Lucky Bag Yearbook

From the 1955 Lucky Bag:

JAMES LLOYD GRIFFIN

A staunch supporter of General Neyland for the head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Jim was also an ardent admirer of Stan Musial and the St. Louis Cards. Tennessee’s gift to the Naval Academy spent one year at the U. of T. before entering into the sheltered life of a Midshipman. After graduation Jim intends to be a jet jockey in naval air. Born and raised on the farm, Jim enjoys the outdoor life and is a competent authority on any hunting or fishing problems. After the gold wears off, Jim intends to go back to the farm and spend the rest of his life watching both his kids and his crops grow.

Loss

John died on May 21, 1967 while a prisoner of war in North Vietnam. He had been shot down two days earlier while piloting a RA-5C Vigilante.

Other Information

From Arlington National Cemetery¹ (and almost word-for-word at Virtual Wall):

Born in Gates, Tennessee 27 December 1932, he attended the University of Tennessee at Martin before entering the U.S. Naval Academy. Upon graduation from the academy in 1955 he entered flight training in Pensacola, Florida, and got his wings in 1956.

He attended the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, and received a professional degree in aeronautical engineering from University of Michigan in 1963.

He served in VA-83, deploying to the Mediterranean and flying missions in Lebanon in 1958 aboard the aircraft carrier USS Essex and in 1959-60 aboard USS Forrestal. He joined RVAH-13 in 1964, serving in Vietnam on two cruises from 1965-1967. In April of 1967 Commander Griffin had completed 100 combat missions; his plane was shot down over Hanoi on May 19, 1967–Ho Chi Minh1s birthday.

Commander Griffin’s awards included the Distinguished Flying Cross with gold star; the Air Medal with bronze Star (eight awards); the Naval Commendation Medal with gold star and combat distinguishing device; the Navy Achievement Medal; the Purple Heart; Navy Unit Commendation Medal with bronze star; Republic of Vietnam Meritorious Unit Citation (Gallantry Cross Medal Color with Palm); Vietnam Service Medal with three bronze stars; and the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal.

On the day of his “shoot-down” a radio broadcast from Hanoi announced that Commander Griffin and his navigator had been captured, and, although gravely injured, he read a statement which was broadcast. A photo of his military ID card was displayed in a museum in Hanoi. He was carried in a “missing in action” status until January, 1973, when his death on May 21, 1967 was revealed by the North Vietnamese. On January 16, 1974 the Secretary of the Navy verified that Commander Griffin had died while a prisoner of war. A plaque marking the event of his “shoot down” stands on the corner of a building in downtown Hanoi.

Survivors include his wife Dora, his son James, and his daughter Glyn Carol Griffin, his parents, two brothers and a sister. Dora Bell, James’ wife, on 10/07/2001

After the war Dora remarried Capt. James Bell ‘54, USN, who had been a prisoner of war for seven and a half years.

Distinguished Flying Cross

From Hall of Valor:

(Citation Needed) - SYNOPSIS: Commander James Lloyd Griffin, United States Navy, was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight in Southeast Asia.

Action Date: Vietnam War
Service: Navy
Rank: Commander

From Hall of Valor:

(Citation Needed) - SYNOPSIS: Commander James Lloyd Griffin, United States Navy, was awarded a Gold Star in lieu of a Second Award of the Distinguished Flying Cross for extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight in Southeast Asia.

Action Date: Vietnam War
Service: Navy
Rank: Commander

Photographs

From the Lucky Bag

From the April 1974 issue of _Shipmate_.

References