James Ronald Byrne was born in Weymouth, Massachusetts, on November 5, 1948, to Edward T. Byrne and Rita Agnes Byrne. His family later moved to Torrance and he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps on January 31, 1969.

Private First Class Byrne was assigned to A Company, 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Amphibious Force, as an anti-tank assaultman trained to engage enemy armor.

On August 3, 1969, PFC Byrne was deployed to Quang Tri Province in South Vietnam. Just ten days later, on August 13, he was killed in action by hostile mortar fire while exiting a helicopter during Operation Idaho Canyon, a mission against North Vietnamese Army (NVA) forces. He was 20 years old.

PFC James Ronald Byrne was awarded the Purple Heart Medal and laid to rest at Los Angeles National Cemetery. He was survived by his parents, his sisters Barbara and Nancy, and his brother, Edward Byrne Jr., all of Torrance.