James Benjamin Vaught (November 3, 1926 – September 20, 2013) was a United States Army Lieutenant General who fought in the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. In South Korea he served as a company commander in the 24th Infantry Division and in 1967, in South Vietnam, on his first tour he served as the commanding officer of the 5th Battalion, 7th Cavalry. He has also played a major role in numerous United States Special Forces operations. He was the overall commander of Operation Eagle Claw, the failed rescue mission of U.S. hostages in Iran in 1980.