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Revisiting the James Leininger Case: A Survival Skeptic Strikes Back

G

GuySittingintheStands

Senior Member
Michael Sudduth provides two critical essays questioning the veracity of the James Leininger/ James Huston, Jr. case:
from the Journal of Scientific Exploration, vol 35 (4) Jan 2022:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/357905243_The_James_Leininger_Case_Re-Examined
and from his on-line blog:
http://michaelsudduth.com/bruce-leiningers-definitive-proof-reincarnation/

Some of his criticisms are fair, some are not in my opinion. I don't have time to really get into the specific details of Professor Sudduth's arguments right now, but some of you might like to comment (please read the articles first btw!).

However you feel about the Leininger case (and a lot of us cite this case to support our belief in reincarnation), you have to admire the research effort Professor Sudduth has put into his arguments. This is the way science works.
 
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Hi Guy,

I appreciate you posting this. Articles of this type are necessary on a board where enthusiasm for the subject sometimes outruns anything approaching objective proof. And, I read the abstract of the first and skimmed the introductory material beginning the second. Unfortunately, though I very much believe in the need for exacting investigation and likewise the need to avoid exaggerated claims, I am having a hard time finding a reason to read the remainder.

This is not because I disbelieve anything being said in the articles, but merely because I am not sure there is anything said that will improve my understanding of the case or subject area. In essence, based on my very cursory review, it appears that the information presented in this case by the child and parents is not free from the potential for taint or might have some alternative explanations, and that the child's parents rather improvidently claim that their child represents infallible and irrefutable proof for a variety of concepts related to survival, etc. (From that standpoint, I agree with Stevenson's discreet underclaiming of the cases he found and his use of terminology that the evidence was merely "suggestive" of reincarnation). However, as I never assumed that the possibility of taint and overstatement was absent in this case, I am not sure what benefit I will get from reading any further. If evidence of outright fraud and dishonesty has been found, or if evidence of inaccuracies and taint is of such a high level as to vitiate any probative value the case might have, I might read further, so let me know on that.

As someone with a science background, I had trouble adapting to the inexactitude of human laws and standards vs. scientific laws/standards. Nonetheless, I found that in disputed cases in the human realm very little could ever be objectively proved with scientific certainty. Consequently, I tend to think in terms of the hierarchies of proof that the legal system has long used, starting from highest to lowest: Beyond a reasonable doubt (criminal), by clear and convincing evidence (civil fraud), and by a preponderance of the evidence (most other cases). To me the question has become what might convince a reasonable judge or jury, not an ivory tower scientist. Based on the foregoing, I cannot (at the moment anyway) think of a reincarnation case that can reach the standard for proof in a criminal conviction = beyond a reasonable doubt in court. :eek: A very few might reach the standard of clear and convincing evidence before a jury (assuming you could find an unbiased jury in such a case). :cool: The vast majority would probably not IMO even reach the preponderance of evidence standard. :confused: From this standpoint, it seems like the author merely seeks to kick the case out of the "beyond a reasonable doubt" category to one that is lower down. I am good with that. I haven't found a reincarnation case yet that I felt could meet that high standard. o_O

However, there are two critical factors ignored in the foregoing analysis. First, a presentation of proof against reincarnation in general and even in this specific case is subject to the same issues. I.e., I don't think it would be any easier to prove reincarnation doesn't exist or didn't exist in this case beyond a reasonable doubt than that it does, etc. Second, most of what passes as proof in this field is not and cannot at this point be evaluated from either a scientific or legal standard. It is evaluated by individuals considering their own experiences and past life memories. In that regard, it is generally as sensible or nonsensical as any other personal decision we make. And, likewise, often as sensible or nonsensible as the person making it. Nonetheless, even from that standpoint, most of the members that I consider to be credible and sensible people (another subjective evaluation) are often reticent on the subject of more than a very few or even one PL. And, when I believe them it is not because they have objective proof, but because I have dealt with them long enough to consider them sensible and credible witnesses who are seeking to honestly testify to their own memories and remembered experiences. Are these infallible and guaranteed to be 100% accurate? Obviously not, but this is good enough for a frank discussion and a continuing exploration of the possibilities.

Cordially,
S&S
 
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Thanks for the feedback S&S. I myself have only skimmed the first article and did only a word search on the second (for "Billie", "Leon", and "Walter"). When I have time I'll go through the two articles and give you what I think are the salient criticisms. Sudduth is not claiming any malfeasance or fraud. But the paper is worth reading all the way through because critics of reincarnation (the survival hypothesis) will cite this paper over and over and over again. It's best to know where the weaknesses are in the story so as better to discuss the case. It's best to know what the fair criticisms are and what the unfair criticisms are. For me, a fair criticism is the discovery that there was/ is an air show held 3 miles from the Leininger's home in Lafayette, Louisiana named "Sertoma Cajun Air Festival". Could this be the origin of James's reference to "Natoma"? Another fair criticism comes from the Blue Angels video tape that little James watched over and over and over again. Unbeknownst to the lead researcher in the case (Dr. Tucker), who was not able to get ahold of a copy of the video and therefore never watched it in whole or in part, there is 10 minutes of WW2 Navy fighter airplane footage including crash footage, including mention of a man named "Larsen" (although nothing related to the Natoma Bay or VC-81's Jack Larsen), which may have some bearing on the Leininger case. According to Sudduth the 10 minutes have much to say about some of little James's behavior and statements. That is a fair critique. Heck of a coincidence, though, that one of Huston's friends and fellow Navy pilot on the Natoma Bay was named "Jack Larsen".

An example of a really unfair criticism is Sudduth's mention of the fact that little James pointed to a photo of one of the prominent landmarks on Iwo Jima (a completely denuded mount of volcanic rock which the US marines would later plant an American flag on) saying that that's where he was shot down. Sudduth brings up the fact that James Huston was actually shot down 150 miles north of Iwo Jima, not on Iwo Jima itself, while attacking Japanese fuel and troop transport vessels harbored on an island called Chichi Jima. Never mind that the two islands are about the same size and look alike being rocky volcanic outcroppings from the Pacific Ocean. And that the two islands were both part of the same Iwo Jima operation of Feb / March 1945 (4 weeks). Sudduth is going to call it out. This is really a worthless nit-picking point that is not even worth debating.

I searched in vain for some rebuttal to the real "kicker" in the Leininger story (at least for me, you may have a different one), little James's naming of his G. I. Joe dolls "Billie, Leon, and Walter". Why Billie Leon and Walter you might ask? Those were the 3 Navy pilots from VC-81 off of the Natoma Bay who pre-deceased James Huston having been killed in earlier combat actions* (*Actually Billie was killed while on R&R leave. Seems he was joyriding in a barely airworthy fighter and crashed. This is why his name was not listed on Natoma Bay KIA lists). This part of the story is not mentioned in the first article but does come up in Sudduth's blog (the second article). Sudduth claims that Bruce and Andrea Leininger (James's father and mother) had already researched casually lists from the Natoma Bay and therefore could have somehow imparted those names to little James at some point before James named his GI Joe dolls. How exactly? Well . . . maybe Bruce or Andrea said the names out loud and little James overheard him. Unreasonable conjecture in my opinion, especially because of the timeline. James's naming of the 3 dolls Billie Leon and Walter remain probably the most convincing evidence in the story at least for me.

