the right flank Sunday afternoon. The mistake is that the hammer on his pistol is down, on a M1911A1 this indicates an empty chamber. We had just been welcomed to the battle by Sgt. Colonel Moore calls in an air strike when his men have been overrun by NVA. The 442nd Regimental Combat Team was activated on 01 Feb 1943. Neither of these effects were present in the film, at least not to the degree that would have been logical/historically accurate. Had the battalion kept going, it would have burst through into the clearing aimed directly at Moores command post where the wounded were gathered and the ammunition stocks were stacked in crates. Oops, something didn't work. As the situation on Edwards side of the clearing worsened, the battalions air liaison officer, Air Force Lt. Charlie Hastings, keyed his mike and made a desperate call: Broken Arrow! Then it was clear that these little lights were being used by enemy reinforcements coming down the mountain to join the fight. He said it was more likely going to be a hot walk in the sun with no contact. Learn about how to make the most of a memorial. For a lot of years I looked for Jimmy's wife and daughter. The 1st Air Cav was sent to Vietnam with "expiremental" XM16-E1 assault rifles which had a tear drop forward assist. E-mail address is not available. In the scene where Col. Moore leaves his house and walks down the street to the staging area, he is carrying his duffel bag only. The problem is that his clothes aren't burning, the ground around him isn't singed, and Jimmy obviously was not able to move himself in any way. friends from Olsons native Idaho began calling about the movie a "His eyes were so real. Include gps location with grave photos where possible. Nakayama died from his wounds on Nov. 17, 1965. often felt that Jim was with her. letters were full of the baby. Galloway told Olson recently that while the movie shows him alone Are you adding a grave photo that will fulfill this request? I never met him as I'm much too young but I've been told he was a great man, friend, and athlete. That reporter Galloway wants to come in with me. The reply: If hes crazy enough to want to come in here and youve got room, bring him!. This was a device on the right side of the rifle to ram the round up the chamber. Jimmy Nakayama, Army, Private, First Class of Rigby, Idaho was a casualty of a napalm air strike delivered by "friendly fire." Poss says coming home from Vietnam was difficult when people. baby. Joe Lee Galloway was ask by a medic to help carry Jimmy Nakayama to the HUEY, He was one of 4 persons to carry Jimmy D. Nakayama, Joe Lee Galloway held one of his legs. He was popular in school and excelled in sports, especially baseball. For 36 years, Trudie Olson didn't know that her husband, as he Parish earned a righteous Silver Star that morning after more than 100 dead enemy soldiers were found heaped in a broad semi-circle around his position. Therefore, no mistake. He was killed in a friendly fire incident at the Battle of Ia Drang in 1965. Crandall dropped the Huey into the tall grass in the landing zone, and we all bailed out, grabbing crates of ammo and plastic 5-gallon jugs of water and throwing them out. For memorials with more than one photo, additional photos will appear here or on the photos tab. I hid behind that tent and watched the other reporters. The friend One of our very best. climax. For Billings, the past three years have been the deadliest in recent history. pmac925@aol.com. I believe he was LDS. met on the day of the battle, Nov. 14. That was SPC Jimmy Nakayama from Rigby, ID. cemeteries found within kilometers of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. Sergeant Nye (at the battle) confirms this. There are two models. You cannot always remain a witness, above and removed from the story There are some events which demand your participation. His family moved. We have set your language to As I lay there on the ground wondering if I had done the right thing joining the 7th Cavalry Col. George Custers old outfit in a position surrounded by a vastly larger number of enemies in a river valley, I felt a thump in my ribs and very carefully turned my head to see what it was. trying to find her for years, but she had remarried briefly and now Please try again later. There is no definitive information on this topic, and although factually accurate, a technical problem with a weapon was probably not enough to build an entire sub-plot, and would not hold the interest of the moviegoer. ). "I debated quite a while whether I even wanted to watch it," Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. transition, his rank was private first class, but he was intended May he rest in peace, and may G_d comfort his family and loved ones. His daughter Nikki was born only days earlier on Nov. 7th. father didn't know she had arrived a little early, Olson said. He kept his head on his desk the whole day and refused to talk with anyone. The letter he was writing to her from the I rolled away from my little tree and went flat on my belly. combatants next November. Release dates: March 11, 1995.July 13, 1996. Visit www.calhum.org, This website and exhibition project was developed with support from the. The earlier (1965) model did NOT have the forward assist on it. His presence will definitely be missed. He was outgoing, even charismatic. could tell her when to turn away. The two Hueys were blacked out as we flew into the valley, and as we prepared to drop down to treetop level for the final approach, I spotted a snaking, long line of tiny lights flickering in the darkness. He was working on his third war as a combat Infantryman, and there were only 270 men in the entire U.S. Army who could claim that distinction. That done, we fell flat in the grass as the two Hueys lifted off into the darkness. During the last year of the European campaign the 442nd RCT became the most heavily decorated American unit of the war - and with that distinction came a second one; the 442nd had one of the highest casualty rates of any American unit in World War II. that didn't want to go on. He had been portera@yahoo.com. who were there the day the napalm hit. I just saw "We Were Soldiers" and it touched me sooo deeply to see Jimmy Nakayama get burnt like that. said. first plane. What I saw was a large combat boot on the foot of Sgt. After he says this, he stops breathing and the medic checks for a pulse in his neck with his thumb. Lately she's started to feel that the hole in her life is at Bureau of Land Management in Billings. I followed him into the tent and listened closely as he got Moore on the radio. Jimmy Nakayma died in flight,3rd degree burns no other injuries. There are no volunteers for this cemetery. On Nov 15 1965, during the battle for the Ia Drang Valley in Vietnam, Jimmy Nakayama and another man were accidentally hit with napalm during a misplaced air strike. After watching "We Were Soldiers" I was deeply moved to find out more about the life of Jimmy Nakayama. Jimmy and Clark walked to the Aid Station under their own power, aided by the troops whose foxholes they had run to after the drop. In that first hour, eight men were killed and 13 others wounded out of the 29 who belonged to the platoon or were attached. If you read Moore's book, you will realize that the telegrams *were* arriving during the conflict in the Ia Drang. Burlile, who had turned 23 four days earlier, died in the arms of his company commander. Maps, photos and movie clips from the 1965 battle His commission came through a week after his For Jimmy Nakayama, life began in Rexburg. May Jimmy and the rest of the soldiers and the Vietnamese soldiers rest in peace. mattrat242002@msn.com, I remember your military photo on Bachan's dresser when I used to visit her in Rigby. When the first batch of helicopters is lifting for Ia Drang you can see that one of them is a short version (UH-1A or B). Greg Fernandez Worse yet, there were no rides heading to Xray, and the few incoming helicopters brought in five or six other reporters, including my nemesis Peter Arnett of The Associated Press. He attended grammar school in Rexsburg but the family moved to Rigby where he finished his education. XM16-E1s did not have "fencing". I cried. They were evacuated, but Nakayama died two days later, on Nov. 17. From a big fan, delivered to Olson with the rest of his belongings. Try again later. I am no relative of his but the fact that his wife was about to have his child and how he died just frankly made me cry. You can cancel at any time. The camera angle makes it appear as if he is using his thumb. I jumped up and ran into the burning grass. As the sound of the chopper blades faded, we heard a deep voice: Follow me and I will take you to the colonel. Galloway said he was more than willing to share with her his Reportedly, but not verified as of this writing, his regular Army commission as a Second Lieutenant had been approved but had not reached him yet in Vietnam. Adam J. Hoffman A day after viewing "We Were Soldiers," Olson got on the This earlier model also had a 3 prong flash suppressor on the front end of the barrel. My name is Jimmy Nakayama. Moore had been given only 16 Huey helicopters to lift his battalion into Xray, and at this point, he had less than half his men on the ground. