It is with great regret and sorrow that I must notify you of the death of our classmate, Jim Scott, on August 18, 2022, in San Antonio, TX, as a result of complications related to Agent Orange exposure.

Jim is survived by his wife, Kelly; their daughter Schell; their son James IV and his wife Kathie; their daughter Lacy and her husband Michael Wyant; and their son Rusty and his wife Brette; their grandchildren Alicsha, John, Madison, Katherine, Landyn, and Lincoln; and their great grandchildren John and Alaina.

Jim's funeral will be at 10 AM, 12 June, at the West Point Cemetery.  A reception will follow.

Condolences may be sent to Kelly at 5303 Churubusco Drive, San Antonio, TX  78239-3071.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Jim’s memory may be sent to the Gary Sinise Foundation, PO Box 40726, Nashville, TN  37204.

Well done, Jim.  Be thou at peace.

Remembrances:

Class Memorial Pages\K-2 Jim Scott.pdf

iScott funeral service program.pdf

Obituaries:

Assembly/Taps Memorial Article:

James A. Scott 1961

Cullum No. 23529-1961 | August 18, 2022 | Died in San Antonio, TX
Cremate. Interred in West Point Cemetery, West Point, NY.

James Armitt Scott III was born in the U.S. Canal Zone, Colon, Panama to Lieutenant and Mrs. James Armitt Scott Jr. Like most Army brats, he moved frequently and had unique experiences during his childhood and developmental years before deciding to seek an Army career after high school. Entering West Point via the USMA Prep School, Jim was well prepared for the challenges of plebe year. Finishing in the top half of his class, Jim more than held his own with the books, but he especially excelled in all West Point challenges requiring physical aptitude. Nicknamed “Ripper” for his prowess on the intramural basketball courts, Jim was also a top football player on his company intramural team. This athletic ability and exceptional coordination skill would serve him and the country well during his Army career.

Branching Artillery at graduation, Jim successfully completed Airborne and Ranger schools before attending the basic course at Fort Sill, OK. There he married the love of his life, Judith Kelly Blair, also an Army brat. She would be his steadfast companion and supporter through his remaining Army assignments and subsequent challenges and the mother of their four children along the way. 

After an initial assignment with the 41st Artillery Group, Jim attended flight school at then Fort Rucker, AL, mastering the aviators’ skill that would benefit the Army and nation significantly in the years to come. 

Assigned to the 219th Aviation Company, Jim began his first Vietnam tour in July 1965 as pilot in the single engine, fixed-wing, unarmed O1F aircraft flying combat surveillance and support missions. His success and valor in these combat missions was validated with award of two Distinguished Flying Crosses and a host of other medals for valor (plus a Purple Heart). Capping off this first combat tour, Jim’s skill as a pilot and valor in the air was validated with his selection as 1966 Army Aviator of the Year. 

After less than a year back in the U.S., Jim returned to Vietnam in November 1967, this time as a helicopter gunship pilot assigned to the 92nd Assault Helicopter Company. This tour resulted in even greater accomplishments, with Jim’s skill and courage in combat during the Tet Offensive recognized by an award of the Distinguished Service Cross, the United States’ second highest medal for valor. He was also awarded the Silver Star, another Purple Heart and many other medals for valor, along with numerous citations for outstanding service during this second Vietnam tour. 

Back in the U.S., Jim attended CGSC at Fort Leavenworth, KS and then graduate school at Purdue University, where he earned a master’s degree. Jim’s next assignment, as a company tactical officer at West Point, arguably resulted in his most lasting benefit to the nation as he (with important contributions from wife Kelly) mentored, inspired, and prepared the members of several classes of Company E-4 cadets for dedicated and successful service to their country and its armed services. After overseas assignments in Germany, the Scotts returned to CONUS, where Jim completed his last assignment, as commander of an aviation battalion at Fort Rucker.

Retiring in 1980, Jim’s first endeavor as a civilian was to establish a banking investment firm in Colorado. When, after 10 years, the investment firm had expanded to include offices in 17 locations across the United States, he and Kelly decided to seek a new and different challenge. 

The Scotts’ next commercial venture was as unique as it was challenging. Purchasing 85 acres of farmland in northern Georgia in 1991, they developed what was dubbed Fancy Feathers, a farm whose main “crop” was producting emus for USDA-approved processing across the United States. The farm included many other animals and products: ostriches, chickens, pigs, organic vegetables, berries, mushrooms and eggs. Fancy Feathers ended commercial operations in 2018.

During this last family commercial endeavor, Jim Scott demonstrated possibly even more tenacity and courage than during his two combat tours in Vietnam. After experiencing symptoms of muscle weakness for several years, Jim was eventually diagnosed with a very rare, incurable, and still untreatable autoimmune disease. Thus began his progression through this increasingly debilitating muscular disease, from leg braces in 1996 to a fully automatic wheelchair in 2018. Through all his physical challenges, Kelly and the Scott family provided the support that allowed Jim to remain at home. Amazingly, Jim maintained his continually upbeat attitude despite his diminished physical condition. Support from classmates and friends was also important throughout these trying times. After selling the north Georgia farm in 2021, Jim and Kelly moved to the Army Residence Community in San Antonio, TX.

Honors for Jim’s Army service did not end with his retirement. In 2019, he was inducted into the Georgia Military Veterans Hall of Fame and, after his death, the Army Aviation Association of America’s Hall of Fame in 2023. Both inductions were attended by several classmates and, of course, Jim’s family. Kelly and Jim have four children: Schell, born at Fort Sill; Jay, born at Fort Rucker; Lacy, born at Fort Rucker; and Rusty, born at Fort Leavenworth. Before his death, Jim and Kelly were able to welcome and enjoy the company of six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Jim’s classmates will remember his perpetual positive attitude and indomitable spirit, which he maintained despite the infirmed condition that he bore for the last three decades of his life. They will also remember and applaud Kelly’s undaunted support throughout the Scotts’ more than 60 years of marriage. 

—Gene Witherspoon, with help from Jim’s Family and Friends