Anyway, I mentioned that there will be those who jump on Sudduth's research findings to "fact-check" the Leininger story. Some youtuber named Dr Todd Grande has already come out with a video on the subject (note: the "Dr." here refers to some PhD in the mental health counseling field, not psychology). Watch as Dr Grande deadpans his way through the details of the case (never once mentioning Sudduth by the way):

 
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Re: GI Joe dolls Billie, Leon, and Walter.

In the following clip (worth watching in its entirety for background) Andrea Leininger recounts how little James came to naming his GI Joe dolls Billie, Walter, and Leon (at 9:31 - 10:31):


Professor Sudduth might counter that the dolls were given to James on three separate occasions over 20 months (James's 3rd birthday, Christmas that same year (2001), and Christmas (2003),not exactly corroborating Andrea's recounting of the story. But the point is made: neither Bruce Leininger nor his wife Andrea were consciously aware of the names of the other Natoma Bay KIA casualties before little James named at least his first doll Billie, or second doll Leon. (Bruce's interest in the casualty lists at that point in the story was restricted to a pilot from the Natoma Bay named Jack Larsen, and after Sept 2002 (date of the San Diego Natoma Bay reunion), James Huston KIA March 3, 1945.
 
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OK. I've just finished reading Prof. Sudduth's blog article (which he calls a supplement to his JSE 35 (4) article ) and it's pretty convincing, EXCEPT:

1) Even Prof Sudduth in his recounting of the GI Joe part of the story relates that the first Natoma Bay casualty printout for VC-81 which Bruce acquired was missing Billie Peeler's name on the casualty list for some reason. This means that by the time of little James's third birthday (Apr 10, 2001) and receipt of his first GI Joe doll (which James named Billie) neither Bruce nor Andrea would have known about Billie Peeler. A second list Bruce obtained at a later date would include Billie and the rest of the 21 Natoma Bay KIA casualties).
2) Prof Sudduth makes no mention of the other witness in the story -- Anne Barron -- who, from all youtube clips I've seen of her and her testimony, became convinced that little James is (was) somehow spiritually connected to her older brother, Lt.(junior grade) James M. Huston, jr.., KIA Mar 3, 1945, during the Iwo Jima operation. of Feb/ Mar 1945. No attempt was made to impugn her credibility or reliability.

PS. Just as an added note: The "10 minutes" of black and white Navy fighter footage shown in the Blue Angels video is actually from 1946 and the Korean War (footage and photos), not WW2. (see Blue Angels Around the World at the Speed of Sound part 2 of 5, on youtube). The very brief footage (roughly 3 seconds) of an Iraqi Mig exploding after taking an air-to-air missile during the first Gulf War is shown in same Blue Angels video part 3 of 5 on youtube.
 
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Blue Angels Around the World at the Speed of Sound (1993):


Capt. Scott Larsen, the pilot of the Blue Angels' C-130 transport aircraft, appears at 53:05. His name shows up as a caption as the bottom of the screen. It is not audibly mentioned. Is this where little James got the name "Larsen"? It's possible, but realistically, no, not in my opinion. There are at least a dozen (possibly two dozen) names that shows up as captions at the bottom of the screen in the hour and half video. Why would James pick out "Larsen" ? Why not the name of one of the Blue Angel fighter pilots? So I think this is another example of an unfair criticism. (I changed my opinion from "fair criticism" to unfair after watching the video in its entirety.)
 
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Jan 29, 2022 radio interview of Michael Sudduth regarding his research on the James Leininger case. Unfortunately, the interviewer has no familiarity with the case ("How do you spell 'Natoma'?"). For those of you who don't have the time or inclination to read Sudduth's paper and blog article posted above (post #1) Professor Sudduth hits the highlights of his skepticism of the case in the following radio interview:




Once again, no mention of the GI Joe dolls or Anne Barron's testimony.
 
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Re: Origins of the name Jack Larsen.

Notice in the Black Box Online Radio interview (youtube clip post #7) how Sudduth walks back the claim that James came up with the name Jack Larsen by watching the Blue Angels Around the World at the Speed of Sound video. ( Black Box Online Radio interview -- video in post # 7 at 28:54 - 30:40 ). The interviewer asks Sudduth how the name "Larsen" shows up in the video and Sudduth is forced to admit that the name only appears as a caption ("title") on the screen. Finally Sudduth has to concede: "Who knows where [James] came up with it [the name Jack Larsen]?".

Sudduth's conjecture about the origin of the name of Jack Larsen was always a little strained. James had come up with the name Jack . . . Jack Larsen by the fall of 2000, when James was still only 2 years old. Sudduth was asking us to believe a 2 year old James Leininger read the name "Larsen" off a TV screen while watching the Blue Angels video several hundreds of thousands of times. A 2 year old. Really?

But it was Sudduth himself who chastised Bruce for not noticing the name "Larsen" printed as a caption in the Blue Angels video, because it could have been a possible source of the name Jack Larsen. Now we know that Sudduth himself believes that theory to be a bit of a lark.
 
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Re: Excerpt from Dr. Michael Sudduth's blog article concerning the naming of the 3 GI Joe dolls (http://michaelsudduth.com/bruce-leiningers-definitive-proof-reincarnation/) :

". . . . II. Items (11), (15), and (33) concern James’s allegedly giving his G.I. Joes names that matched the names of friends of James Huston and who served with him on the Natoma Bay as members of the VC-81 flight squadron but who died in WW2 before Huston was killed. We’re told that on April 10, 2001 James received a G.I. Joe with brown hair for his birthday and named it Billy – item (11). Then on December 25, 2001 James received a G.I. Joe with blond hair for Christmas and named it Leon – item (15). Finally, on December 25, 2003, James received a red-haired G.I. Joe for Christmas and named it Walter – item (33). As Mr. Leininger explains, Billy Peeler, Leon Conner, and Walter Devlin served with Huston in his flight squadron on the Natoma Bay, and James Leininger allegedly told his parents these men met him (as Huston) when he got to heaven (CSD, pp. 11-12, 16).

The Consequences of Unreliable Testimony
Like so many of the other items in Leininger’s chronology, (I) and (II) will provide evidential support for the reincarnation hypothesis only if:

(*) Bruce Leininger can provide a reasonable assurance that James was not exposed to anything that could be a salient information source.

More specifically, the evidential force of (I) and (II) depends on our being warranted in accepting (*). But we’re not.

Now consider the implications of this for the assessment of (I) and (II). Consider just how problematic it is that we can’t rationally accept (*).

