James J. Connell

Lieutenant Commander James J. Connell (6 May 1939 – 14 January 1971) was an American naval aviator. Born in Wilmington, Delaware, Connell served in the United States Navy as a naval aviator. During the Vietnam War, Connell was shot down and captured, eventually dying in captivity. He was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross, with Connell's decoration being the highest award for valor bestowed on a Delawarean during the Vietnam War.

Biography James J. Connell was born on 6 May 1939 in Wilmington, Delaware. He attended Salesianum School in Wilmington, graduating as part of the Class of 1957 before enrolling in the Annapolis Naval Academy. Connell trained as a naval aviator at Annapolis, graduating in the Class of 1961 and receiving his designation as a naval aviator in June 1962. According to his Class' Lucky Bag, Connell was active in the Annapolis Foreign Relations Club and was interested in the field of criminal law. During the attack, the flight encountered heavy anti-aircraft fire; pulling away from the first target, one pilot reported seeing a chute, indicating a Skyhawk had been shot down. At one work camp near Hanoi—referred to as "The Zoo" by some prisoners—Connell was kept in almost continuous solitary confinement, only able to keep in communication with other prisoners via the use of a system of signals. On 14 January 1971, an incident occurred that resulted in Connell's death, though many fellow prisoners did not know of his fate until the end of the conflict. on Connell's relative obscurity in his home state of Delaware. In 2018, efforts by one Bill Coll (a retired Navy commander who had graduated from Salesianum several years after Connell) to have Connell recognized by Salesianum resulted in renewed interest in Connell's story.

Awards Military Connell received the following medals: Navy Cross Legion of Merit Distinguished Flying Cross Purple Heart Prisoner of War medal

Civic Order of the First State - the State of Delaware's highest award, presented posthumously to Connell in 2018.