At the beginning of 1967, the U.S. troop strength in Vietnam was approximately 380,000. By the end of the year it
had grown to 500,000. The Class of 1964’s combat losses increased by a slightly higher ratio during that year.
Five members of the class would perish in 1967 compared to the three who died in 1966. In a way, that is surprising,
because on 3 January 1967, after thirteen months as first lieutenants, almost everyone in the class in the army was
promoted to the rank of captain. The promotion date would have been 3 June (eighteen months as second lieutenant
and eighteen months as first lieutenant), but with the war’s escalation promotions were speeded up. Eventually, the
time in grade requirement would reach twelve months for each lieutenant rank, resulting in officers becoming captains
in exactly two years. Theoretically, captains should have a lower casualty rate than lieutenants since lieutenants,
as platoon leaders, are closer to the front lines. However, with the general absence of front lines in Vietnam,
that theory did not always apply.
On 26 May 1967 James c. Powers became the seventh warrior of the Class of ’64 to die in combat, and the first captain
to die. He was also the first victim who was married, leaving his wife, Ann, a widow. Their daughter, Jamie, would
be born less than four months later on 15 September.
Jim was born in Dubuque, Iowa, on 23 April 1940, the second of eight children – six boys and two girls. His mother,
Martha, was of German heritage and his father, Philip, was of Irish ancestry. Jim inherited all the best qualities
from both parents.
Jim was a true Iowa farm boy. He grew up on the family’s 150-acre farm just outside the city limits. It was a huge
endeavor which, besides several crops and a large dairy herd, included beef cattle, hogs, chickens, goats, banty hens,
and later, during jim’s high school years, sheep. According to family lore, it was the sheep which finalized Jim’s
decision to become a soldier.
On the farm, Jim learned every aspect of farming and always entered at least one animal in competition at the annual
fair. When he was in the seventh grade, his father was hospitalized in the Mayo Clinic for almost five months. During
this time Jim and his brothers Dave and Paul took over operation of the farm. It was a challenging situation for the
three youngsters but they managed to keep the family fed and the livestock alive without any regression in their
schoolwork.
Jim attended St. Anthony’s Grade School where he was under the tutelage of the Sisters of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The school was only a mile and a half from the farm and Jim’s parents always brought fresh vegetables and meats to
the good Sisters. Although they were altar boys, Jim and his brothers were frequently corrected for causing
disturbances or teasing girls. However, their mother always assured the nuns that it was just good-natured fun and
that her sons were as innocent as they looked. In fact, they did have very angelic appearances.
The Powers boys were constantly on the move. After mastering trikes, wagons, bikes and horses, they began
experimenting with their father’s Case Tractor and subjected it to every test known to man, agricultural and
otherwise. While in high school Jim’s younger brother Dave developed a love for cars and racing. When the farm
chores were completed, Jim and Dave would work on their cars – usually with the help of a cute city girl standing
by to pass the tools to them. Jim and his brothers worked hard and played hard. There was never a dull moment.
Jim attended Loras Academy High School and worked each summer for farmers in the area. His main extracurricular
activities during that time included being president of the 4-H club and a junior ROTC cadet. Jim would later say
that his interest in a military career began while he was in the ROTC program, mainly because of the influence of
an outstanding infantry officer instructor, Captain Leo O’Brien.
By the time he graduated in 1958, he made up his mind to go to West Point, but the college board examinations
indicated that he needed a little more preparation in math and science. So, Jim enrolled in Northwestern Prep
School in Minneapolis. Because he could not afford the tuition, he was given a free room in the attic and did
kitchen and housekeeping work in order to pay his bills. After that year he attended the Merchant Marine Academy
in Kings Point, New York, thus moving closer to his goal, mentally and physically. With his academic and
leadership credentials significantly strengthened, Jim was awarded an appointment to the United States Military
Academy by Congressman James Bromwell in 1960.
The new cadet’s departure from the train station was a grand ordeal, especially since he was the only one in the
family who had ever been east of Chicago. It would turn out to be a bittersweet farewell for the large entourage
that sent Jim off to his military dream.
Jim’s four years at West Point were notable for the number of friends he made. From the day he arrived in New Cadet
Barracks with his long farmer’s stride and wide smile to his firstie year as a cadet captain and K-2 company
commander, no one was more liked. His two years in K-2 were shared with another class standout,
Alex Hottell who would also perish in Vietnam, three years after Jim.
As a plebe and a yearling, Jim belonged to company I-2. In fact, I-2 had Jim Powers, ’64, for all four years. When
James C. Powers went to K-2 with the 1962 company shuffle, James W. Powers was assigned to I-2. For many in the class,
when the name Jim Powers was mentioned, the question would follow, “Which one?” The answer would usually be, “The
blond one (James C.)” or “The dark-haired one (James W.).” It would become a very poignant point when Jim was killed.
Jim was an extremely active cadet. Besides playing B Squad lacrosse, he was a member of the Honor Committee, the
Hop Committee, Russian Club, Catholic Chapel Acolytes, Catholic Choir, Cardinal Newman Forum, and the Outdoor
Sportsman Club. He also loved a good time in New York City and the German-American Club on Third Avenue in
Manhattan was never too far away. When Jim returned from his summer assignment in Germany between yearling and
cow years, he and several classmates wore their recently purchased lederhosen to an Irish bar in The Rockaways,
pretending they were German students studying in the United States. Jim felt that was a surefire way to meet girls.