. . . . As for the G.I. story, James named the G.I. Joes on April 10, 2001 (Billy), December 25, 2001 (Leon), and December 25, 2003 (Walter). The three events are spread out over 20 months. Can we be reasonably sure that nothing James learned influenced the naming of the G.I. Joes? What could possibly have so influenced him? On January 6, 2001 (CSD, p. 11), Bruce Leininger acquired a list of 18 Natoma Bay men killed in action during in WW2. The list included James Huston, Walter Devlin, and Leon Conner. Three other Natoma Bay veterans, including Billie Peeler, were not on the list Bruce Leininger acquired in January 2001, but he subsequently added them based on information he acquired at the Natoma Bay reunion in fall 2002.

As in the case of the Bob Greenwalt story, it’s what we don’t know that matters. Mr. Leininger was deeply involved in doing historical research to validate his son’s claims. Did Mr. Leininger never mention any of these names out loud over 20 months? Could James have heard any of these names in that way? At some point during the 20 months, James began to read. Did James have access to the KIA list, including the names of Leon and Walter, at any point prior to Christmas 2001 or Christmas 2003? There are many conceivable causal pathways, and many more that wouldn’t immediately come to mind. Only the Leiningers can give us reasonable assurance that James didn’t pick up on these names by hearing or reading them. But this they cannot do since they’ve demonstrated themselves to be unreliable in detecting fairly obvious sources of information that influenced James.

The problem should be apparent. What James said/did and when he said/did it is only one area where the reliability of Mr. Leininger is important. It also matters whether we can trust his judgment (and Andrea Leininger’s judgment) concerning ordinary sources of information. Skepticism about (I) and (II) doesn’t require proving that James acquired the salient information in any of the above scenarios. It’s sufficient to have good reason not to trust that Mr. Leininger can plausibly rule out such scenarios."

GSITS: I'm trying to imagine a plausible scenario in which little James overhears the names of the Natoma Bay war dead listed on Bruce's KIA casualty list(s). Or a scenario in which little James rummages through the files of his father's notes and printouts to pick out the names "Billie, Leon, and Walter" from the list of thousands of names of WW2 aircraft carrier KIA. Given the video clip of Bruce and Andrea relating how/ why the GI Joe dolls were given the names they were given in post # 4 at 9:31 - 10:31, this doesn't make sence. So, in light of the video clip in post # 4, Dr. Sudduth's scenarios seem implausible to me.
 
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Thanks Speedwell. I was beginning to think I was boring everyone.

In order to review the story of the 3 GI Joe dolls, I re-read Bruce Leininger's 2021 Bigelow paper (see link in Bigelow contest thread in this section ( Scientific & Anecdotal Research) ) and came across something unexpected. It turns out Bruce found even more evidence corroborating his son's story about naming his 3 GI Joe dolls Billie, Leon, and Walter. In 2003 and 2004 Bruce and Andrea found and contacted relatives of the 3 downed pilots who flew with and were friends of James Huston on the Natoma Bay. All four pilots were members of squadron VC-81 and were killed or had died on or before March 3, 1945, the day James Huston was shot down and killed near Chichi Jima, 150 miles north of Iwo Jima during the Iwo Jima operation (Feb/ March 1945).

Apparently, GI Joe dolls come in different hair colors (and I suppose nowadays, different skin colors). The first GI Joe little James received (April 2001, on his third birthday) had brown hair. James named him "Billie". The second GI Joe James received (Christmas, 2001) had blond hair. James named him "Leon". And the third GI Joe James received (Christmas, 2003*) had red hair. James named him Walter. Bruce found out from surviving relatives of the three dead pilots, that Ensign Billie Peeler had brown hair, Lt. Leon Conner had blonde hair, and Ensign Walter Devlin had red hair. (*According to Bruce and Andrea's book, Soul Survivor the date was Christmas, 2002, reference: Leininger/Gross 2009: 157; reference for the naming of the 3 GI Joe dolls: Leininger/Gross 2009: Chapters 22-25)

This goes beyond a mere reliability issue or even credibility issue. Either what Bruce Leininger has been saying about son is true -- that his son in a previous life was Navy Lt. James "Jimmy" Huston, KIA, March 3, 1945 near Chichi Jima, or Bruce Leininger is a sociopathic, stone cold liar. One or the other. Take your pick.
 
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GuySittingintheStands said:
Thanks Speedwell. I was beginning to think I was boring everyone.

In order to review the story of the 3 GI Joe dolls, I re-read Bruce Leininger's 2021 Bigelow paper (see link in Bigelow contest thread in this section ( Scientific & Anecdotal Research) ) and came across something unexpected. It turns out Bruce found even more evidence corroborating his son's story about naming his 3 GI Joe dolls Billie, Leon, and Walter. In 2004 Bruce found and contacted relatives of the 3 downed pilots who flew with and were friends of James Huston on the Natoma Bay. All four pilots were members of squadron VC-81 and were killed in action on or before March 3, 1945, the day James Huston was shot down and killed near Chichi Jima, 150 miles north of Iwo Jima during the Iwo Jima operation (Feb/ March 1945).

Apparently, GI Joe dolls come in different hair colors (and I suppose nowadays, different skin colors). The first GI Joe little James received (April 2001, on his third birthday) had light brown hair. James named him "Billie". The second GI Joe James received (Christmas, 2001) had blond hair. James named him "Leon". And the third GI Joe James received (Christmas, 2003) had red hair. James named him Walter. Bruce found out from surviving relatives of the three dead pilots, that Lt. Billie Peeler had light brown hair, Lt. Leon Conner had blonde hair, and Lt. Walter Devlin had red hair.

This goes beyond a mere reliability issue or even credibility issue. Either what Bruce Leininger has been saying about son is true -- that his son in a previous life was Navy Lt. James "Jimmy" Huston, KIA, March 3, 1945 near Chichi Jima, or Bruce Leininger is a sociopathic, stone cold liar. One or the other. Take your pick.
Click to expand...
Hi, Guy

It's not boring at all. It's very interesting. Even here in France we have seen the case of James Leininger on French television. Thank you for all your work on this case.
Best Regards.
Emma
 
The following youtube video shows Chris Cuomo's ABC Primetime report on the James Leininger story. There is no mention of the GI Joe dolls or naming the GI Joe dolls. It was shot in October 2003 and aired in 2004.


This would tend to confirm Bruce's 2021 timeline for when little James received his third and final GI Joe, ie., Christmas 2003, since the surprising detail about the names of the GI Joe dolls hadn't been realized yet. It would only become a noteworthy detail after Christmas 2003, after James had received his third and final GI Joe and named it "Walter", which is when Bruce realized, after checking the Natoma Bay casualty lists, that the name Walter matched the name of a third Natoma Bay pilot who died before James M. Huston. So, when did James receive his second GI Joe, Christmas 2001 or Christmas 2002 Or does it matter?

Note: Little James did not accompany his father Bruce to the Natoma Bay reunion in San Diego Sept 2002. Bruce went by himself. Nor did James accompany his father to Jack Larsen's home in Arkansas 3 weeks later (end of Sept 2002). Bruce went by himself again. James would not meet surviving Natoma Bay and VC-81 squadron members until the Natoma Bay reunion in San Antonio Texas in Sept 2004.

According to Soul Survivors, Andrea's sister Jen (aka Aunt G. J.) gifted James the second GI Joe doll (the blonde one, which James named "Leon") Christmas 2001.
 
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From Soul Survivor – The Reincarnation of a World War Two Fighter Pilot (Bruce and Andrea Leininger with Ken Gross, 2009: 105)

“There were other peculiar moments [in that summer of 2001]—for instance, when [3-year-old] James was alone in the sunroom and, as Andrea watched from a distance, he pulled himself to attention and saluted. Then he said, ‘I salute you and I’ll never forget. Now here goes my neck.’ “

What did it mean? A child’s melodramatic game? Something connected to his recurrent flaming crash [nightmares]? So many mysterious corners and crannies in a child who finally had just been toilet trained.” [boldface added]

From the blog https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/265708/where-does-the-idiom-get-it-in-the-neck-come-from

"In conclusion, here’s an excerpt from The Inimitable Jeeves, a 1923 story collection by one of my favorite writers, P. G. Wodehouse:

“It seemed to me that everything was absolutely for the best in the best of all possible worlds. But have you ever noticed a rummy [strange, queer, odd] thing about life? I mean the way something always comes along to give it to you in the neck at the very moment when you’re feeling most braced about things in general. No sooner had I dried the old limbs and shoved on the suiting and toddled into the sitting-room than the blow fell.”
Ngram shows that the expression was more popular in the 30's and 40's but it is still used nowadays. "

It seems to me like James was saluting a fallen comrade, a fellow pilot, and alluding to that old idiom "to get it (or take it) in the neck", as if telling his invisible "friend" that he [James] will be the next to go. Note how this idiom was more popular in the 1930s and 1940s when James M. Huston, jr. was growing up and coming of age, than it is today. . . . or was little James just being silly (but still spooky)?
 
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Point well taken. My son was the same way. But re-watch the Blue Angels video. There's no context in the caption footer "Capt. Scott Larsen". A lot of reading is context. And developing a vocabulary. My guess is that "Capt." "Scott" "Larsen" are not in the average 2 year old's vocabulary. Yes, there's the phonics method, which is how we taught our son to read. But still . . . .
Well, I suppose he could have asked someone older "who dat?" the one time Capt. Larsen's name flashed on the screen . . . . but that only gets you to "Scott . . . Scott Larsen" not "Jack . . . Jack Larsen".
 
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I think I may have found a better explanation for the "Now here goes my neck." line that little 3 year old James Leininger says while alone, playing with a toy airplane in the sunroom, in the summer of 2001 (see post #14 above).

I had never heard the expression before, and therefore thought it was a typical nonsense line made up by a toddler, but like you, I am familiar with the idiom "to stick one's neck out" meaning to risk stern reproach, severe rebuke, or even physical harm by saying or doing something that is less than acceptable by the general public. So I did a little research on www.newspapers.com, searching for the expression "here goes my neck". Guess what? It was a real idiom, sometimes used as is, more often used in its more complete form "here goes my neck out". It had the same meaning as "here I go, sticking my neck out" or "I'm sticking my neck out here, but . . ." It was more popular in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s, but there was still a sprinkling of its use in the decades that followed. By the 2000s it was rare to non-existent, at least in America.

Here's the context as described by the Leiningers in the their book "Soul Survivor" (Leiningers/ Gross 2009: 105-6) and by Bruce in his Bigelow contest essay (Leininger 2021: 12):

“There were other peculiar moments [in that summer of 2001]—for instance, when [3-year-old] James was alone in the sunroom and, as Andrea watched from a distance, he pulled himself to attention and saluted. Then he said, ‘I salute you and I’ll never forget. Now here goes my neck.’ “

What did it mean? A child’s melodramatic game? Something connected to his recurrent flaming crash [nightmares]? So many mysterious corners and crannies in a child who finally had just been toilet trained.

And now along came the furious pictures. Sometime in the summer of 2001, James began to draw. . . The pictures were invariably scenes of battle, with bullets and bombs exploding all over the page. Typically it was a naval battle, and always there were aircraft overhead. . . .

But there was something else about the drawings that was even more curious: James signed some of his drawings ‘James 3’. When he was asked why he signed them ‘James 3’, he said simply, ‘Because I am the third James. I am James Three.’ “

In Bruce Leininger’s Bigelow contest essay, he wrote (p.12): “ Date 1 September 2001 – While playing with an airplane in the sunroom, James stood up and saluted saying “I salute you and I’ll never forget. Now here goes my neck.” During the same play period he spontaneously said “Before I was born, I was a pilot and my airplane got shot in the engine and crashed in the water and that’s how I died.”

Now here's my (new and improved) interpretation. Remember, at this point in the story (summer of 2001), no one has made the connection between James M. Huston, jr. and little James Leininger. That wouldn't happen until Sept 2002 when Bruce called Andrea from the Natoma Bay reunion in San Diego to tell her that there was only one pilot from the Natoma Bay who was lost in the Iwo Jima operation: James M. Huston, jr.

Anyway, here goes:

Little James: "I salute you and I'll never forget [you, James Huston, jr.]. Now here goes my neck [out]." Could it be that at that precise moment James has made the decision to let his secret out, ie., that he was the same person as James 2, James jr., the "little man" who was killed in combat? Yes, I think so. He knows he's risking getting the "the hairy eye" from his father, and that shocked look from his mother (a stern enough rebuke). He has already told his parents that the little man who can't get out of the burning aircraft is "me." or "James." , but his name is James. His parents just weren't getting it, so why not let them know by signing his drawings James 3, and telling them he is the third James?


 
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In this clip, Anthony Peake interviews Michael Sudduth January 2022 about their mutual interests including the James Leininger case, shortly before Sudduth's paper appeared in the Journal of Scientific Exploration (JSE vol 35 (4) ). Sudduth talks about the case, his research into the case, discussions he had with Dr. Jim Tucker, and separately with Carol last fall (2021), among others. The youtube clip is posted below (James Leininger part of the interview starts at 1:17:30 and goes to end of clip, roughly 1:54:40). As we've discussed in previous posts to this thread, Prof Sudduth, after 2 years researching this case, is completely underwhelmed by the evidence (or as he might put it "evidence"). If you go through his paper (and his blog on the case), you'll be able to evaluate for yourselves how fair or unfair his criticisms are. The bottom line for me is that he has not nullified the 3 GI Joe dolls part of the story (unless you believe that Bruce is lying); he has not nullified Anne Barron's testimony (although Sudduth would probably say that 4-year-old James may have unconsciously been "cold reading" Ms. Barron during their phone conversations in 2003 and 2004; and I don't think he will be able to nullify my discovery that 3-year-old James was expressing an idiom that went out of vogue decades before his birth in 1998 ("here goes my neck"), which I found out searching www.newspapers.com, was a real expression in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s but is rare or almost non-existent thereafter. Anyway, here is the interview. Apparently Dr. Tucker will have a rebuttal to Prof Sudduth's paper in the next issue of JSE (so, this spring, 2022), and Prof. Sudduth says he will have a rebuttal to the rebuttal, so this is going to go on for some time, I expect (as any good debate about an important topic should, I'm sure you'd agree). What do you think?

