More detail on this person: James H Ihli, 68,
of Boise, passed away Monday, March 29 at the
VA hospital in Boise.
Cremation arrangements are being handled by
Summers Funeral Home. A Military Memorial
service will be held at the Veterans Cemetery in
Boise at 1:00 Tuesday, April 6. A lunch and
reception will follow at the Melba Senior Citizens
Hall. All are invited to attend and share
memories of Jim.
Jim was born Dec 22, 1941 in Caldwell to Nick &
Minnie (Barnes) Ihli. He grew up in the Owyhee's
and Canyon County. He went to school in Opaline,
Murphy, and Grandview and graduated from Melba
in 1960. He attended New Mexico Military
Institute on a ROTC scholarship where he also
played football. He graduated from Idaho State
University in 1965. He entered the Army in March
of 1966. He spent 5 years in the service and 19
months of that in Vietnam as a US Army Medical
Evacuation Helicopter pilot. He served with the
254th Medical Detachment. For heroism and
extraordinary achievement while participating in
aerial flight, Jim earned The Distinguished Flying
Cross. This is an amazing record of dedication to
recover our wounded soldiers in the field under
fire. In addition, Jim was awarded The Air Medal
with 29 Oak Leaf Clusters. The air medal
definition is -person shall have distinguished
himself be meritorious achievement while in aerial
flight or acts of heroism. After Jim returned
home, he owned the Glenwood Bar, 44 Club, and a
ranch in the foothills of Mountain Home. He
worked for the Boise city Parks and Recreation
until he retired in January, 2007.
He had a great love of the outdoors and looked
forward to the summer fishing trip at Juniper
Creek and deer hunting in Silver city. Jim had a
heart of gold. He was always willing to help
someone in need financially or just be there as a
friend. The courage Jim displayed during his life
was notable. The numerous missions he flew in
Vietnam as a Medivac pilot continuously put him in
harms way. The last 20 years of his life were
difficult at times while he battled cancer. In
all things, his ability to continue to fight for
life everyday was remarkable. He will not be
forgotten.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Nick Ihli
and Minnie (Barnes) Ihli and his brother, Charles
Ihli. He is survived by his 2 brothers; Nick
(Delores) Ihli and Mike (Linda) Ihli and 4
sisters; Florine (Sam) Rodich of California, Mary
Ann (Jack) Haines of Caldwell, Jane (Bob) Merrick
of Nampa, Sr. Jean Ihli of St. Gertrudes in
Cottonwood, and 1 sister-in-law; Dorothy Ihli of
Caldwell, and many nieces and nephews and their
families and cousins.
In lieu of flowers, memorials in Jim's memory may
be made to your favorite charity.
This information was last updated 05/18/2016
Please send additions or corrections to: HQ@vhpa.org VHPA Headquarters
Return to the Helicopter Pilot DAT name list
Return to VHPA web site
Date posted on this site: 03/10/2024
Copyright © 1998 - 2024 Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association