Major General James Leon Baldwin (February 28, 1921 – November 8, 1979) was a career United States Army officer who served as commander of the 23rd (Americal) Infantry Division from 1970 to 1971.

When National Guard units started to be federalized in anticipation of World War II, he served with the 35th Division in Arkansas and California until attending Officer Candidate School in 1942.

[4] While serving as Intelligence Staff Officer, S-2 for the 395th Infantry Regiment, Baldwin investigated the massacre by German soldiers of 11 African-American members of the 333rd Artillery Battalion, who had been killed after they surrendered.

The Commander of the 196th Light Infantry Brigade, Colonel William Hathaway, was removed from the promotion list for Brigadier General and received a letter of reprimand.

All three commanders received these reprimands for not having ensured that standard operating procedures were followed with regard to perimeter security at FSB Mary Ann, thus facilitating the attack.

[21] Baldwin's awards included the Combat Infantryman Badge, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, Purple Heart and Army Commendation Medal.

[26][27] Baldwin's surviving children, especially his son Timothy, later conducted research on the FSB Mary Ann attack in an effort to clear their father's name.

In the post-Vietnam Army, Ricks argues that a culture of mediocrity exists because generals may be punished for personal misconduct, but are not held accountable for poor job performance.