 
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2009 book interview of the Leiningers in which Andrea mentions the sunroom incident (2:50 - 3:09) :


Andrea ties little James's confession that he was the "little man" who died when his plane got shot down to the same summer 2001 sunroom incident where James suddenly stands up, salutes, and says "I salute you and I'll never forget. Now here goes my neck". The expression "here goes my neck" was an idiom that was used in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s, and rarely used thereafter according to a search of www.newspapers.com for "here goes my neck" -- decades before James was born.
 
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Here are some examples of “here goes my neck” from www.newspapers.com . I've skipped over any examples that include any qualifiers like "out" and any examples where the meaning was anticipated beforehand or explained immediately afterwards (e.g. "sticking my neck out here"). Straight, unelaborated usages only, just like 3-year-old James's rhyming verse in the sunroom incident ("I salute you, and I'll never forget. Now here goes my neck"). Almost all of the examples occur decades before James's birth in 1998. This expression was in vogue in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s, but seems to have fallen out of vogue thereafter:

1. The Marshall News Messenger (1919-2022) (Marshall, Texas), 15 January 1941, p.6:
As Readers See It – Letters to the Messenger . . .
“Marshall News Messenger:

Here goes my neck, so to speak!

As one of the City Commissioners and in the interest of the city as a whole serving all the people alike, I just want to have a few words regarding our public utilities. . . .

Yours respectfully,
T. M. Britton,
Commissioner”

2. The Record (1898-2022) (Hackensack, New Jersey), 01 June 1957, p.43:
Theater Problems For Pro and Non
By Robert D. Hadley
(7-Term President of the Bergen County Players)

“This is a tough subject to be analyzed by one who has decided interests in both. But it’s too cute a headline not to use, so here goes my neck.”

3. The Indianapolis News (1869 – 1999) (Indianapolis, Indiana), 16 July 1946, p. 24:
“Here goes my neck – Tuesday’s [Indiana state women's golf championship] winners – O’Neil, Surtees, Shorb, Cox, Ellis, Saint, Gustafson and Fleming. Good-bye, girls, I’m through. W.F.F. jr. “

4.The Culver Citizen (1903 – 1963) (Culver, Indiana), 06 Dec 1939, p.12:
“Here goes my neck. Culver 27, Winamac 24.”

5.The Cincinnati Enquirer (1841 – 2021) (Cincinnati, Ohio), 24 June 1958, p.14:

“’Let There Be Light’ by Mildred Miller

HERE GOES MY NECK:

I believe that Sunday should be a day to work – for people who prefer not to rest.”
 
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I went back to www.newspapers.com and searched both "sticking my neck out" and "here goes my neck", wanting to compare the relative popularity of each expression (they basically mean the same thing).
"sticking my neck out" got nearly 12,000 hits.
"here goes my neck" got 69 hits.

So the idiom "here goes my neck" was never a very common expression even in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. But at least if someone said or wrote it, chances are that an American from those times would have understood what you were saying. I am a 65 y.o. American. When I first read "here goes my neck" in 3-year-old James Leininger's little rhyming verse "I salute you, and I'll never forget. Now here goes my neck." I couldn't quite get the meaning of it (although I took a guess at it based on the expression "to get it (to take it) in the neck" which is not quite the same as "sticking one's neck out" ). I really doubt that either Bruce (about 6 years older than I am), or Andrea Leininger (6 years younger) understood what 3-year-old James said in the sunroom incident in summer of 2001. Which is probably why nobody including the Leiningers have ever commented on what James was trying to say.

Also, I picked up some information regarding who the "you" might have been in "I salute you", which I'll relate in my next post. Turns out Andrea was an active member of this forum before August 2009 and mentioned some things in 2005 that make identifying the "you" part of "I salute you" a little more ambiguous. It doesn't change the main point however, namely, that 3 y.o. James came out with an expression ("here goes my neck") that had become very rare to nearly non-existent in his or his parents' lifetimes.
 
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Here is a post by Andrea to a member called "Trin's mom" in a thread called "I'm soooooo freaked out" (Nov 2005):

http://reincarnationforum.com/threads/im-soooooo-freaked-out.708/#post-15413

"Your story reminds me so much of my son James's story. I do belive, as another viewer did, that your daughter remembers a past life and is psychic as well. What a gift! Sarah may be a spirit or Angel that stays with her. You might start asking her questions about Sarah. James has "Billie", whom we originally thought was an imaginary friend, but later discovered he was, as James said "his angel". My son's past life memory was about being a fighter pilot in WWII who was shot down at the battle of Iwo Jima. He told us that Billie, Walter and Leon met him when he got to heaven. Years later when we researched his claims, we found out that Billie, Walter and Leon were squadron mates of James who had all died several months prior to James' death. He still knows when Billie is around, and will sometimes tell us what Billie is saying. Once we went out for Japanese food, since James loves sushi, and James told us all of a sudden that Billie was there. He laughed and said "Hey Billie! Have a seat and join us". Then James laughed and said "Billie's teasing me for eating "Jap" food!". Considering it was the Japanese that killed him, we thought that made pretty good sense.

When your daughter starts talking about John, start asking her specific, open ended questions such as "What kind of sickness did John have?", "Were you and John married?", "What was his last name?", "Where did you live?", "How old was John when he died?"...things like that. James was the same way as your daughter, almost being in a trance when he talked about it and then snapping out of it. We could never ask him any questions out of the blue, we had to wait until he just started to spontaneously discuss it. We found out an incredible amount once we started questioning him. Does your daughter have nightmare? Does she draw anything over and over? I'm looking forward to hearing more!

Andrea" (boldface added)


andrealeininger, Nov 8, 2005

#9

GSITS: Could it be that 3-year-old James in the summer of 2001 in the Leininger sunroom was saluting Ensign Billie Peeler, a fellow Navy pilot and friend of James Huston from squadron VC-81? If so, then the "you" in James's "I salute you, and I'll never forget. Now here goes my neck." may very well have referred to this Billie Peeler (killed in a flying accident Nov 1944). So, either way, whether little James was saluting James Huston's predeceased friend Billie Peeler or saluting James Huston himself (killed March 3, 1945), little James risked a mild rebuke (from his mom) who apparently could see him (and he her) and hear every word from the kitchen where she was washing dishes.
 
