Sharing stories and experiences is something humans enjoy.

Knowing that their service in the military made a difference in the world is something that most veterans want.

After hearing and learning about James Jauregui’s 20+ years of service in the U.S. Army, it was clear to me that he made a strong and positive impact on his country.

When I was first introduced to James by his brother-in-law, Gil Reyes, I had an instant affinity for him.   Even though we are 38 years apart, I could relate to James’ training in the Signal Corps at Fort Gordon, GA and his experience at Airborne School at Ft. Benning.  He was a paratrooper who jumped out of many different types of Airforce planes including the C-46, C-82, and C-119.

James was born on December 18,1929 in Los Angeles, California and was the eldest of five children. His siblings were named Yolanda, Graciella, Harvey, and Arturo.  His parents, Salvador and Juanita, were born in Mexico and placed a great deal of importance on respect and trust. They were proud, hardworking and ran a business.

James volunteered to serve in the U.S. Army in the summer of 1947.  I found it interesting that he didn’t tell his parents that he was joining the military until after he signed the papers at the recruiting station.  

Inspired by his cousin, Dan Soria, a brave Army Airborne solider who fought in Germany and was captured during WWII, James made sure that he got his jump wings and wasn’t a “leg”.  In the U.S. Army, “leg” is a term used to describe a soldier who is not part of an airborne or air assault unit. It specifically refers to soldiers who have not completed jump school and earned their Airborne wings.

James went to basic training at Fort Ord in California and was trained as a Lineman (MOS -12Q) in the Signal school at Ft. Gordon.  Over his 23 years on active duty, he served overseas many times and was stationed in South Korea post-war, Germany, Panama, and then Vietnam in the late 1960s.  His mode of transportation to Germany and Korea was by ship and he noted that his return home from Germany was by plane. He met his second wife Linda while he was stationed in Germany. He retired in 1970 as a Staff Sergeant (E6).

During his time in the miliary, James started out running communication wires, then he worked the switch boards and later became an expert in the AN/MRC-69 radio terminal set which was used for vehicle-mounted, multi-channel communications, providing trunking at the division level by offering both telephone and teletypewriter channels.  Later in his service career, he trained other soldiers on the new systems at the Signal school at Ft Gordon and was even asked to assist in the construction of a new building. 

James is an adventurous, curious and intelligent man who loved building and flying model airplanes. In school, he enjoyed mathematics and was good at fixing things. He took flying lessons and was skilled in woodworking, electronics.  James is multi-talented and has a knack for repairing and building. 

When I asked what James enjoyed most about the Army, he stated he liked the structure.   The things that he didn’t like about serving in the military was “all the unnecessary chicken-shit tasks” that he and his soldiers were asked to do and he specifically mentioned the often-inane orders of certain junior officers from West Point.

It was my honor and privilege to interview James and document his experiences and stories about his time in the Army.   While taking some photos, my husband Steve encouraged him to don his dress uniform jacket which boldly displayed the airborne wings he earned all those decades ago in Georgia.  I had never seen the orange background behind the badge and it made the wings pop.

Wearing a shirt with a U.S. flag, James is a proud American who served his country honor and distinction.  Two years after the end of WWII, he raised his right hand and volunteered to defend the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.  Little did he know just how turbulent the world would be during the 1950s and 60s.

When asked about his overall feelings about serving 20+ in the U.S. Army, he said, “I did it my way!”  He reflected that it was very hard at times and he missed his family, but he enjoyed the adventure, the opportunity to learn new things, and teaching others.  While travelling around the world and the country, James touched many lives and made a difference in the world.

James is a new member of the Ernest A. Love American Legion Post 6 in Prescott, Arizona and I salute and welcome him.   

As the First Vice Commander of Post 6, I have been planning to write monthly Member Spotlight Profiles and was thrilled to have the opportunity to meet James and feature him as our very first Profile to be published in our monthly Post newsletter and submitted to the national Legiontown.org website.