James Bernard Scanlon (January 16, 1931 – October 30, 2023) was a U.S. Army officer who served in the Korean and Vietnam Wars. Scanlon is notable for serving as an American advisor in

South Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam ( vi, Việt Nam Cộng hòa), was a state in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975, the period when the southern portion of Vietnam was a member of the Western Bloc during part of th ...

from 1962 to 1963, and was involved in the Battle of Ap Bac.

Early life

Scanlon was born on January 16, 1931, in St. Louis, Missouri. He attended the Christian Brothers College High School. He enlisted in the army after school and attended the Armor Officer Candidate School. After he completed parachute training at

Fort Benning Fort Benning is a United States Army post near Columbus, Georgia, adjacent to the Alabama–Georgia border. Fort Benning supports more than 120,000 active-duty military, family members, reserve component soldiers, retirees and civilian employees ...

, he was assigned to the 710th Tank Battalion in the

11th Airborne Division The 11th Airborne Division ("Arctic Angels") is a United States Army airborne formation, first activated on 25 February 1943, during World War II. Consisting of one parachute and two glider infantry regiments, with supporting troops, the div ...

. Scanlon obtained a bachelor's degree through the Army's Bootstrap Program at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and took postgraduate courses in management at George Washington University. He retired with the rank of lieutenant colonel in 1973.

Vietnam War

Scanlon served as an advisor in South Vietnam from 1962 to 1963. He was an adviser to the ARVN's 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment, and served with his South Vietnamese counterpart, Captain

Ly Tong Ba LY or ly may refer to: Government and politics * Libya (ISO 3166-1 country code LY) * Lý dynasty, a Vietnamese dynasty * Labour Youth of Ireland * Legislative Yuan, the unicameral legislature of the Republic of China (Taiwan) Science and tech ...

, who was commander of the 4th Mechanized Rifle Squadron, 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment.

Personal life

Scanlon married his high school sweetheart, Nancy Zerillo, on May 24, 1952. His wife predeceased him in 2011. He died on October 30, 2023, and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

Appearances

Scanlon appeared in

Ken Burns Kenneth Lauren Burns (born July 29, 1953) is an American filmmaker known for his documentary film, documentary films and television series, many of which chronicle United States, American History of the United States, history and Culture of the ...

' '' The Vietnam War'', Episode "Riding the Tiger (1961-1963)." He is also mentioned in Neil Sheehan's, '' A Bright Shining Lie'', David Halberstam's ''The Making of A Quagmire'', and Geoffrey C. Ward and Ken Burns, ''The Vietnam War: An Intimate History''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Scanlon, James B. 1931 births 2023 deaths United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War United States Army personnel of the Korean War University of Nebraska Omaha alumni George Washington University alumni Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Military personnel from St. Louis