James Lindsay served in the Army for 38 years rising from the rank of Private and seeing action in the Vietnam War, to General where he led Special Operations Command, the 82nd Airborne Division, and the XVIII Airborne Corps. He passed away on August 5 at the age of 90.
"Last night, the Airborne and Special Operations Forces communities lost one of its greatest leaders with the passing of Gen. Jim Lindsay. His leadership impacted the fabric of our Nation, and our generation owes him tremendously for his presence and mentorship," Lt. Gen. Chris Donahue said in a press statement.
Enlisting in the Army during Vietnam, Lindsay went on to be awarded the Army's second highest award, the Distinguished Service Cross for valorous actions taken in combat with the enemy.
"Lieutenant Colonel Lindsay distinguished himself by exceptionally valorous actions from 31 May to 4 June 1968 during an operation which located and destroyed three main force Viet Cong and North Vietnamese battalions in the Plain of Reeds," his DSC citation reads.
"After two days of tracking the enemy, Colonel Lindsay accompanied his battalion as it was inserted by air into the flank of the communists. Immediately upon landing, his men were brought under extremely heavy automatic weapons and small arms fire from a nearby woodline. Moving from position to position under the hail of bullets, he directed his troops' fire and, once fire superiority had been gained, led an assault into the hostile bunker complex which destroyed sixty of the fortifications and forced the enemy to withdraw."
Throughout the rest of his career, he held numerous Special Forces and Airborne assignments at Fort Bragg.
Lindsay was also instrumental in preserving the history of the special operations community, and played a big role in establishing the special operations museum on Fayetteville, North Carolina. He founded the Airborne and Special Operations Museum Foundation, with the museum subsequently opening in 2000.
Reach Jack Murphy: jack@connectingvets.com or @JackMurphyRGR.
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