83R9048 JGH-D
By: Stephenson H.R. No. 601
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, The family of U.S. Air Force Master Sergeant James
Calfee of Newgulf are gathered today in solemn remembrance of this
courageous Texan, who, with 11 of his comrades, gave his life for
his country on March 11, 1968, in the Vietnam War, and whose heroism
has been posthumously recognized with the Silver Star; and
WHEREAS, James Henry Calfee was born in Newgulf in 1932; in
November 1967, he was one of a select number of highly skilled
members of the 1st Combat Evaluation Group (CEVG) who were
assigned, under civilian cover, to staff a radar installation on a
mountaintop in Laos that was known as Lima Site 85; this top secret
facility enabled the air force to conduct all-weather bombing raids
on North Vietnam; and
WHEREAS, Although Master Sergeant Calfee was an expert in the
technology used at the site, he was originally not slated to go on
the mission because of a medical condition; he insisted so strongly
on participating, however, that his commanding officer gave him a
waiver; and
WHEREAS, The installation at Lima Site 85 soon came under
attack by the North Vietnamese Army, which advanced close enough to
launch ground assaults on the facility by late January 1968; though
the members of the CEVG group were technicians and not combat
troops, they defended themselves bravely; they had been supplied
with M-16 rifles after their arrival, and Master Sergeant Calfee
and Chief Master Sergeant Richard L. Etchberger, who had weapons
experience, trained the other men in the rifle's use; and
WHEREAS, Early on the morning of March 11, 1968, NVA
commandos attacked the site, and during the desperate struggle,
Master Sergeant Calfee was gravely wounded; in spite of his
injuries, he continued to engage the enemy, and by doing so, he
enabled some of the other men to reach safety; in the end, 12 of the
Americans died and 4 escaped by helicopter; and
WHEREAS, In addition to Master Sergeant Calfee, those who
fell that day were Lieutenant Colonel Bill Blanton, Chief Master
Sergeant Etchberger, Technical Sergeants Willis Hall, Melvin
Holland, Patrick Shannon, Donald Springsteadah, and Herbert Kirk,
and Staff Sergeants Henry Gish, Don Worley, David Price, and James
Davis; while the remains of three of these men were returned to the
United States, Master Sergeant Calfee and eight others who died
were eventually listed as "killed in action/body not recovered";
those who perished at Lima Site 85 were each posthumously awarded
the Bronze Star with Valor, and in 2009, Chief Master Sergeant
Etchberger was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor; and
WHEREAS, When more details of this secret operation came to
light, Master Sergeant Calfee's medal was upgraded to the Silver
Star, which was presented to his family at Barksdale Air Force Base
in Louisiana on October 15, 2012; the sergeant's four sisters,
Rosalie Bacica, Frances Arrington, Carol Turner, and Verna Yeamans,
as well as his nieces, Debra Morris and Julia Barta, continue to
honor his memory and to tell the inspiring story of the men of Lima
Site 85; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Master Sergeant James
Calfee and commemorate his posthumous receipt of the Silver Star;
and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for his family as an expression of deep appreciation for
his valiant service in the Vietnam War.