James Arnold Shelton was born on September 20, 1916 on the Shelton homestead in Judith Basin County near Denton, Montana. He was the fourth child and second son of John Henry Shelton and Anice Lucinda Cady Shelton. Jim grew up on the family ranch. He attended Smart Elementary School and Denton High School, where he lettered in basketball and football and threw the shot put and javelin in track.
After graduating from high school in 1934, Jim entered what was then known as Montana State University in Missoula Montana. He graduated from the five year forestry program in 1939. He was working on his master's degree when he decided to join the United States Navy.
Jim boarded the train for Seattle, Washington in January 1941, where he enlisted in the US Navy on January 15, 1941. In mid-February, he was ordered to Pensacola Naval Air Station for officers training. He was appointed an Aviation Cadet on March 3, 1941.
He earned his aviator wings and was commissioned Ensign in October, 1941. (Some records indicated August, which would have been very fast.) He was immediately assigned to VS-6 aboard the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise. (Some records indicate April 17, 1942.) At some point, he apparently received advance flight training in Miami, Florida.
After flight training, Jim received extended leave. He went home to central Montana to share the holidays with his family. Thanksgiving was a wonderful family reunion, but Christmas together was not to be. The Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. The Navy cancelled Jim's leave and sent orders to report to San Diego immediately. He most likely received advanced flight training in San Diego before joining the USS Enterprise in February, 1942 at Pearl Harbor.
Jim was a dive bomber pilot, flying an SBD 3 with the famous Scouting Squadron Six off the Enterprise. His aircraft carried the S-6 designation. He was with the VS-6 and the Enterprise for the assault on the Gilbert and Marshall Islands.
Enterprise returned to Pearl briefly after the Gilbert and Marshall Islands raid. On February 14, 1942, she departed for the February 25 Wake Island raid. VS-6 and Jim were with her for this raid and again on March 4 for the Marcus Island raid.
Enterprise returned to Pearl until April when she began her second deployment. This time she was to sail within 500 miles of the Japanese coast to provide combat air patrol defense for her sister ship Hornet and her cargo. The Hornet carried Jimmy Doolittle's Army Air Corp pilots and planes to Doolittle's raid on Tokyo. The VS-6 remained behind in Pearl for this mission.
Enterprise began her third deployment on April 30, 1942 when she departed for the 3500 mile voyage to the Coral Sea. The VS-6 was with her once again. Distance and timing
caused her to miss this battle by one day, the only major battle in the Pacific that Enterprise would miss during the war.
Her fourth deployment on May 28, 1942 was to be monumental. She left for a top secret mission with her sister ships, Hornet and Yorktown. They were the only operation al carriers in the Pacific. They had no battle ships with them and were vastly outnumbered by the enemy.
On June 4, 1942, at age 26, James A. Shelton flew off the USS Enterprise with radioman/gunner RM3c D. Bruce Craig and the VS-6 from the Enterprise Air Group. His squadron's mission was to locate and intercept the Japanese fleet, believed to be steaming toward Midway Island in the Pacific Ocean. A three hour search finally paid off. VS-6 and other US dive bomber, torpedo bomber and fighter squadrons, located the Japanese Fleet. Desperately low on fuel and vastly outnumbered, they never-the-less attacked the enemy. The US crews had the element of surprise and with minutes the three Japanese carriers were burning uncontrollably and the Japanese fleet was effectively destroyed. The Battle of Midway turned the tide of World War II in the Pacific.
Their valiant, victorious mission completed, the crews were ready to head for "home". Their planes were desperately low on fuel, the crews were unsure of the location of their carriers, and the Japanese fighters continued to create havoc. The squadrons reformed as well as possible. Each headed in a different direction, hoping to conserve enough fuel to find the US carriers. At the end of a long day, very few crews and planes made it back to their carriers. Most of the crews did not return to their carriers and were not heard from again. Ensign Shelton and his gunner, RM3c Craig, were among the missing.
James A. Shelton was awarded the Navy Cross posthumously on November 12, 1942. The citation stated that the medal was awarded "For extraordinary heroism and courageous devotion to duty while piloting an airplane of Scouting Squadron Six in action against enemy Japanese forces in the Battle of Midway during the period of June 4-6, 1942. Participating in a devastating assault against a Japanese invasion fleet, Ensign Shelton, with fortitude and resolute devotion to duty, pressed home his attacks in the face of a formidable barrage of anti-aircraft fire and fierce fighter opposition. His gallant perseverance and utter disregard for his own personal safety were important contributing factors to success achieved by our forces and were in keeping with the with the highest tradition of the United States Naval Service."
Ensign Shelton was also awarded the Purple Heart, the Combat Action Ribbon, the Navy Presidential Unit Citation, the American Defense Medal, the American Campaign Medal, the Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal with bronze Combat Stars, and the World War II Victory medal.
Two Naval vessels were subsequently named for Ensign Shelton. The first ship of the Fleet was built as John C. Butler Class destroyer escort, and designated the USS Shelton DE 407. Her keel was laid down on November 1, 1943 by Brown Shipbuilding in Houston Texas. She was launched on December 18, 1943 sponsored by Mrs. John H. Shelton, Ensign Shelton's mother. She was commissioned on April 4, 1944. After her shakedown cruise, she sailed for Pearl Harbor on July 9, 1944. She was seriously damaged on October 3, 1944 at Morotai Island, New Guinea by the Japanese submarine RO-41. She was scuttled when her situation became hopeless. She was struck form the Navy list on November 27, 1944. She received on Battle Star for service in WWII.
The second ship of the Fleet was the 45th and last destroyer commissioned at the Todd Shipyard Corporation, Seattle, Washington. The USS Shelton DD 790 was authorized on July 9, 1942 and the keel was laid on May 31, 1945. The ship was launched on May 8, 1946 sponsored by Ensign Shelton's sister, Mrs. Loretta Shelton Miller. Ensign Shelton's parents, Mr. and Mrs. John Shelton, and his brother, Mr. Leon Shelton, and his sister, Mrs. Lola Shelton Klaue also attended the ceremony. A brass plaque, bolted to the wardroom wall, told the story of Ensign, Shelton. His picture hung above the plaque. The USS Shelton was commissioned on June 21, 1946.
Built as a general-purpose destroyer of the Gearing class, she served with the Seventh Fleet in China, Korea, Japan, and Vietnam. She was modernized in 1960 as an antisubmarine destroyer at Long Beach Naval Shipyard. The USS Shelton was home ported in San Diego, California until her conversion, after which she was home ported in Yokosuka. She was decommissioned and struck from the Navy list on March 31, 1973. She was sold to the Republic of China the following month. She serves that government as Lao Yang (DD20). She received eight battle stars for service in the Korean War and eight battle stars for service in Vietnam.