MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE 2025 Regular Session To: Rules By: Representatives Remak, Carpenter, Hall House Concurrent Resolution 32 (As Adopted by House and Senate) A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING AND HONORING THE COURAGEOUS LIFE AND EXTRAORDINARY LEGACY OF JAMES HENRY TAYLOR FOR HIS SERVICE DURING THE VIETNAM WAR. WHEREAS, on March 16, 1962, Flying Tiger Line Flight 739 was on a secret mission, but the flight disappeared and was never found, and tragically, all those on board, including 93 United States Army soldiers and 11 civilian crew members, including James Henry Taylor of Olive Branch, Mississippi, perished; and WHEREAS, very little is known about what happened to the plane and its passengers, and due to the circumstances surrounding this mission, the names of those lost have not yet been added to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C.; and WHEREAS, recently, many families and loved ones of these heroes gathered in Columbia Falls, Maine, where national nonprofit Wreaths Across America (WAA) is based, to be present for the unveiling of a new monument dedicated to the men who were lost, and the new monument, which is made entirely of granite and stands 8 feet tall, 9.5 feet wide and 4 feet deep at its base, displays the engraving of each of the 93 Army soldiers aboard, as well as the names of the 11 flight crew members, many of whom were veterans themselves; and WHEREAS, the inscription on the stone reads: "Missing in action; Presumed dead. Flying Tiger Line Flight 739 went missing on March 16, 1962, with 93 U.S. Army soldiers on board. These men and their flight crew perished in what would become one of the biggest aviation mysteries out of the Vietnam War era. THE NAMES OF THOSE WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES AND WHO REMAIN MISSING ARE INSCRIBED HERE SO THAT THEY WILL BE SAID ALOUD AND THEIR MEMORY WILL LIVE ON."; and WHEREAS, the land where the monument was erected was donated by WAA Founder Morrill Worcester, and it is located on the balsam tip land where brush is harvested each year to make veterans' wreaths to be placed on the headstones of our nation's heroes on National Wreaths Across America Day; and WHEREAS, during the ceremony, the names of each person aboard Flying Tiger Line Flight 739 were honored as they were read aloud, and there have been renewed efforts to add the names of the men who perished on Flight 739 to the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial Wall as an everlasting tribute to their sacrifice and service; and WHEREAS, Dianna Crumpler was among the family members who attended the unveiling of the monument, as her brother, James Henry Taylor, was on Flying Tiger Line Flight 739, and Dianna, who, along with her brother, Curtis Taylor, was 17-years-old when the flight disappeared, shared James Henry Taylor's story; and WHEREAS, James Henry Taylor was born in Memphis, Tennessee, on January 17, 1938, to James Walter and Helen Taylor of Olive Branch, Mississippi, and he attended college at then Northwest Mississippi Junior College, now known as Northwest Community College, in Senatobia, Mississippi; and WHEREAS, James was very popular in school, and his friends called him "Tater" and everyone who knew him commented about his smile, as they said that they never saw him when he wasn't smiling or laughing that crazy laugh that everyone knew was coming from him; and WHEREAS, during his tenure at Northwest, he met Deanna Brown from Crenshaw, Mississippi, and fell in love, and the duo was united in holy matrimony after he graduated from Northwest; and WHEREAS, after his marriage and graduation from Northwest, James attended Southwest College in Memphis, now known as Rhodes College, and was pursuing a career as a pastor in the Presbyterian Church, and was serving as the youth director at his home church, which is the same church his sister still attends in Olive Branch, Bethel Presbyterian Church, and the pastor at the time took him under his wing and loved him like his own son, mentoring him for the ministry; and WHEREAS, after he finished two years of school, he found out that his wife, called Dee, was pregnant with their first child, Merry Tamah Taylor-Mattix, so James decided the best way to take care of his family was to enlist in the Army; and WHEREAS, James spent two years in the Army when Dee became pregnant with their second child, and a couple of months before Jamie Ann was born, James re-enlisted because he could finish his next three years in the Army and also study to be a minister while in the service; and WHEREAS, James had a month off between his two terms of service so he brought his family back to Olive Branch to live while he served, or at least until he was stationed at a permanent base, but the mission to Vietnam, Tiger Line Flight 739 was his first deployment; and WHEREAS, James preached a sermon about going to Heaven the Sunday before he left on that final flight, and the name of the sermon was "The Odds against going to Heaven are 6 to 1," which was named after a popular song in the early sixties; and WHEREAS, the Tiger Line Flight 739 mission was a very secret mission, so secret