James Young, Colonel Usmc Retired

James Roland Young, Colonel USMC Retired, passed away on March 30, 2009. Jim was born August 23, 1926, in Fort Collins, the only child of Roland A. Young, formerly Superintendent of Roads and Parks for the City of Fort Collins and Edith Childers Young. Jim's parents and several uncles, such as "Red Feather" Lou Young and Harry Young, homesteaded during the early 20th century in the Prairie Divide area near Livermore/Red Feather Lakes. Jim spent a lot of time during his youth in the mountains and countryside near Fort Collins and Red Feather camping, hunting and fishing. Jim was very active in DeMolay and Boy Scouts as a young man, raised rabbits for profit during the Great Depression and had a large newspaper delivery route. Jim also worked at several of the local businesses including Ted's Place. Jim attended Washington School, Lincoln Junior High and graduated from Fort Collins High School in the class of 1944. He enlisted in the Navy earlier that year, reported for duty after graduation and was sent to study at Colorado College under the Navy's V-12 Engineering officer's training program. After the war ended, he was honorably discharged and transferred to the University of Colorado, Boulder under an NROTC scholarship where he graduated in 1948 with a BS in aeronautical engineering and received a commission as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps. On graduation, he married Donna Camille Matteson, daughter of Dr. Clarence D. Wyoma Matteson DDS, also of Fort Collins. Jim had two sons from this marriage, Roland Louis Young, Alexandria, Va., with wife Ann, and Stanley DeWitte Young, Fort Collins with wife, Lynn. Jim and Cam divorced in 1969. Cam passed away in May, 2008. Jim remarried in 1970 to Marina York, a widow with two children, Patricia and Horace Edward York. Marina passed away from leukemia in 1990. Jim has two grandchildren, the children of Stanley, Matthew W. L. Young and Jana M.L. Young, both of Parsippany, N.J. Jim served in the 5th Regiment of the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade on the Pusan Perimeter early in the Korean War and was severely wounded in September of 1950. Jim received several military awards, including the Bronze Star with V device for Valor, the Army Commendation Medal with V device for Valor and the Purple Heart, for his service, bravery and wounds. After nearly three years of grueling medical treatment and rehabilitation, Jim was able to return to duty as a Marine officer. Due to his wounds, his right arm became almost useless but was not amputated. Instead, it was surgically rebuilt so that he was able to remain an active duty Marine. Being naturally right-handed, he had to relearn to perform all activities left-handed. Jim later served in numerous positions of increasing responsibility such as Assistant Professor of Naval Science at the University of Louisville from 1960 - 1963. In 1965-1966, Lt. Col. Young commanded and deployed the 3rd Battalion of the 1st Marine Regiment to the Chu Lai area of Vietnam where he participated in several early campaigns of the Vietnam War. Jim received both the Silver Star and Legion of Merit with V device for Valor for his performance during several battalion combat operations. Later in his military career, Jim attained the rank of Colonel and served with the 3rd Division, the Fleet Marine Force, Atlantic, Joint Chiefs of Staff in Virginia, Okinawa and at the Pentagon culminating as the Chief of Staff, Marine Corps Schools. Jim attended the National War College in 1971 - 1972 during which time he also obtained a master's degree in International Relations from George Washington University. Jim retired after 30 years of military service in 1976 and lived in the Phoenix, Ariz., area until 2003, when he returned to live in Fort Collins. During his military career and retirement, Jim maintained a strong association with the Fort Collins area by returning often to visit family and friends, where he enjoyed backpacking in the Rawah Wilderness and hunting near where his father had a cabin in the Poudre City area of Poudre Canyon. Jim was a life member of the NRA and was an avid outdoorsman who particularly enjoyed to hunt and who instilled in his sons a love of the outdoors. A private gathering for family and friends will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, a donation in his memory to any wildlife or big game hunting non-profit that works to preserve wildlife or to the NRA in care of Bohlender Funeral Chapel, 121 W. Olive, Ft. Collins, CO 80524.