More detail on this person: Jack J. King,
September 7, 1933 - November 28, 2015
Born to Lewis C. King and Gertrude Winkle on
September 7th, 1933 as James John King. He was
the eighth of nine children, born in the depth of
the Great Depression in Tacoma, Washington.
Although his Dad had a mere eight grade education,
he was a talented craftsman and was able to
provide for his family during the hardest of
times. They lived on a large piece of property
that was used wisely. Fruit trees and gardens
flourished and provided much needed sustenance to
a hungry, growing family. Everyone in the family
pitched in and cared for the gardens, while Mom
and the girls did most of the canning and
preserving. Dad also was an avid fisherman and
provided the family with lots of fish,
particularly, salmon. Although they were poor,
they were never hungry.
When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, Jack
was an eight year old boy taking a break from
chores and reading the funny papers as he lay on
the floor in front of their big old family radio.
As the bulletin broke through, his mother went
"Nuts", as he put it, as his older brother Lew was
out on an aircraft carrier believed to be in Pearl
Harbor. As we now know, that was not the case,
but in those days it took weeks to get the news.
His mother was a wreck the entire time!
We all know how intelligent Jack was, but as a
teenager he was far more interested in girls than
books. His older brothers would set him up with
some very interesting and dangerous odd jobs.
Driving a logging truck, working tug boats, and
driving money shipments for the U.S. Post Office.
Despite school and jobs, Jack fell in the wrong
crowd and needed to change direction. He had
always wanted to fly, therefore, he joined the
U.S.A.F. He also changed his name officially, to
Jack J. King.
However, without a college degree and with the
Korean War spooling down, his dream of flying for
the Air Force was not a reality. What was a
reality was the Air Force Flying Clubs that Jack
took advantage of immediately. He received his
first pilot's license from Canada! From then on,
there was no stopping Jack. He went on to obtain
any and every license and rating a pilot could
possible receive!
In the meantime, while being based in Maine, he
met and married Patricia O'Neal. She gave him two
beautiful children, Gary, on Christmas Day 1953
and Sharon, on February 28, 1957. Pat and the
kids would endure the lives that all military
families do, separation and sacrifice.
A rumor got around that the Army was looking for
"A Few Good Men" to fly their aircraft. Jack
didn't hesitate. His pay would double and he would
finally move up in rank. In one day, Jack left
Barksdale, Louisiana and reported the next day to
Ft. Wolters, TX. with only a flight suit and a few
pair of skivvies. He reported for duty thinking he
would be flying fixed wing aircraft, but they
surprised him when he was immediately enrolled in
helicopter flight training.
Since Jack had already obtained flight instructor
status on fixed wing, once he completed helicopter
training, he was sent to helicopter flight
instructor school. Once he became a helicopter
flight instructor, he was training young men to go
off to fight in Vietnam. Jack did this with a
heavy heart, however, he made sure that they were
well trained, confident, and knew every trick that
he could teach them to get them out of trouble
should it arise.
Eventually, Jack's turn came to serve in Southeast
Asia. His first tour was 66-67 and the second
1969. He received his two Distinguished Flying
Crosses during his first tour. Although he has
always been proud of his medals and of his
brothers and sisters that have also received the
medal, the real heroes are those that are left
behind; those that gave the ultimate sacrifice.
Another interesting tour of duty was flying the
Ambassador of Pakistan for two years. Since we've
been married, he's been a plethora of information
about the area, the customs, and the people.
Jack retired from the U.S. Army on January 31,
1979. Wisely, he worked at Flight Safety for a
year in St. Louis for a year, where he knew he
would make contacts for future employment. He
was picked up by Convair, which was later bought
by General Dynamics, and finally by Hughes.
(While working, he finished both his bachelors and
Masters Degrees.) When the flight department
closed, Jack became a contract pilot as
Professional Pilot Services. When his beloved Pat
became seriously ill, Jack finally retired from
professional flying. However, he still needed an
outlet and became interested in the
Commemorative Air Force.
The Commemorative Air Force restores WWII
aircraft to flying condition. They have units all
over the country and one here in San Diego. Jack
joined and began flying the SNJ-5. After his wife
passed away, it was a good outlet for Jack to
force him out of the house and doing what he loved
most. Seven months passed. Jack and I met at a
Riverside Commemorative Air Force Wing event. I
can't speak for Jack, but for me, sparks flew and
the butterflies soared. We married a year later,
and of course, our reception was in a hangar
surrounded by aircrafts!
Jack was a wonderful husband, father, stepfather,
grandfather, brother, uncle, teacher, mentor, and
friend. He was unique among men. He gave much
and asked little in return. The house is lonely
now, and my best buddy is gone. May God grant
him the T-34 that he always wanted and a blue sky
where he can soar to heaven's content! Be at
peace, Jack, but know that you are loved dearly
and sorely missed!
You are the wind beneath my wings,
I LOVE YOU JACK!!!
Linda
Burial information: Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, San Diego, CA
This information was last updated 10/13/2016
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Date posted on this site: 03/10/2024
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