James Scuitier was born on February 14, 1947. His home of record is Summit, NJ. He had a younger sister.
He entered the US Army and attained the rank of Private First Class (PFC). Scuitier served with Troop C, 3rd Squadron, 4th Calvary, 25th Infantry Division.
Scuitier was killed in action on February 28, 1968. His unit was engaged in a reconnaissance force mission north of Saigon in South Vietnam. The enemy launched an attack with rocket-propelled grenades and heavy automatic weapons fired after Scuitier’s tank commander had stopped to check the ID of an indigenous person. During the assault, the tank received two direct RPG hits. He is buried in Saint Teresa Cemetery, Summit, New Jersey.
I met Jim during basic training in Fort Carson, Colorado at the end of 1966. We were the same age and grew up in the same area of New Jersey. As 1965 high school grads, we thought we had the world licked.Â
I purchased a Corvette convertible in the fall of 1992. I had that car for six years, putting only 12,000 miles on it during my tenure. I cherished that car. I babied that car. Every time I got into that car I thought of Jim Scuitier. I thought of what his Corvette must have looked like; what he must have looked like behind the wheel of that car; a wild-eyed young man with everything ahead of him. Then I think of his sacrifice. Somehow, his death and my survival have a relationship. This relationship is best manifested when the top is down and the wind is whistling through my hair, the throaty sound of the muffler is one indication that Jim rides with me always.
-Written by Ray Beale on vvmf.org
Sources: Ray Beale (friend),various websites, findagrave.com and NJVVMF.
12/17/2024
