THE WALL OF FACES

Do not stand at my grave and weep.
I am not there; I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow,
I am the diamond glints on snow,
I am the sun on ripened grain,
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning's hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there; I did not die.

Mary Frye – 1932

Welcome home and rest in peace JAMES LINTON HUARD. Know you are not forgotten.

"An God said who shall we send.I answered I am here,send me."

Isaiah 6:8

Today I read an article in the Washington Post on the "Virtual Wall" and logged on with the hope of finding information on Jimmy "No fly the Thai" Huard.

I arrived at UBON RTAFB in early June 1971 as an F-4 "backseater" assigned to the 433rd TFS. Jimmy arrived in the squadron alittle over a month later. He was immediately accepted as one of us and received his "No Fly" name because he was sick and couldn't fly when he first arrived. Still he came to the squadron and squatted like a Thai observing our operation. He turned out to be the best. I flew many missions with him before he became a "Fast FAC". We even became "aircrew of the month" and I treasure the offical photograph of us beside a 2000 pound laser guided bomb. In combat he was cool, calm and collected. He was always thinking and never lost focus. I felt safe and looked forward to us flying together. With God as my witness he was a "natural". Once, I was the lead aircraft Weapons System Officer (WSO) and he was the number 2 aircraft pilot when he had a serious emergency 200 miles in Northern Loas. He saved his aircraft and fellow crew member that day. But to me his most important quality was that he was a dear friend. We spent many an hour sitting in his room comparing pictures of his boys and my one son. I learned about Cynthia and felt his love for a wonderfull family. We talked about family, the war and how anxious we were to go home. But we, especially "no fly", felt we were fighting in a just cause and we felt that we could fly and fight better then anyone else. The last time I saw Jimmy was as I leaving to come home in late May 1972. He and I looked at each other, him smiling, happy I was leaving, and me saying "be carefull, I will see you in 2 months when you finish" I was off to the 4th TAC FTR WG at Seymour Johnson AFB as a member of the 336th TAC FTR SQ. My family and I arrived there in late June 1972. The 336th was at UBON as summer help for the offensive in the "linebacker" campaigns

I arrived on back at UBON the 3rd week of July 1972. As soon as I settled in my new quarters I went over to the club and joined Lt Col Smith and some others from the 433rd to eat dinner. That's when I learned that Jimmy and Sam were lost. I will forget looking at everyone and feeling like a part of me was gone. After that, every chance I got on the way home after a mission we would cross over the area we felt he went down, looking for a crash site and listening for anything from his survival radio. We saw and heard nothing. He was the best and Sam was as good in the backseat. Our squadron rotated back to Seymour Johnson in Oct 1972 and I left UBON for the second time.

The Vietnam war ended in Jan 1973 but we rotated back to UBON in Mar 1973 as the peace was fragile and we were still flying combat in Cambodia. I still asked the intelligence and rescue people if they had ever located anthing. Nothing was the answer. We couldn't fly into Loas or Vietnam anymore so we couldn't look. Congress stopped the bombing in Cambodia in 1973 and we left UBON for the last time in Sept 1973 bound for Seymour Johnson.

I stayed in the Air Force. "No Fly" never left me. I would catch myself watching my son grow up thinking about Jimmy's boys and the difficulties that Cynthia must have faced . I showed my family the picture of Jimmy and I. I have told them about him so many times I know I have repeated myself. I still mourn his loss thinking why him and not me. My last assignment in the Air Force was as Assistent Division Chief, Pacific East Asia Division, Air Staff Plans and Operations. One of my jobs was the Air Staff Point of Contact for POW/MIA issues. I checked with DIA and CIA to see if anthing had ever surfaced on Jimmy. I was always told "nothing". I retired from the Air Force on 1 Jan 1988. After reading the other remembrances I now know that Jimmy came home. I only wish I had been at Arlington. I will go there and visit him and welcome him.

I wish Cynthia and his boys the "peace that passes all understanding" for I know he is with the lord. There is nothing I can say except I am truly sorry and I know he will never leave me. He was the best.

My love prayers wishes thoughts and all the hopes goes to Cynthia and his boys.
I am so sorry
I cannot imagine all the pain

http://www.geocities.com/pow_mia_helper78/inlovingmemoryofjameslhuard.html

here is the memorialpage i created with much love to him
yes I really love him
i will always do
I adopted him
i prayed so much

and i still pray for him

i often cry, i just cried

i lost an adopted brother of mine
i miss him

god bless you james and be with you
see you in heaven

god be with you and your family

with never ending love
Angela