The Leininger kitchen looking towards the sunroom (sourced from zillow, photo 2021):

upload_2022-3-30_11-19-21.png


Inside the sunroom. Note the kitchen window upper left (sourced from zillow, photo 2021):

upload_2022-3-30_11-19-46.png

(must be logged in to view photos in full size)
 
Re-reading Sudduth's 2021 paper (JSE 35(4) "The James Leininger case re-examined" p.1001, Sudduth makes the following concessions about little James's "early bird" claims. James claimed that:

1) He was a pilot. 2) He flew a plane off a boat. 3) The Japanese shot his plane down. 4) His plane crashed and sank in the water.

Sudduth leaves out one notable claim, however, which can be used to identify the downed pilot, namely "I am James 3" "I am the third James."

Sudduth dismisses this claim on the grounds that James started signing his artwork just after his third birthday. Little James was just including his age in his artwork. But what do we do with James's statement "I am the third James."? If one takes this as a key identifying marker (if his past-life personality's name was "James", and by reason of the inclusion of "third" we have grounds to believe his past-life personality was a "junior" ie., the second James, James "2", claim 5) I am the third James would convert to My name was James, junior.

It seems to me, ignoring EVERYTHING else about this case, that one could identify the dead pilot based on the above 5 claims alone.

Claims 1 and 2: He was a pilot who flew off a boat would imply that he was an American or possibly British Navy or Marine officer who flew aircraft off aircraft carriers.
Claims 3: He was shot down by the Japanese would imply that he was a WW2 pilot serving in the Pacific theater when he was killed in combat.
Claim 4: His plane crashed in the water after it was shot down by the Japanese would imply that he went down in the Pacific Ocean.
and Claim 5: He was James 3, the third James, would imply that his name was James _____, jr.

Couldn't one with complete lists of WW2 American and British aircraft carrier war dead come up with one and only one name using a process of elimination? How many American or British (or Australian) Navy or Marine officer pilots who were named James, jr. , who flew planes off aircraft carriers, were shot down by the Japanese in WW2? There couldn't be many, maybe only one. I'm not saying that I volunteer to undertake such a search. Just putting it out there as a possible way to unambiguously identify James's past-life personality by circumventing all the flak that Prof Sudduth throws up at this case.
 
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According to this US Navy history website there were 1274 American Navy aviation officers killed in air combat operations during the entire American involvement in WW2 (Dec 7, 1941 - Aug 1945), both Pacific and Atlantic theaters:

https://www.history.navy.mil/resear...ion-personnel-fatalities-in-world-war-ii.html

This puts an upper limit on the number of US Navy (and Navy reserve) pilots who were killed by the Japanese in air combat operations in the Pacific theater. Of these 1274 Navy (and Navy reserve) pilots, how many were named James _______, jr.? Does anybody know, off hand?

PS. We know of at least one: Lt (jg) James M. Huston, 3 Mar 1945:

HUSTON, James M Jr, LTJG, O-306452, USNR, from Pennsylvania, location Central/South Pacific Theater, missing, date of loss March 3, 1945 (pm) + HUSTON, James M, Lieutenant Junior Grade, O-306452, USN, from Pennsylvania, Mar-45, Honolulu Memorial (bm) + HUSTON, James McCready, Jr., Lieutenant (jg), USNR. Parents, Mr. and Mrs. James McCready Huston, Sr., 819 Montgomery Ave., Bryn Mawr, Pa (na) + HUSTON, James M, Jr, LTJG, 306452, Composite Squadron 81 (USS Natoma Bay), Iwo Jima assault and occupation, March 3, 1945, (CasCode122) died of wounds, dd March 3, 1945 (bp2)

(source: https://www.naval-history.net/WW2UScasaaDB-USNbyNameH.htm )

PSPS. To get a rough idea try going through the source mentioned directly above (open on a separate page to search -- using but not clicking on the link above), one letter at a time, using the Ctrl F function on your keyboard and searching James, Lieutenant, then James, Lt , then James, Ens [for Ensign]. This will give you a list of all the Navy officers named James who were killed in WW2 in the Pacific, and were NOT named after their father (ie., were NOT James, Jr.). The list of Navy officers killed in WW2 named James, Jr., will be less, far less. I'm guessing less than one can count on one hand at this point.
 
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I've gone through A-Z already. If I could determine that the Navy officer was killed while serving aboard an aircraft carrier or if I wasn't sure, then I included the name. If I could determine that the Navy officer was killed while serving aboard a ship other than an aircraft carrier (eg., destroyer, cruiser, etc), then I didn't include the name. If I could determine that the Navy officer wasn't a pilot, I didn't include the name. If it looked like the Navy officer was killed or died or went missing on land, then I didn't include the name.

Here is a list of names, A - Z from the above mentioned Navy history website, who were named James, KIA or missing and/or later declared dead in the Pacific theater during WW2, in the ocean, and NOT named after their father. There were a total of 28 Navy officers, named James, but NOT named after their father (so NOT James, jr.) (and yes, I did check for warant officers - there were none that met my criteria, and commanders, CDR named James, there were none at all):


A – 0

B – BOIES, James R, ENSIGN, 145950, Fighting Squadron 5 (USS Yorktown), Wake Island raid, October 6, 1943, (CasCode122) died of wounds, October 7, 1943, dd October 7, 1943 (bp2) + BOIES, James R, Ensign, O-145950, USN, from Louisiana, Oct-43, Honolulu Memorial (bm) + BOIES, James Reese, Ensign, USNR. Wife, Mrs. Ola Mae Boies, Rayville, La (na) + BOIES, James, ENS, O-145950, USNR, from Louisiana, USS Yorktown - Ii, location Wake Island, missing, date of loss October 7, 1943 (pm)

C – CHANEY, James E, Ensign, O-390850, USN, from Kansas, May-45, Honolulu Memorial (bm) + CHANEY, James, Ens, USN, Bunker Hill CV-17, May 11, 1945 (nm) + CHANEY, James Edward, Ensign, USNR. Parents, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Cleo Chaney, 504 W. 9th St., Pittsburg, Kans (na)

COLEMAN, Lee J, Lieutenant JG, O-114557, USN,. . COLEMAN, Lee James, Lt., (jg), USNR. Wife, . . + COLEMAN, Lee J, LTJG, O-114557, USNR, from Nebraska, location New Hebrides, missing, date of loss August 31, 1943 (pm)

D – 0

E -- EVERETT, James, ENSIGN, 326093, Torpedo Squadron 21 (USS Belleau Wood), Assaults on the Philippine Islands, September 10, 1944, (CasCode6422), dd September 10, 1944 (bp2) + EVERETT, James, Ensign, USNR. Father, Mr. Perry Everett, McLean, Tex (na)

EVERSOLE, James H, ENSIGN, 165373, USS Enterprise (CV-6), Eastern Solomons, August 24, 1942, (Cascode121) killed in combat, dd August 24, 1942 (bp4) + EVERSOLE, James H, Ensign, O-165373, USN, from Ohio, Aug-42, Manila American Cemetery (bm) + EVERSOLE, James, Ens, USN, Enterprise CV-6, June 4, 1942 (nm) + EVERSOLE, James Hedges, Ensign, USN. Parents, Mr. and Mrs. H. G. Eversole, 829 Reinhard Ave., Columbus, Ohio (na)

