James Arthur Bailey was born on January 3, 1920, in Christine, Adair County, Kentucky. He was the son of James Alfred Bailey and Mary E. Burton Bailey. He served in the 1st Platoon of Company C, 712th Tank Battalion, 90th Infantry Division, as a Technician 4th Grade during World War II.

On July 10, 1944, during the battle for Hill 122 in Normandy, near Le Plessis, France, their tank platoon was sent to rescue the 3rd Battalion of the 358th Regiment of the 90th Infantry, which had been encircled by German forces near the summit. The tanks successfully reached the trapped infantry, but instead of having the infantry withdraw along the path the tanks had used, the infantry colonel ordered the tanks to encircle the hill. The 712th tanks managed to clear a path through the underbrush and small trees, reaching fields lined with hedgerows on the opposite side of the hill from the American forces.

However, while attempting to break through these fields, the tanks encountered German 88mm anti-tank guns and took direct hits, causing the ammunition inside the tanks to ignite and engulf them in flames. T4 Bailey was one of the nine tank crew members who were killed in action that day. T4 Bailey is now buried in the Redmon Cemetery, Craycraft, Adair County, Kentucky, USA.