that all of the men were told they could bring nothing with them that identified them in any way, so they had to leave wedding rings, pictures, dog tags, and everything at home; and WHEREAS, many of the soldiers on Tiger Line Flight 739 told their families that they would likely not be returning alive, but James's family did not know how dangerous the mission was at that time; and WHEREAS, the flight left on March 16, 1962, and was lost from radar between Guam and the Philippines or Saigon, but James's sister knows the flight made it to Guam because he stopped long enough while they were refueling to drop a postcard to his wife to tell her that he loved her and missed her and where he was, but this was the last contact anyone ever had with him; and WHEREAS, the largest search ever made in the Pacific was launched and several countries joined in the search for anything, but nothing, not even a shred of anything, was found by anyone, and after eight days, the search was called off and the hearts of the family members of all those on board shattered; and WHEREAS, sadly, after James left, Jamie Ann was born with a heart defect and only lived for 12 days, and his daughter, Merry, was 2-years-old when her father departed on Flight 739, and she has said that it was difficult growing up without a father, and that not knowing what happened to him added a layer of grief and lack of closure; and WHEREAS, Merry also attended the dedication of the monument in Maine, and being there among the sons and daughters of other parents who perished, she realized she wasn't alone, and to have her father and the fathers of others honored in such a meaningful way was healing for her; and WHEREAS, James Henry Taylor's unflinching courage and gallant self-sacrifice reflect lasting glory upon himself and uphold the noble traditions of the infantry and the military service; and WHEREAS, it is the policy of the Legislature to honor heroic Mississippians such as James Henry Taylor for remarkable dedication and self-sacrifice to the United States of America, the State of Mississippi and the people of Olive Branch, who are eternally appreciative, for without James, the freedom they know and love would not be possible: NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE SENATE CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby recognize and honor the courageous life and extraordinary legacy of James Henry Taylor for his service during the Vietnam War. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be furnished to the family of James Henry Taylor and to the members of the Capitol Press Corps.
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2025 Regular Session
To: Rules
By: Representatives Remak, Carpenter, Hall
# House Concurrent Resolution 32
## (As Adopted by House and Senate)
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING AND HONORING THE COURAGEOUS LIFE AND EXTRAORDINARY LEGACY OF JAMES HENRY TAYLOR FOR HIS SERVICE DURING THE VIETNAM WAR.
WHEREAS, on March 16, 1962, Flying Tiger Line Flight 739 was on a secret mission, but the flight disappeared and was never found, and tragically, all those on board, including 93 United States Army soldiers and 11 civilian crew members, including James Henry Taylor of Olive Branch, Mississippi, perished; and
WHEREAS, very little is known about what happened to the plane and its passengers, and due to the circumstances surrounding this mission, the names of those lost have not yet been added to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C.; and
WHEREAS, recently, many families and loved ones of these heroes gathered in Columbia Falls, Maine, where national nonprofit Wreaths Across America (WAA) is based, to be present for the unveiling of a new monument dedicated to the men who were lost, and the new monument, which is made entirely of granite and stands 8 feet tall, 9.5 feet wide and 4 feet deep at its base, displays the engraving of each of the 93 Army soldiers aboard, as well as the names of the 11 flight crew members, many of whom were veterans themselves; and
WHEREAS, the inscription on the stone reads: "Missing in action; Presumed dead. Flying Tiger Line Flight 739 went missing on March 16, 1962, with 93 U.S. Army soldiers on board. These men and their flight crew perished in what would become one of the biggest aviation mysteries out of the Vietnam War era. THE NAMES OF THOSE WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES AND WHO REMAIN MISSING ARE INSCRIBED HERE SO THAT THEY WILL BE SAID ALOUD AND THEIR MEMORY WILL LIVE ON."; and
WHEREAS, the land where the monument was erected was donated by WAA Founder Morrill Worcester, and it is located on the balsam tip land where brush is harvested each year to make veterans' wreaths to be placed on the headstones of our nation's heroes on National Wreaths Across America Day; and
WHEREAS, during the ceremony, the names of each person aboard Flying Tiger Line Flight 739 were honored as they were read aloud, and there have been renewed efforts to add the names of the men who perished on Flight 739 to the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial Wall as an everlasting tribute to their sacrifice and service; and
