James Bernard Scanlon (January 16, 1931 – October 30, 2023) was a U.S. Army officer who served in the Korean and Vietnam Wars.

[1] Scanlon is notable for serving as an American advisor in South Vietnam from 1962 to 1963, and was involved in the Battle of Ap Bac.

[3] After he completed parachute training at Fort Benning, he was assigned to the 710th Tank Battalion in the 11th Airborne Division.

[3] Scanlon appeared in Ken Burns' The Vietnam War, Episode "Riding the Tiger (1961-1963).

"[3][2] He is also mentioned in Neil Sheehan's, A Bright Shining Lie, David Halberstam's The Making of A Quagmire, and Geoffrey C. Ward and Ken Burns, The Vietnam War: An Intimate History.