Fallen Heroes: Specialist 6 James T. Conway

James Thaddeus Conway grew up in Tuscarawas County before service to country carried him to Vietnam and the ultimate sacrifice.

James Thaddeus Conway (1946-1970) was born in Dennison, Ohio. He was the son of Thaddeus Conway (1909-1989), a World War II veteran, and Leithana Mary Hammond (1908-2000). In the early 1930s, Thaddeus Conway’s family moved from Kentucky to Tuscarawas County, Ohio, when he was a child, joining many others seeking steady work during difficult economic times. James grew up in Uhrichsville alongside two older siblings, while his father worked as a railroad trackman for the ever-present railroad.

James attended high school in Uhrichsville between 1962 and 1964, where he was an active and well-rounded student. He participated in the Hi-Y Club, competed on the track team, and was a member of the Metal Arts Club, reflecting both his athletic interests and an aptitude for technical, hands-on work. James graduated from high school in May 1964, poised to enter adulthood at a moment when the nation, and especially its young men, were being drawn increasingly into the Vietnam War.

James enlisted in the United States Army in April 1966 at the age of nineteen. The following month, in May 1966, he married young woman from Waynesburg, Ohio and began a family even as his military obligations were just beginning. James was soon stationed at Fort Rucker, Alabama, where he trained as a helicopter mechanic with Company C, 15th Transportation Battalion. The assignment placed him at the center of the Army’s rapidly expanding use of helicopters, a defining feature of modern warfare in Vietnam.

James was deployed to Vietnam in September 1966, where his technical skills were put to constant use under dangerous conditions. By August 1967, he was promoted to the rank of Specialist 5 while serving with the First Cavalry Division, a reflection of both his competence and increasing responsibility. Though much of his work took place behind the scenes in maintenance and support roles, it carried significant risk, as aircraft reliability often meant the difference between life and death for crews and wounded soldiers alike.

Accounts from fellow servicemen later preserved through veterans’ associations provide a glimpse into the hazards James faced and the seriousness with which he approached his duties. James served as a MEDEVAC helicopter crew chief on his first tour in Vietnam, but during his second tour one fellow serviceman remembered that James determined maintenance work would be safer than flying MEDEVAC missions. Above all, those who served with him remembered his devotion to his family and his singular desire to return home to them.

James Thaddeus Conway was killed on April 25, 1970 while serving with the 15th Medical Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division during that second tour in Vietnam. He was aboard a UH-1H “Huey” helicopter during a post-maintenance test flight near the Song Be Bridge south of Phuoc Vinh when the aircraft suffered a catastrophic failure and crashed into a rubber plantation. Though all three occupants survived the initial impact, they later died from their injuries. James was remembered as a dedicated soldier, husband, and father who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to his country, leaving behind a legacy of duty, professionalism, and quiet courage rooted in his Tuscarawas County upbringing.

© Noel B. Poirier, 2026.