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“He was our great big lovable Jim!” “My husband!” “My only childl” “My only cousin!”</p>
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Jim spent all his adult years in the military service. He had served in World War II and Korea. Finally, an accident on an airfield in Vietnam claimed his life and the lives of 26 other American airmen when a chain of explosions destroyed several aircraft about to take off on a bombing mission.</p>
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Jim’s wing commander wrote of him: “He gave his life for liberty and for our way of life, and we will try to take courage from him and continue the work he started so well. He was recognized as an outstanding officer, and we in turn have benefited tremendously from his tour with us. Jim displayed courage and professional excellence and coupled that with a pleasant personality, intelligence, and common sense. In all respects he upheld the standards and traditions of the Air Force and the nation we serve.”</p>
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At a ceremony at Chanute Field, Illinois, Jim received the following posthumous awards: the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal with 3d and 4th oak leaf clusters, and the Bronze Star. The Vietnamese government sent his wife the National Order, Fifth Class, and the Military Merit Medal.</p>
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Jim led a good, happy, and full life. Born in Everett, Washington, he spent his youth in Montana, attending schools in Conrad and Choteau. lie was graduated from high school during World War II and immediately enlisted in the Air Corps, where he was trained as a navigator and eventually flew bombing missions over Germany and Austria.</p>
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Back home after World War II, Jim had just started college when his father passed away. The elder Underwood was a veteran of World War I, and, acting perhaps on what he thought his father would have him do, Jim reenlisted in the Air Corps. It wasn’t long after that, that he took and passed the competitive exam to West Point. He graduated in 1952 and within a very short time was assigned to Korea.</p>
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Jim remained a bachelor until Sakae, a “little flower from Japan,” stole his heart away. She and Jim lived five very happy years at Larson AFB, Washington, where Jim taught in the weapons school and logged many flying hours. He received the Air Force Commendation Medal for meritorious service from March 1961 to August 1964.</p>
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A major at his last station in the Philippines, he and Sakae had just settled in their new home. Sakae had become a naturalized U.S. citizen and loved the American way of life. Alone now, she is faced with the difficult decision of remaining in the United States or returning to her native Japan.</p>
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Visiting with Jim’s mother, Mrs. Vivian T. Underwood, in Casey, Illinois, Sakae is a source of strength to the senior Mrs. Underwood, and together they mourn the loss of their beloved Jim.</p>
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<em>—Ann S. Whittaker</em></p>