Dooley, James Edward, LCDR

This Sailor has an (IMO) Memory Of Headstone in Courts of the Missing, Honolulu, Hawaii

LTJG James E. Dooley was a pilot assigned to Attack Squadron 163 onboard the USS ORISKANY. On October 22, 1967, Dooley was flying an A4E aircraft in the second division of Attack Squadron 163. The aircraft was on a strike mission over North Vietnam. The target was the Haiphong railroad yard. It is believed that Dooley's aircraft hit anti-aircraft fire as he pulled off the target. Witnesses observed his aircraft straight and level and streaming fuel while heading eastward toward open water at approximately 6,000 feet. The aircraft then commenced a gradual descent heading toward the water and crashed. The aircraft impacted in the water in a nose and wing down attitude about one mile from land. A thorough search of the area was conducted by the strike group but there was no evidence of a survivor. There was no parachute seen, nor any radio transmission from the target area to the site of impact. The surrounding land area was densely populated and if he had ejected he most certainly would have been captured immediately. James E. Dooley was placed in a status of Missing in Action. After six years, and following the end of the war, Dooley's status was changed to Presumed Killed in Action because there was no evidence that he was alive.

  Grade at loss:   O2
  Note:            Promoted while in MIA status
  CASUALTY DATA
  Start Tour:         Not Recorded
  Incident Date:    10/22/1967
  Casualty Date:   12/03/1973 Officaly Declared Dead