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by Erin E. Thompson, USAICoE Staff Historian
BRIGADE S-2 GIVES LIFE IN VIETNAM
On 23 October 1968, 27-year-old Capt. James B. Hansard was killed when he was struck by enemy fire during a reconnaissance flight over Binh Duong Province, South Vietnam. Captain Hansard was serving as S-2 for 3d Brigade, 25th Infantry Division.
James Burl Hansard, nicknamed “Butch” by friends and family, was born in Grand Prairie, Texas, on 4 August 1941. He moved to Plainview, Texas, in 1955 and graduated from the local high school in 1959. He enrolled at West Texas State University and distinguished himself within the university’s Reserve Officer’s Training Corps (ROTC) program. He graduated with honors in 1963 and was commissioned into the active Army as a second lieutenant.
In 1966, Hansard deployed to Vietnam as the commanding officer of C Company, 3d Battalion, 22d Infantry. During his first tour, he earned a Bronze Star Medal and Army Commendation Medal for “engineering the rescue of a convoy ambushed by the Viet Cong along the main supply route between Cu Chi and Tay Ninh.” Upon returning home from Vietnam, Hansard was assigned as an ROTC instructor at Louisiana State University (LSU), where he also served as an advisor to the LSU Bengal Raiders, a volunteer Army ROTC extracurricular activity. One former LSU cadet remembered Hansard as someone “you wished you could be and should be as [a] young American defending his country and doing his duty.” Hansard also coached LSU’s rifle team, which placed eleventh in the nation.
Hansard was promoted to captain shortly before he deployed to Vietnam for a second tour in 1968. He was assigned as the S-2 intelligence officer with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3d Brigade, 25th Infantry Division. Captain Hansard was involved in the U.S. Counteroffensive Phase V, from 1 July–1 November 1968. Phase V involved actions to restore governmental control in South Vietnam over areas lost during the Tet Offensive earlier in the year. As the tactical intelligence staff officer for 3d Brigade, Hansard’s role required him to assess reports from his intelligence analysts, radar and unattended ground sensors, and aerial imagery, as well as communications and signal intelligence from Army Security Agency units on the ground in support of the division.
On 23 October 1968, Captain Hansard was riding in an OH-6 helicopter over Binh Duong Province, South Vietnam, when he was struck by sniper fire and killed. He was the only crew member hurt in the incident. His body was returned home and buried in Plainview, Texas. He was survived by his wife and two children. Following his death, a patrol base near Tay Ninh West Airfield was renamed Patrol Base Hansard in his honor.
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| Date Taken: | 10.18.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 10.18.2024 14:11 |
| Story ID: | 483447 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 27 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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