James Allan Baxter

Retired army Major James Allan Baxter died Saturday, August 3, (2002) in
Coupeville, Washington, after a short illness. He was 82.

Born May 29, 1920, in Van Buren, Arkansas, Major Baxter was the son of the
late James Napoleon and Grace Fleming Baxter. He is survived by his wife of
thirty years, Joyce, of Oak Harbor, Washington, one son, James Jr., three
daughters, Annella, Patridcia and Roberta and nine grandchildren. He is
also mourned by three step children, Sharon, Judy and Allen, and their ten
children.

Following commissioning as an Army aviator in 1942, Major Baxter was
assigned to the 386th Bomber Group in Boxted, England, from which he flew
sixty-five combat missions in the B-26 Marauder over Nazi Germany. Upon
conclusion of his European theater combat tour in 1944, he was assigned as a
flight demonstration pilot for the U. S. Army Air Corps, during which he
helped organize and participate in the first U. S. military air shows, today
flown by the USAF Thunderbirds and the Navy's Blue Angels flight
demonstration teams.

Immediately following the end of World War II, Major Baxter was assigned as
a military governor in Germany. From June, 1948 to September, 1949, he
returned to Army aviation, flying humanitarian missions in C-47 aircraft
during the Berlin Airlift. Until his retirement in 1961, Major Baxter
performed in a variety of overseas assignments for the U. S. Army
Intelligence Branch.

Upon his retirement from the U. S. Army, Major Baxter was employed by
Lockheed Aircraft Corporation as a security representative for a number of
highly sensitive national security-related programs, including the SR-71
Blackbird high altitude reconnaissance aircraft. Following his retirement
from Lockheed, Major Baxter initially established residence in Greenbank,
Washington in 1985, and later moved to Oak Harbor, Washington.

Major Baxter was laid to rest in Tahoma Cemetery in Kent, Washington.

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