James E. Bean

James Bean was born on December 5, 1923, in Cox's Creek, Kentucky. He enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserve on November 14, 1942, and entered the Aviation Cadet Program of the U.S. Army Air Forces in February 1943. He was commissioned a Second Lieutenant and awarded his pilot wings at Foster Field, Texas, in January 1944, and remained there as an instructor pilot until deploying to the European Theater as a P-47 Lightning pilot later in the war. Major Bean served in various fighter pilot assignments throughout the late 1940's and 1950's, and then served as Operations Officer of the 335th Tactical Fighter Squadron at Seymour Johnson AFB, North Carolina, where he helped test the F-105 Thunderchief from May 1958 to November 1959. His next assignment was to Nellis AFB, Nevada, where he served with the F-105 Combat Crew Training Squadron until he deployed to Japan with the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing. After a tour at the Pentagon in 1966 and 1967, Colonel Bean deployed to Southeast Asia as Deputy Commander for Operations of the 388th Tactical Fighter Wing at Korat Royal Thai AFB, Thailand, from October 1967 until he was forced to eject over North Vietnam and was taken as a Prisoner of War on January 3, 1968.