He did meet numerous young ladies as a cadet, but none were right for him. Jim was responsible, however, for at least
two marriages in the class. One of his former roommates, Kevin Kelley, relates the following: “One Sunday morning
during the spring of 1962 I was sitting with my date in the Weapons Room (a cadet club) when Jim walked in, escorting
a cute young lady named Rosemary. He introduced us and explained that he was just going to sit with her until her
date returned from the first regiment chapel formation in about an hour. That was sufficient time for me to convince
Rosemary to go out with me the following weekend and we got married a few years later.
“Jim also introduced his sister Jeanne to our classmate Brendan Quann after the Army-Air Force football game in the
fall of 1963. Their wedding took place on 28 October 1967, five months after Jim’s death.”
While Jim was a cadet, he and his family looked forward to his summer leaves. He loved his family and relished each
moment with them and they with him. However, his mother never understood how someone could be so neat at school and
yet so sloppy at home. So, as a treat for her, Jim would manicure the yard as if it were the superintendent’s
quarters. Although he mowed the lawn with the farm tractor, he sharpened his leadership skills by having his
younger sister and brothers do the weeding, trimming, and sweeping. One summer while Jim was helping his dad on
the farm, he was struck on the head by a large oak tree they were uprooting. He returned to West point not only
with a painful memory, but also a very large scar across his head.
Following graduation Jim was commissioned into the infantry. His maturity and waord experience benefited him
greatly in his successful completion of the Airborne and Ranger courses. In all probability, those schools never
saw a more good-natured candidate with a better disposition. He was a joy to be with, even under the most trying
circumstances.
Jim’s first assignment took him to Fort Lewis, Washington, where he met, fell in love with, and married Ann Wilson
of Mount Vernon, Washington. Ann was a senior at the University of Washington when they met, and Jim’s ’64 Chevy
put on many miles between Fort Lewis and Seattle until they were wed on 18 December 1965 in Ann’s hometown. They
packed more living into the first six months of their marriage than most people do in a lifetime. Jim knew he
would be deploying soon with the Fourth Infantry Division as it was about to join in the build-up of U.S. Forces
in Vietnam.
As expected, the orders came a few months after the wedding, and in June 1966 Jim left for Southeast Asia. He
served as a general’s aide for the first six months, all the time hoping he would have the chance to command a
company since he would be getting promoted to captain in early January. After meeting Ann in Hawaii for R&R
(rest and recuperation) in December, Jim’s wish came true and he took command of Company C, Third Battalion,
Eighth Infantry Regiment. It was hazardous duty to say the least, but Jim was prepared for the challenge.
Sadly, though, on 26 May 1967, only about a month shy of his scheduled departure, Jim met his fate heroically
near the top of Hill 571, west of Pleiku. He had been leading his company up the hill to link up with B Company
at the summit. Only eighty yards from the top, Jim called for the rest break so his troops could recover their
strength before the final upward surge. Within minutes, however, all hell broke loose. C Company had stumbled
into a North Vietnamese Army battalion which had prepared an ambush for the approaching Americans. Automatic
weapons fire and mortar rounds began to saturate the area. Jim was killed immediately as the first wave of
Communist assault troops moved forward. In fact, all the officers of the company were either killed or wounded
so the first sergeant, Richard Childers, had to take control and lead the counter attack. It took over three
hours at a cost of nine killed and forty-eight wounded, but the topkick bravely and skillfully accomplished the
mission.
Several U.S. newspapers published accounts of the encounter, citing Jim’s outstanding application of training
and tactics which insured his men against quick annihilation. During the march before the ambush, he had
repeatedly ordered the men of his platoons to keep good tactical information , even though their proximity to B
Company and the summit of Hill 571 seemed to preclude the probability of an enemy attack. Consequently, the
lead men maintained a true course, slashing their way through the jungle with powerful swings of their machetes,
while the remainder of the company maintained the proper tactical spacing.
The North Vietnamese commander probably had not counted on such discipline, as U.S. troops often tended to get
sloppy as they neared real or imagined safety. But Jim had not let that happen to Charlie Company. Had the
company been strung out in a line or overly bunched up, the Communist commander might well have been the first
to destroy a major American unit.
Despite losing his own life, Jim’s forethought and firm leadership saved his command. He was awarded the Silver
Star, the Purple Heart, and the Soldier’s Medal for his gallantry, as well as several Vietnamese awards. He is
buried at Evergreen Washelli Memorial Cemetery in Seattle, Washington. Jim was the only ’64 warrior to die while
serving with the Fourth Infantry Division.
Five months later, when Jim’s sister Jeanne and Brendan Quann were married, Ann Powers was a member of the wedding
party. In spite of her grief, she told herself life had to continue. Also in that wedding party was another
classmate, Bill Reynolds, supposedly a confirmed bachelor. As fate would have it, Ann’s and Bill’s paths later
crossed and in time they fell in love and got married, eventually giving Jaime a sister, two brothers and a loving
family. Jamie is now married to Michael Rector and they have a son of their own, Jim’s grandchild, Hunter.
The Captain James C. Powers Scholarship Fund was established by Ann and the Powers family following his death.
It has awarded scholarships to deserving graduates of St. Anthony’s Grade School every year since Jim’s death.
Although Jim’s mother and father have since joined him, he is still survived by his sisters: Kathryn Miller of
Champaign, Illinois, and Jeanne Quann of Dubuque; and five brothers: Dave of Houston, Texas; paul of Denver,
Colorado; Pat of Dubuque; Tom of Seattle, Washington; and John (Jay), also of Denver.
The extended Powers clan has frequent reunions and remembering Jim is always a central theme. Jim’s many
friends in the Clss of ’64 and the U.S. Army also remember him as a compassionate leader and a great friend.
He unselfishly gave his life so others could be free.
~ Fallen Warriors The West Point Class of 1964 by John Murray |