F -- FULTON, Lyman J, ENS, O-121203, USNR, from California, USS Enterprise, location Coral Sea, missing, date of loss October 26, 1942 (pm) + FULTON, Lyman J, Ensign, O-121203, USN, from California, Oct-43, Manila American Cemetery (bm) + FULTON, Lyman James, Ensign, USNR. Mother, Mrs. Lavina May Fulton, 2d St., Ripon, Calif (na) + FULTON, Lyman J, ENSIGN, 121203, Fighting Squadron 10, Santa Cruz, October 26, 1942, (CasCode6222), dd October 27, 1943 (bp2)

H – HAFF, Henry J, Lieutenant Junior Grade, O-263708, USN, from Illinois, Jun-45, . . . + HAFF, Henry James, Lt., (jg), USNR. . . . HAFF, Henry J, LTJG, O-263708, USNR,. . USS Wasp (CV-18), location Pacific Ocean, missing, date of loss June 20, 1944 (pm) + HAFF, Henry J, LTJG, 263708, Bombing Squadron 14 (USS Wasp), Battle of Philippine Sea, June 20, 1944, (CasCode6222), dd June 21, 1945 (bp2)
HAGAN, James T, ENSIGN, 395846, Torpedo Squadron 84 (USS Bunker Hill CV-17), 3rd and 5th Fleet Raids in support of Okinawa Gunto operation, May 11, 1945, (CasCode121) killed in combat, dd May 11, 1945 (bp2) + HAGAN, James T, Ensign, O-395846, USN, from District of Columbia, May-45, Honolulu Memorial (bm) + HAGAN, James, Ens, USN, Bunker Hill CV-17, May 11, 1945 (nm) + HAGAN, James Thomas, Ensign, USNR. Parents, Mr. and Mrs. J. W. Hagan, 1921 Hamlin St., N. E, DC (na)

. . . continued in next post
 
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H -- HANSEN, William James, Lt., (jg), USNR. Parents, Mr. and Mrs. Anthony Charles Hansen, 8555 Dante Ave., Chicago, Ill (na) + HANSEN, William T(?), Lieutenant Junior Grade, O-102996, USN, from Illinois, Aug-45, Manila American Cemetery (bm)

HEMPSTED, James M, Lieutenant Junior Grade, O-204668, USN, from Colorado, Feb-45, Honolulu Memorial (bm) + HEMPSTED, James, Lt(jg) USN, Bismarck Sea CVE-95, February 21, 1945 (nm) + HEMPSTED, James Milton, Lt., (jg), USN. Brother, Mr. Charles Asa Hempsted, 2205 Pine St., Boulder, Colo (na) + HEMPSTED, James M, LTJG, O-204668, USN, from Colorado, location Bonin & Volcano Islands, missing, date of loss February 21, 1945 (pm) + HEMPSTED, James M, LTJG, 204668, USS Bismarck Sea (CVE-95), Iwo Jima Landing and Occupation, February 21, 1945, (CasCode6421), dd February 21, 1945 (bp4)

I/J -- JACOBSON, Carman J, ENS, O-351215, USNR, from Washington, location Pacific Ocean, missing, date of loss December 16, 1944 (pm) + JACOBSON, Carman J, Ensign, O-351215, USN, from Washington, Dec-44, Honolulu Memorial (bm) + JACOBSON, Carman James, Ensign, USNR. Parents, Mr. and Mrs. Jacob C. Jacobson, Rt. 3, Box 364, Kelso, Wash (na)

K – 0

L – LAHEY, Walter J, Lieutenant Junior Grade, O-300816, USN, from Illinois, Apr-45, Honolulu Memorial (bm) + LAHEY, Walter James, Lt., (jg), USNR. Parents, Mr. and Mrs. Walter Richard Lahey, 6109 Naples Ave., Chicago, Ill (na) + LAHEY, Walter J, LTJG, O-300816, USNR, from Illinois, location Japan, missing, date of loss April 1, 1945 (pm) + LAHEY, Walter J, LTJG, 300816, Fighting Squadron 83 (USS Essex), 3rd and 5th Fleet Raids in support of Okinawa Gunto operation, April 1, 1945, (CasCode122) died of wounds, dd April 1, 1945 (bp2)

M -- MCVEIGH, John J, ENS, O-368480, USNR, from Washington, USS Hornet, location Central/South Pacific Theater, missing, date of loss November 3, 1944 (pm) + MCVEIGH, John J, Ensign, O-368480, USN, from Washington, Nov-44, Manila American Cemetery (bm) + MCVEIGH, John James, Ens., USNR. Mother, Mrs. Alice Oberg, 608 East 2nd St., Aberdeen, Wash (na)

MCNALLY, Alfred J, LTJG, 349075, Naval Operating Base, Okinawa, Okinawa Gunto operations, May 3, 1945, (CasCode132), dd June 22, 1945 (bp) + MCNALLY, Alfred James, Lieutenant (jg), Supply Corps, USNR. Wife, Mrs. Elizabeth Perham McNally, 2421 Elm St., Billings, Mont (na)

MILLER, James, Lt., (jg), USNR. Wife, Mrs. Betty Jeanne Miller, 1219 Haskell, Kansas City, Kans (na)

N – 1

O – 0

P -- PETERSON, Frank James, Lieutenant Commander, USNR. Wife, Mrs. Elizabeth Edmund Peterson, 653 N. 2d St., Lykens, Pa (na)

POWERS, John J, Lieutenant, O-074968, USN, from New York, May-43, Manila American Cemetery (bm) + POWERS, John, Lt, USN, Yorktown CV-5, May 8, 1942 (nm) + POWERS, John James, Lieutenant, USN. Parents, Mr. and Mrs. John J. Powers, 222 Seaman Ave., New York, NY (na) + POWERS, John J, LT, O-074968, USN, from New York, location Coral Sea, missing, date of loss May 8, 1942 (pm)

Q – 1

R -- RIVES, Clarence James, Ensign, USNR. Parents, Mr. and Mrs. Clarence James Rives, Sr., 226 N. 32d St., Camden, NJ (na)
+2

S -- SHELTON, James A, ENS, O-104073, USNR, from Montana, USS Enterprise (CV-6), location Midway Island, missing, date of loss June 4, 1942 (pm) + SHELTON, James A, Ensign, O-104073, USN, from Montana, Jun-43, Honolulu Memorial (bm) + SHELTON, James, Ens, USN, Enterprise CV-6, June 4, 1942 (nm) + SHELTON, James A., Ensign, USNR. Father, Mr. John Henry Shelton, Denton, Mont (na)

SPIVEY, James, ENS, O-282893, USNR, from Arkansas, location Bonin & Volcano Islands, missing, date of loss June 16, 1944 (pm) + SPIVEY, James, Ensign, USNR. Mother. Mrs. Helen Welsh Spivey, Hamburg, Ark (Missing in action) (na) + SPIVEY, James, Ensign, O-282893, USN, from Arkansas, 1946 (WW2), Honolulu Memorial (bm)

