Jimmy Lee Coleman
Rank/Branch: E3/US Army
Unit: Company C, 4th Battalion, 47th Infantry, 9th Infantry Division
Date of Birth: 20 November 1949
Home City of Record: Goodwater, AL
Date of Loss: 06 March 1969
Country of Loss: South Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 101730N 1052251E (XS512379)
Status (in 1973): Missing In Action
Category: 3
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: Ground
Other Personnel in Incident: (none missing)
REMARKS: Shot on bridge; fell off.
SYNOPSIS: PFC Jimmy Lee Coleman was a rifleman in Company C, 4th Battalion, 47th Infantry Division. On March 6, 1969, Coleman was serving as point man for his company on a reconnaissance mission in Kien Hoa Province, a few miles southeast of the city of My Tho.
Coleman's company prepared to cross a small bamboo bridge by firing on the opposing bank with M-79 grenade launchers to try to draw fire from enemy forces, if they were present. The company received no return fire, so Coleman proceeded across the bridge to provide security on the other side. As he started across, enemy fire erupted from the other side. When the firing barage ceased, Coleman had disappeared.
An examination of the bridge showed blood stains where Coleman had last been seen standing on the bridge. Divers from the Company C searched the area around the bridge and downstream, but found no trace of PFC Coleman. He was declared Missing In Action.
In 1974, a Viet Cong rallier reported that Coleman had been shot as he crossed the bridge, and the rallier had seen him fall into the river.
Whether Jimmy Lee Coleman died as a result of his gunshot wound or drowned when he fell into the river has never been learned. As far as the U.S. Army is concerned, he is dead. For his family and friends, however, doubts remain.
Since 1975, "millions of documents" and over 250,000 interviews have been conducted concerning Americans missing in Southeast Asia. Many authorities are certain that many Americans remain alive today. Whether Jimmy Lee Coleman is one of them is not certain. But as long as one American is being held against his will, we must do everything in our power to bring him home.
 |
Patriot Promotions Freedom Fighters Site Number: 16 This Freedom Fighters [ Prev 5 | Skip Prev | Prev | Next ] |