James Schiele

July 12, 1967

(Obituary compiled from information found on the Internet.)

James Francis Schiele was born October 11, 1946 in Davenport, IA to Jerold Edward and Arlene Graba Schinckel Schiele.  He enlisted in the US Army March 30, 1966 as an infantryman and was declared dead March 27, 1978, nearly 11 years after he went missing in action in Pleiku Province, South Vietnam.  His body was not recovered.   James was awarded the Purple Heart, National Defense, Vietnam Service and Vietnam Campaign medals.

In Memory of  SSGT. James Francis Schiele
Staff Sergeant Schiele was a member of Company B, 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division. On July 12, 1967, he was on a search and destroy mission along the Cambodian border when his unit was overrun. He was badly wounded and listed as Missing in Action. His remains were not recovered. His name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.

Staff Sergeant
B CO, 1ST BN, 12TH INFANTRY, 4TH INF DIV, USARV
Army of the United States
Granger, Utah
October 11, 1946 to March 27, 1978
(Incident Date July 12, 1967)
JAMES F SCHIELE is on the Wall at Panel 23E, Line 65
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A Note from The Virtual Wall

On 12 July 1967, the 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry, was engaged in the Ia Drang Valley by a battalion or larger force from the 66th NVA Regiment. When engaged, the 1/12's three rifle companies were physically separated, allowing the enemy force to attack the companies individually - B Company and C Company were isolated and taken under attack. Although C Company suffered only minor losses (5 wounded and none killed), B Company took heavy losses.

When the fighting ended seven US soldiers could not be located. Six years later, five of them returned from North Vietnamese POW camps, but two did not. SP4 James F. Schiele is believed to have died in captivity; his body has not been recovered.