- Date Of Birth: October 8, 1925
- Date Of Death: July 30, 2016
- State: Florida
Biography
Colonel James E. Adams, US Army (ret.), 90, passed away at his residence at Indian River Colony Club, Viera, FL, on July 30th, 2016.
He was born on Oct. 8, 1925, one of six children to AB and Johnnie Adams in Rocky Mount, NC and outlived all the members of his immediate family.
He was also preceded in death by his wife of 60 years Madelyn K. Adams, a son Stephen Kent Adams, and a great grandchild.
He is survived by Raye, a loving wife of 7 years, a son James L. Adams of Lexington, Va., three grandchildren, and five great grandchildren who all lovingly called him “Grumps.”
Col. Adams had a noteworthy career in broadcasting beginning as a 15-year-old radio DJ and rising to be the news anchor for WTAR-TV in Norfolk, Va. before he was 30, but it was his call to serve his country which distinguished him.
With high school graduation in 1943, he joined the US Navy and saw combat in the Pacific Theater of WWII as a bow gunner in a torpedo seaplane. After commissioning in the Army National Guard, he served as an artillery forward and aerial observer in Korea and was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for Valor.
He ultimately committed to a regular Army career and served for 20 years as a commander of Armed Forces Network Germany, a senior officer in the White House Communications Agency for
5 years which, from his West Wing office, put him in daily support of both Presidents Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon and for which he was awarded the Legion of Merit, commander of the Armed Forces Vietnam Network ending with his retirement in 1974 as Director of Command Information for the US Army.
