More detail on this person: Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) David Boostrom passed away quietly at home Friday afternoon March 9, 2018 at the age of 72. Foreseeing this event he wrote the following: "I hope that I have been a good husband, a good father, and a good soldier. To be sure, I loved my sweet wife and my children, and I loved my country. I always attempted to do that which I thought was right, and to do my duty. I leave this world with few regrets, and with the conviction that if I had my life to live again I would likely live it in much the same manner as I have. I beg pardon for any wrong I may have done to anyone, and forgive any wrong that may have been done to me. To all who knew me, especially my wife and family, I bid you farewell, wish you the best of luck, and hope that you find contentment in life. My last wish is to be with you all again." Colonel Boostrom is survived by his wife of 51 years and his children, his sister and brother, his many nephews and nieces, and his grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his Mother and Father and brother. Colonel Boostrom enlisted as a regular soldier in the United States Field Artillery in 1965 and retired from active duty as a lieutenant colonel in 1993. He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant after attending Field Artillery Officers Candidate School at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. Among his many assignments, he commanded Alpha Battery, 4th Battalion, 76th Artillery which was stationed along the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea. He also commanded Headquarters Battery, 1st Battalion, 18th Field Artillery, stationed at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. He graduated from the Army rotary wing flight school and served as a pilot with the 361st Attack Helicopter Company (Cobra) and the 129th Assault Helicopter Company during the Vietnam War. He served with the California Army National Guard, where he commanded B Battery, 2nd Battalion, 144th Field Artillery in Arcadia, California. After serving several years as a full time staff officer with the 1st Battalion, 144th Field Artillery in Santa Barbara, he returned to active duty and served in several general staff positions, ending his career as the Deputy Director for Firepower at the Army Training and Doctrine Command in Fort Monroe, Virginia. After retirement he worked for the Child Support Division of the Ventura District Attorneys Office and as the Senior Army Instructor of the Junior Reserve Officers Training Program at Santiago High School in Garden Grove, California. Colonel Boostrom received his Bachelors Degree from California State University in San Bernardino and his Masters Degree from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. He was also a graduate of the Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and the Army War College at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania. Among other decorations, Colonel Boostrom was awarded the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star, twelve awards of the Air Medal, the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry, the Meritorious Service Medal, three Army Commendation Medals, the California Medal of Merit, the California Commendation Ribbon, the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, and the Good Conduct Medal. Additionally, Colonel Boostrom was a member of the Honorable Order of Saint Barbara, the Military Officers Association of America and the Military Order of the World Wars, in which he served as Commander of the Ventura County Chapter. He was also a member of the Vietnam Veterans of Ventura County. Our family would like to extend our deepest gratitude for David's caregiver, Dennis, for his competent and compassionate care and also to his hospice nurses and doctors for their invaluable support. "There is to be no ceremony as I do not wish my passing to be an occasion of any sorrow. It is my wish that my body be cremated and my ashes turned over to my beloved wife. If it is possible for a spirit to linger a bit, I will seek out and touch each of you as I pass from this world."
This information was last updated 08/06/2018
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Date posted on this site: 08/31/2024
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