COLONEL JAMES S. DOUGLAS, US ARMY (RET)
November 22, 1921 - March 19, 2021
Colonel Douglas died on Friday, March 19, 2021. He was preceded in death by his adorable wife, Mary.
The son of U.S. Navy Officer, he was born on November 22, 1921, Thanksgiving Day, in Honolulu, HI. Because his father was assigned to so many places including foreign countries by the time he graduated from Coronado High School, CA in 1938 he had attended 17 schools. He entered William & Mary College at age 16 to major in chemical engineering. Plans changed, and in July 1941 he entered the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. On June 6, 1944, day he graduated and joined the 42nd Infantry Division on its way to Europe. That war took him through France and Germany to Salzburg, Austria. He married Jeanne Dupre, daughter of Admiral and Mrs. Marcy Dupre, in 1946, and together they had 4 children, the first born in Salzburg. In 1960, they took Jeanne’s brother’s 4 children into their home for a few years. Those years with a family of eight left a lasting wonderful impact on all involved. The marriage ended in divorce 32 years later. In 1949 he earned his Master’s Degree in Journalism, and went to the Pentagon as Editor of and Army-wide newsletter. Next, he went to the Korea war as Operation Officer of the 27th Infantry Regiment and later as a battalion commander. In 1960, after the Command & General Staff College, he became Editor of the official magazine INFANTRY at The Army Infantry School. Two years later he was made Secretary of the School, the most junior officer ever to hold that position.
In 1963, he went to Iran as Senior Military Advisor to the Iranian 4th Division in Tabriz, and in 1964 returned to command a battalion in the U.S. 4th Infantry Division as Fort Lewis, WA. In 1965, he was assigned to the Office of the Secretary of Defense as Chief of Public Affairs. He earned the Combat Infantry Badge, Legion of Merit, two Bronze Stars, Purple Heart, and others. After he retires,
USAA in San Antonio invited him to create and be Editor of a magazine for USAA’S members. It was here he met USAA travel consultant Mary Mcclain with her two kids and later married her. At different times in San Antonio, he was Chapter Treasure of the West Point Society, Chapter President of the Association of the US Army, a Director of the American Red Cross, on United Way committees, and a member of the KLRN-TV (Public TV) Advisory Board. Along the way he wrote and sold 19 magazine articles. He was preceded in death by his son, James S. Douglas, Jr. Surviving are his children, Darcy Douglas, Atlanta GA; William A. Douglas, Lakewood, CO; Patricia Douglas, San Antonio, TX; his stepdaughter, Sandra R. Yarbrough, Spring Branch, TX, and stepson, David W. Mcclain, III, Oshkosh, WI; nine grandchildren and eleven great-grandchildren. At his death he has lived at 41 addresses worldwide, his last being Adante Senior Living. In lieu of flowers please make a donation to Alzheimer’s
Research. A service will be held at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery on Wednesday, April 21, 2021 at 11:15 a.m.
You are invited to sign the Guestbook at www.porterloring.com
Arrangements with