Jimmy's Page



	" Then John hesitated and reached into his briefcase, pulling out a small plastic bag. He then presented Judi with Jimmy's St. Christopher medallion; the same she and her mom had presented him at graduation ceremonies at Ft. Rucker when Jimmy graduated from flight school. They'd ended up in New Orleans in a grand celebration before he departed for Vietnam. The personalized inscription on the back was unmistaken. We took it out of the bag and slowly passed it around for each to inspect. I was last and held it for a moment, visualizing it as hung ever present around his neck. It had been next to his breast when his helicopter exploded. " Excerpt from a letter written by Mike Austin Blueghost 41/23 1971-2

Did you know Jim? Do you have memories of him or others that served in Vietnam? Share your thoughts and remembrances by e-mailing me at kmbailey@techline.com and I'll post your comments here.
	.....my sorrow goes out to all the family and friends....I graduated from Hoquiam and was in Saigon, Vietnam at the time he was killed... Larry M. Paulsen I just remember the ceremony in '75 (I think), where James' family received his medal posthumously. It took place in the HHS gym, with an Army color guard, band and a general presenting the Distinguished Service Cross. This is our nation's second highest medal for valor, and in this case McQuade had been put in for the Medal of Honor, but awarded this very high medal instead (this is a high honor, in military circles). His younger brother was my classmate, and his father served for a while in the same unit as my father in WW II. Anyway, I thought that it was important to include a mention of his bravery and this award in your brief on the website. Kind Regards, Casey Klahn Acknowledgments: Special thanks to Judi McQuade for sharing the eloquent and very moving letter from Mike Austin. Much gratitude to Skip Powell for sharing the photograph of the OH-6A helicopter used on this page.
Other Sites to Visit: Links will open in new window. Northwest Veterans Newsletter Statistics About the Vietnam War Vietnam Veterans of America Medal of Honor Citations Arlington National Cemetery The Wall AMVETS Homepage Veterans of the Vietnam War, Inc. Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund