Leaving No One Behind – Veterans Petitioning for Mercy for Decorated, 21-year Air Force Master Sergeant Jim Pavatt
James Pavatt is scheduled for a clemency hearing on Wednesday, October 14 in Oklahoma. We're partnering with colleagues in the state to collect signatures for a sign-on letter to be presented to the clemency board during that hearing. Please only sign this letter if you have served in the U.S. Armed Forces.
Dear Oklahoma Decision Makers,
We are U.S. military Veterans writing to urge you to spare the life of Air Force Master Sergeant Jim Pavatt, a fellow Veteran scheduled to be executed by the State of Oklahoma on November 12, 2026, the day after Veterans’ Day.
At core, we seek fairness for Master Sergeant Pavatt. It is our understanding that the story of his long military service was not presented to the jury. And it is a story worth hearing.
To be plain, while every veteran’s honorable service inures to his or her credit, Master Sergeant Pavatt’s contributions go far beyond that of the “average” serviceman of his, or any other, era. Master Sergeant Pavatt was a senior enlisted leader in the Air Force. During his nearly 22 years of service to our Country, he was responsible for upwards of 5000 personnel and their families, ensuring that those airmen were safe, secure and mission-ready to defend the United States and its allies from threats ranging from terrorism to North Korean aggression to full scale nuclear war. Master Sergeant Pavatt carried out these responsibilities with high commendation and was repeatedly recognized. From the beginning of his service guarding B-52’s at Tinker Air
Force Base (where he was recognized as Airman of the Quarter for an entire base) to its culmination as a First Sergeant in Korea, he earned awards well above each successive paygrade, including the Air Force Commendation Medal and the Meritorious Service Medal. At the apex of his career, he was recognized as one of the best First Sergeants in the Air Force and designated a finalist for First Sergeant of the Year for the Seventh Air Force, essentially the entire Air Force in the Korean region. An affidavit from General Ronald Fogleman, former Chief of Staff of the Air Force and in Master Sergeant Pavatt’s chain of command at the time, testifies to his performance and dedication.
Given Master Sergeant Pavatt’s record, we are very concerned that the jury that condemned him heard essentially nothing about his service to his country, not even his final rank. Nor has any later court evaluated this service as a reason to spare his life. Thus, we are not asking you to substitute your judgment for that of a well-informed jury or a learned court but rather to fill perhaps the most vital role of clemency, to consider as the final repository of mercy relevant facts not previously weighed.
James Pavatt is not the worst of the worst and we are not seeking his freedom. We are asking only that you recognize the value of his service and spare his life.
Respectfully, the Undersigned,
