ANAHEIM, CA, U.S.A.
U.S. ARMY
SFC, COMBAT MEDIC, DET B-16, 1ST MIKE FORCE, CO C, 5TH SPECIL FORCES GROUP
O2/07/1968, LANG VEI SF CAMP, QUANG TRI PROVINCE, SOUTH VIETNAM
In 1972 a young girl got a metal bracelet in her Christmas stocking. It was a MIA-POW bracelet. Each bracelet had the name of a service member who was still held POW-prisoner or MIA-missing in action in Vietnam. The idea was to wear the bracelet until that Veteran was home.
SFC Moreland was born September 29, 1945 in Bessemer, AL. James “Les” Moreland was raised in the Birmingham, AL area. He moved to California for his senior year of high school. He was All County Running Back, class of 1963, Western High School, Anaheim, CA. He attended Fullerton Junior College, Fullerton, CA for 2 years. (1964-1965). SFC Moreland enlisted in the U.S. Army on October 1, 1965. He spent nearly 2 years training as a Special Forces, Combat Medic. He started his tour in Vietnam on July 4, 1967.
On February 7, 1968 he was one of 24 Special Forces soldiers at the Base Camp at Lang Vei. In the early morning hours of February 7, the NVA over ran the camp with overwhelming numbers and armor. Les was critically wounded. In the late afternoon, under cover of heavy air support the camp was evacuated. Les had to be left in the command bunker due to the tactical situation. It is presumed that he died in the bunker. His remains were recovered and identified on October 13, 2010. The Incident Location is listed as: Lang Vei Sf Camp 5km W of Khe Sanh, South Vietnam, Quang Tri province.
SFC Moreland’s remains were returned to the United States.