More detail on this person: Col (R) James A. Kilgore 88 passed away on June 15, 2021. A loving husband of 68 years, he is survived by his wife Alice and sons Steve (Maggie), Dana, Bruce (Elaine) and daughter Karen, 8 grandchildren as well as his brother Wayne. He was predeceased by his parents Laneal and Belva Kilgore, his younger brother Bob and his oldest son James M.Kilgore. Colonel Kilgore served his country proudly and honorably in the U.S. Army for 30 years. He joined the army as a private and retired as a Colonel. He was a paratrooper sergeant in the 187th Airborn RCT during the Korean War and attended Officer's Candidate School after the war and was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant of Artillery. He then earned his pilot wings in both fixed wing and helicopters and was a Combat Operation Officer and Commander of an Armed Helicopter Unit in Vietnam. He received his college Degree from the University Of Nebraska. He then served at the Dept of the Army in Washington, DC and returned to Korea as a Battalion Commander of an ADA Battalion. After attending the Army War College, he was assigned as the Director of the Tactics Dept. at the US Army Air Defense Artillery School and then later returned to Korea to command 4,000 soldiers along the DMZ. His final assignment was at Fort Bliss where he served as the Director of Training Developments, retiring in 1979. His Military Honors include the Silver Star, Legion of Merit, Bronze star, Meritorious service Medal (w/OLC), Combat Infantry Badge, Senior Aviation Wings, Parachute Badge, Korean Service Medal (w/3 Bronze stars), Vietnam service Medal, Presidential Unit Citation and many service ribbons. He also received two medals from the Republic of Korea for his service. After retiring from the Army he served as the President of the GOA Bradley Chapter, Association of the US Army and received the Dept of the Army Commander's Award for Public Service. He worked as a Division Manager and Vice President for Science Applications International corporation (SAIC).Upon retiring from SAIC he and Alice spent their time traveling and enjoying the many countries of the world. Graveside services will be held on July 8 at 9:30am at Fort Bliss National Cemetery.
Burial information: Fort Bliss National Cemetery, El Paso, TX
This information was last updated 07/04/2021
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Date posted on this site: 03/10/2024
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