Chief Warrant Officer Two James N. Jansen was born on 25 January 1960 in Amarillo, Texas. He served at Fort Rucker, Alabama, prior to serving as a pilot in Alpha Company, 159th Aviation Battalion at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.

The accident that claimed his life on a CH-47 Chinook, #845, occurred on 10 July 1983 on South Fox Island, Michigan, located at the northern tip of Lake Michigan. CW2 Jansen and the crew were planning and developing new doctrine, tactics, and techniques that have made the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) what it is today.

CW2 Jansen is survived by his wife, Rita. He is laid to rest in Dover, Tennessee, at Fort Donelson National Military Park, Site 1443.