SAILOR, Warren J, Lieutenant Junior Grade, O-173449, USN, from Texas, Oct-45, Manila American Cemetery (bm) + SAILOR, Warren James, Lieutenant (jg), USNR. Wife, Mrs. Anna Josephine Sailor, Box 1616, Pampa, Tex (na) + SAILOR, Warren J, LTJG, O-173449, USNR, from Texas, USS Hornet, location Philippine Islands, missing, date of loss October 19, 1944 (pm)
+1

T -- THURMAN, James, ENS, O-097183, USNR, from Missouri, location Indian Ocean, missing, date of loss December 15, 1945 (pm) + THURMAN, James, Ens, USN, Langley AV-3, March 1, 1942 (nm) + THURMAN, James, Ensign, O-097183, USN, from Missouri, December 1945 (WW2), Manila American Cemetery (bm) + THURMAN, James, Ensign, USNR. Mother, Mrs. James Thurman, Box 142, Plattsburg, Mo (na) + THURMAN, James, ENSIGN, 97183, USS Langley (AV-3), Java Sea, February 27, 1942, (CasCode6221) missing, later dd Declared dead, dd December 15, 1945 (bp4)

U – 0

V -- VAN BUREN, John J, Lieutenant Junior Grade, O-081539, USN, from Wisconsin, Jun-43, Honolulu Memorial (bm) + VANBUREN, John, Lt(jg), USN, Enterprise CV-6, June 4, 1942 (nm) + VAN BUREN, John James, Lieutenant (jg), USN. Wife, Mrs. Sally M. Van Buren, 1409 Hoover Ct., Alameda, Calif (na) + VAN BUREN, John J, LTJG, O-081539, USN, from Wisconsin, location Midway Island, missing, date of loss June 4, 1942 (pm) + VAN BUREN, John J, LTJG, 81539, Bombing Squadron 6 (USS Enterprise), Midway, June 4, 1942, (CasCode6222), dd June 5, 1943 (bp2)

W -- WESCOTT, Harold J, ENS, O-407711, USNR, from California, location Pacific Ocean, missing, date of loss February 11, 1945 (pm) + WESCOTT, Harold J, Ensign, O-407711, USN, from California, Feb-45, Honolulu Memorial (bm) + WESCOTT, Harold James, Ensign, USNR. Parents, Mr. and Mrs. Frank James Wescott, P.O. Box 342, Gardena, Calif (na)

XYZ -- 0

cont'd in next post
 
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Addendum to List of US Navy officer war dead according to the criteria established in previous two posts:

N -- NOE, Merle J, Lieutenant Junior Grade, O-112845, USN, from Montana, Jan-44, Honolulu Memorial (bm) + NOE, Merle James, Lt., (jg), USNR. Wife, Mrs. Shirley R. Noe, 2216 E. 46th St., Seattle, Wash (na) + NOE, Merle J, LTJG, O-112845, USNR, from Montana, location Aleutian Islands, missing, date of loss January 17, 1944 (pm)

Q -- QUINN, James E, Lieutenant Junior Grade, O-166821, USN, from Florida, Nov-44, Honolulu Memorial (bm) + QUINN, James, Lt(jg), USN, Liscome Bay CVE-56, November 24, 1943 (nm) + QUINN, James Edward, Lt., (jg), USNR. Wife, Mrs. Betty Eileen Quinn, 4128 SW 13th Terrace, Coral Gables, Miami, Fla (na) + QUINN, James E, LTJG, O-166821, USNR, from Florida, location Pacific Ocean, missing, date of loss November 24, 1943 (pm)

R -- RICKARD, James R O, Lieutenant, O-151257, USN, from California, Mar-45, Honolulu Memorial (bm) + RICKARD, James, Lt, USN, Franklin CV-13, March 19, 1945 (nm) + RICKARD, James Robert Orena. Lieutenant, USNR. Mother, Mrs. Acacia Orena Rickard, Box 161, Los Alamos, Calif (na) + RICKARD, James R O, LT, 151257, Fighting Squadron 5 (USS Franklin CV-13), 3rd and 5th Fleet Raids in support of Okinawa Gunto operation, March 19, 1945, (CasCode122) died of wounds, dd March 19, 1945 (bp2)

RILEY, Paul J, Lieutenant, O-078730, USN, from Arkansas, Jun-43, Honolulu Memorial (bm)

S -- STEWART, James R, Lieutenant, O-245137, USN, from Ohio, Mar-45, Honolulu Memorial (bm) + STEWART, James, Lt, USN, Franklin CV-13, March 19, 1945 (nm) + ?STEWART, James Reese, Lieutenant, USNR. Wife, Mrs. Erma L. Stewart, c/o B. T. Stewart, Rt. 2, Easton, Kans (na) + STEWART, James R, LT, O-245137, USNR, from Ohio, USS Franklin, location Japan, missing, date of loss March 19, 1945 (pm)
 
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The US built 151 aircraft carriers during WW2, of which 122 were the smaller escort carriers. Great Britain, by contrast, had 14 aircraft carriers total during the war. So the contribution of Royal Navy (including Commonwealth Navy) pilot-officers named James, who flew off of aircraft carriers, and who died in combat in the Pacific theater, can most likely be described as minimal, given that we could only come up with 28 pilot-officers/officers named James for the entire US Navy fleet who were killed in combat in the Pacific theater.
 
According to the website ancestry.com, 20 percent of boys are given the first and middle names of a family member (father?). That's 1 in 5, as an upper limit. If this held true a century ago, when theoretically most US Navy WW2 pilots were born, then we could use the 1/5 figure to calculate the number of US Navy pilots named James, jr. who were killed in combat in the Pacific.

https://www.ancestry.com/corporate/blog/american-baby-names-are-all-in-the-family/#:~:text=Of those, approximately one-third,named after a family member.
  • In fact, 20 percent of men were given both their first and middle names after a family member.
So, if roughly 28 (potential) US Navy aircraft carrier pilots who died in combat in WW2 in the Pacific theater were named James, about 28/ 5 = 5 or 6 (roughly 5 or 6) were named James, jr. by this estimate.

(or calculated slightly differently, since the 5 James, jr's were not counted in the initial survey of fallen Navy aviation officers in WW2 in the Pacific -- (28 +5)/ 5 = 6 or 7 .)

So, I'm predicting, if one went through the US Navy history website again, and, using the Ctrl F function, searched through all the "James" hits matching our criteria to include those hits where the son was named after the father (James, jr, hits), one would come up with at most 6 or 7 James _______, jr's who met our criteria out of the 10s of thousands of US Navy WW2 dead. That's at most 6 or 7 aircraft carriers, maybe only 1- 3 if we were lucky. I wonder how many Jack Larsens served as pilots on those carriers?

Next up: Ctrl F James, jr . see how far it gets us going through the US Navy history website letter by letter.
 
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