James Donald Budahazy, 2nd

The database page for James Donald Budahazy, 2nd

I remember being at the 8th Medical Dispensary right after lunch sitting around talking to a couple of the other medics who were assigned there. We were part of the 155th Assault Helicopter Company in Ban Me Thouc. On this day I heard a gun shot go off in our base camp near us and a couple of minutes later someone ran in and asked us to come quick as someone had been shot, to please hurry. I grabbed a medical aid bag and ran after the guy and someone else went to get Dr. Mirman, our Flight Surgeon. I noticed a gun shot wound to the guy's chest on the left side. I cut off his shirt and started to apply a bandage to his wound. Dr. Mirman arrived and immediately began CPR. He did the heart compressions and I did the mouth-to-mouth. He instructed one of the other medics to run and get some whole blood and his medical bag. We worked on James for over a half an hour and we were not able to bring him back. After James was pronounced dead we found out one of his best friends, a Sergeant Sparks, and James always played a game of cops and robbers and they would point their 45 caliber pistols at each other and pull the trigger. This time the gun was not unloaded. I never found out what happened to Sgt. Sparks. WHAT A STUPID WAY TO DIE !!!

The point-of-contact for this memorial is the medic that worked on him, Kerry "Doc" Pardue Chandler, Arizona kerrypardue247@yahoo.com  21 Aug 2002

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With all respect
Jim Schueckler, former CW2, US Army
Ken Davis, Commander, United States Navy (Ret)
Channing Prothro, former CAP Marine
Last updated 08/21/2002