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/13661435/jimmy-d-nakayama. plunged into the past as if all these years hadnt gone by. "I learned more than I ever knew before," she said. Mr. Nakayama, you and I share the same hometown Rigby, Idaho. life had been erased," Olson said. You have chosen this person to be their own family member. Reply Add a correction Corrected entry: Col. Moore leaves his house to head off to Vietnam in the middle of the night carrying only his duffel bag for the walk to the staging area. few weeks ago. If you have questions, please contact [emailprotected]. Moore was trying to stop the second jet from releasing its napalm cans on us as well. matt.edgley@ntlworld.com. Billings woman sees the movie re-creation of her husbands death. lieutenant in the National Guard, had joined the regular army. She and Check out the mistake & trivia books, on Kindle and in paperback. Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. cemeteries found within miles of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. Drag images here or select from your computer for PFC Jimmy D. Nakayama memorial. In a desperate attempt to break through to the trapped platoon, two of Moores companies, Alpha and Bravo, launched an attack straight into hundreds more enemy troops ringing the LZ. To have this information It looks like it was shot in the same location as ". The collective on the co pilots seat (on the left side of the Huey) does not have all of the controls the pilot (Right side) has. My thoughts go out to you, Jimmy, and your wife and your kids. Weve updated the security on the site. Not long afterward, two U.S. jets roar overhead and drop napalm In the movie some of the North Vietnamese underground tunnels were huge. Nakayama graduated the Idaho National Guard Officer Candidate School and became a 2nd Lieutenant. Most of the information delivered to her by telegram in the government, or some way to contact someone who was at the battle. In about 1953 or 1954 Jimmy Nakayama was a classmate of mine in the fourth or fifth grade class at the Adams School in Rexburg, Idaho. We watched each other like hawks; if one of us got in and the other didnt, it would be a personal and professional disaster. Writer Joe Galloway (center) aboard a Marine CH-34 helicopter heading out on an operation early in 1966. Imagine the tremendous amount of labor required to dig out a huge 6-foot diameter tunnel. I am incredibly honored by his service to our country and his courage! In order to serve in the Vietnam War, Nakayama took a reduction in rank to private which was required of him to join the Regular Army. The patrols sent out from the Charlie Company lines on the southeast side of Xray ran straight into a large formation of North Vietnamese just launching an attack, and ran back shouting the alert. The rifles used in this movie, the Armalite AR15 / Colt M16. LARRY MAYER/Gazette Staff Trudie Olson talks about the death of her husband in Vietnam and about the movie "We Were Soldiers" that includes the story of his injuries in battle. was evacuated from a Vietnam battlefield where he had been mortally His wife gave birth to his first Aug 11, 2021 1:37 :07 pm IceCreamButt Truly Addicted User That was SPC Jimmy Nakayama from Rigby, ID. feeling, she said. Singed around the edges, the letter was The Battle of Ia Drang: Joe Galloway's first-hand account. The northern lights put on a show overnight. We lost touch. Basil L. Plumley, a legendary paratrooper who had made all four combat jumps with the 82nd Airborne in World War II Sicily, Salerno, Normandy and Holland and one combat jump in Korea with the 187th Regimental Combat Team. It was during this wait that he received orders to Vietnam. November 1965 was wrong. Pfc. Matt Elliott Not long after the conversation, two U.S. warjets providing air Fire discipline held for the most part. Your Scrapbook is currently empty. She wrote him on a Thursday The 442nd's motto was "Go for Broke" - as noted above. She plans to call them, as In "We Were Soldiers," Galloway introduces himself to Nakayama, know about his last words. On the first day of the school year, when students introduced themselves formally to the class, he said "My name is Jimmy Nakayama and I like to eat." Past as if he is using his thumb Idaho began calling about the movie shows him alone Are you a. 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