WHEREAS, Dianna Crumpler was among the family members who attended the unveiling of the monument, as her brother, James Henry Taylor, was on Flying Tiger Line Flight 739, and Dianna, who, along with her brother, Curtis Taylor, was 17-years-old when the flight disappeared, shared James Henry Taylor's story; and
WHEREAS, James Henry Taylor was born in Memphis, Tennessee, on January 17, 1938, to James Walter and Helen Taylor of Olive Branch, Mississippi, and he attended college at then Northwest Mississippi Junior College, now known as Northwest Community College, in Senatobia, Mississippi; and
WHEREAS, James was very popular in school, and his friends called him "Tater" and everyone who knew him commented about his smile, as they said that they never saw him when he wasn't smiling or laughing that crazy laugh that everyone knew was coming from him; and
WHEREAS, during his tenure at Northwest, he met Deanna Brown from Crenshaw, Mississippi, and fell in love, and the duo was united in holy matrimony after he graduated from Northwest; and
WHEREAS, after his marriage and graduation from Northwest, James attended Southwest College in Memphis, now known as Rhodes College, and was pursuing a career as a pastor in the Presbyterian Church, and was serving as the youth director at his home church, which is the same church his sister still attends in Olive Branch, Bethel Presbyterian Church, and the pastor at the time took him under his wing and loved him like his own son, mentoring him for the ministry; and
WHEREAS, after he finished two years of school, he found out that his wife, called Dee, was pregnant with their first child, Merry Tamah Taylor-Mattix, so James decided the best way to take care of his family was to enlist in the Army; and
WHEREAS, James spent two years in the Army when Dee became pregnant with their second child, and a couple of months before Jamie Ann was born, James re-enlisted because he could finish his next three years in the Army and also study to be a minister while in the service; and
WHEREAS, James had a month off between his two terms of service so he brought his family back to Olive Branch to live while he served, or at least until he was stationed at a permanent base, but the mission to Vietnam, Tiger Line Flight 739 was his first deployment; and
WHEREAS, James preached a sermon about going to Heaven the Sunday before he left on that final flight, and the name of the sermon was "The Odds against going to Heaven are 6 to 1," which was named after a popular song in the early sixties; and
WHEREAS, the Tiger Line Flight 739 mission was a very secret mission, so secret that all of the men were told they could bring nothing with them that identified them in any way, so they had to leave wedding rings, pictures, dog tags, and everything at home; and
WHEREAS, many of the soldiers on Tiger Line Flight 739 told their families that they would likely not be returning alive, but James's family did not know how dangerous the mission was at that time; and
WHEREAS, the flight left on March 16, 1962, and was lost from radar between Guam and the Philippines or Saigon, but James's sister knows the flight made it to Guam because he stopped long enough while they were refueling to drop a postcard to his wife to tell her that he loved her and missed her and where he was, but this was the last contact anyone ever had with him; and
WHEREAS, the largest search ever made in the Pacific was launched and several countries joined in the search for anything, but nothing, not even a shred of anything, was found by anyone, and after eight days, the search was called off and the hearts of the family members of all those on board shattered; and
WHEREAS, sadly, after James left, Jamie Ann was born with a heart defect and only lived for 12 days, and his daughter, Merry, was 2-years-old when her father departed on Flight 739, and she has said that it was difficult growing up without a father, and that not knowing what happened to him added a layer of grief and lack of closure; and
WHEREAS, Merry also attended the dedication of the monument in Maine, and being there among the sons and daughters of other parents who perished, she realized she wasn't alone, and to have her father and the fathers of others honored in such a meaningful way was healing for her; and
WHEREAS, James Henry Taylor's unflinching courage and gallant self-sacrifice reflect lasting glory upon himself and uphold the noble traditions of the infantry and the military service; and
WHEREAS, it is the policy of the Legislature to honor heroic Mississippians such as James Henry Taylor for remarkable dedication and self-sacrifice to the United States of America, the State of Mississippi and the people of Olive Branch, who are eternally appreciative, for without James, the freedom they know and love would not be possible:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE SENATE CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby recognize and honor the courageous life and extraordinary legacy of James Henry Taylor for his service during the Vietnam War.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be furnished to the family of James Henry Taylor and to the members of the Capitol Press Corps.