Jimmy Ray Cavender: MIA Santa Paulan
remembered by family and community
May 27, 2015
By Peggy Kelly
Santa Paula News
When VFW Mercer-Prieto Post 2043 Commander Jerry Olivas spoke about Jimmy Ray Cavender Monday during the annual Memorial Day Ceremony, he noted a fundraiser would soon be launched to replace the plaque dedicated to the young Santa Paulan on the Veterans Monument.
Jimmy Ray is among the 83 Santa Paulans honored on the monument at Veterans Memorial Park that notes the name of every Santa Paulan lost in World War I, World War II, Korean and Vietnam.
At only 20 years old Jimmy Ray was already an Army Bell Iroquois helicopter pilot, but it was a life cut short: he and his crew went down during a combat support mission November 4, 1969 near Duc My Pass, South Vietnam. The helicopter’s last radio transmission noted they were having trouble; the crew’s bodies were never found.
Jimmy Ray, an Army Chief Warrant Officer in the 281st Aviation Company, is the only MIA among those Santa Paulans lost in Vietnam; his name is also inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.
Olivas told the crowd at Santa Paula Cemetery that it was an honor to welcome James Cavender, Jimmy Ray’s older brother, and James’ wife Marsha to the ceremony.
The fact that Jimmy Ray is MIA, said Olivas, “Should have been noted on his plaque,” at the Veterans Monument.
And, he noted, Jimmy Ray’s last name is misspelled which would also be corrected through a fundraiser to be announced to cover the $1,700 cost of a new plaque.
That fundraiser took less than 30 minutes when Santa Paula Fire Captain Austin Macias, president of the Santa Paula Fire Fighters Association, told Olivas and James Cavender that the organization would be honored to fund the purchase.
“That’s what we do,” said Macias as different people thanked the association for their donation.
“That’s fantastic!” said Cavender, a sentiment shared by Olivas.
“Isn’t that wonderful? It’s unbelievable,” said Olivas of the donation and how rapidly it came.
Many people approached Cavender with their memories of his brother: “I wore Jimmy Ray’s bracelet for many years,” Betty Dowling Roina told Cavender of the jewelry sold in remembrance of those American POW-MIAs lost in Vietnam.
Cavender, older than Jimmy Ray by five years, said the Department of Defense has been vigilant in keeping families of those missing in action updated.
“They hold an annual meeting,” and fly next-of-kin such as James and Marsha to Washington, D.C. annually for about three days of meetings and briefings
With advances in science and the dedication of those attempting to locate POW-MIAs, it is possible that Jimmy Ray will be located one day, even though he’s been missing for more than 40 years.
Said Cavender of POW-MIA search parties, “These guys go through everything,” after mapping out locations they believe aircraft went down.
Stories are growing about the remains of those lost in war being discovered, Viet Cong veterans and Vietnam villagers pointing out what become search sites, confirmation often initially hinging on something minor.
“These guys go through everything, sift the dirt...they’ve said that even a shoelace grommet,” can be traced to the manufacturer and the date of same, when it was sold and other details.
Such methods make Cavender believe Jimmy Ray will be located: “They have my DNA,” for a forensic match.
Cavender’s computer has a slideshow screensaver that flashes pictures of Jimmy Ray, “Us holding fish we caught,” and other family photos.
His brother was a noted athlete, a formidable football player—All County—but with a strong streak of gentleness that made him very protective of the little guy.
Following the Memorial Day Ceremony Cavender heard from many people who spoke of “Jimmy’s character,” including one man who said that as a freshman at SPHS he was picked on until Jimmy Ray interceded, “And they didn’t pick on him anymore…”
Cavender said, “I would just thank god for the closure,” of Jimmy Ray’s death. “After all these years it’s basically a done deal,” that his brother did not survive the crash. “I’m pragmatic and there’s no possibility…”
Also important, “The number one thing I would like, well, if the military doesn’t have anything to put in the ground there is no military service. And if they find anything there will be a full military service for him. I just wanted something to mark his existence, we just want something to put in the ground.”
All in all, said Cavender, Jimmy Ray “was just a wonderful person who always stood up for the underdog…”
Standing up for the underdog was the way Jimmy Ray lived — and the way he died.
