James Lawrence “Jimmy” Lien was born in Rapid City, South
Dakota, on January 7, 1946. His parents were Russell and
Adelia (Eckert) Lien. He had two sisters, Judy and Sandy.
James grew up in Lead, South Dakota, where he attended
schools before he joined the Navy in April of 1964, after
his first year of high school.
James Lien entered the active services in Denver,
Colorado, on April 7, 1964. While he was in the Navy, James
earned his high school diploma. He also taught other sailors
to swim, according to his sister, Judy. Lien went overseas
to Vietnam as a Boatswain’s Mate Second Class.
With less than 30 days to go in the Navy, Lien
volunteered to go on a mission when another man got sick. On
February 27, 1968, BM2 James Lawrence Lean was killed in
action in Vietnam when he received “multiple fragment
wounds.” The family was notified by telegram from the Vice
Admiral of the navy who wrote:
I deeply regret to confirm on behalf
of the United States Navy that your son BM3 James
Lawrence Lien, was killed in action at Can Tho River,
South Vietnam while conducting river line assault
operations against the enemy. The exact date of death is
unknown at this time. However, that will be furnished to
you as soon as it is known…Your son died while serving
his country. I extend to you my sincere sympathy in your
great loss.
The body of BM3 James Lien was later returned to the
United States and buried with military honors at Black Hills
National Cemetery. At the time of his death, James Lawrence
Lien was survived by his parents and his sisters. On the
remembrances on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial site, his
cousin left a message; it read, “We almost made it Jimmy…
I’m so sorry we did not go to San Diego together that
September morn in 1967...See Ya kid.”
Another remembrance was posted in his memory by John L.
Miller, RM3 A-111-5, who wrote:
I met Jim at NIOTC training and we
really hit it off. He always kept things light and
happy. When my wife came out to Vallejo, CA to see me,
of course Jim was invited where we went. Since this was
his second tour, she asked him to take care of me. If we
went on liberty, we went together. We kept each other
straight. The night he was killed, I remember taking the
coded numbers as a radioman on A-111-5( he was on our
sister boat A-111-4) the night that we were heavily
attacked by the V.C. of the personnel who were killed
that night and the devastation I felt when I uncode[d]
his number to his name. It was one of the hardest
letters I ever had to write to let my wife know that
he'd been killed in action. I often wondered why a
young, full of life person like Jim should have to die
so early. I guess God had other plans for him in Heaven.
Only Jimmy Lien’s sister, Judy Robinson, and
her family survive him.
This entry was respectfully submitted by
Alexis Rigby, 8th grade, Spearfish Middle School, Spearfish,
South Dakota, on September 29, 2005. Information for this
entry was provided by a Vietnam bonus application and Rapid
City Journal March 13, 1968, and March 14th, 1968, and
www.vvmf.org. Profile
approval by Judy Robinson, Bellevue, Nebraska.
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