James L. Whittle Jr.

WHITTLE, JR. , James L. JAMES L. WHITTLE, JR. was born on September 14, 1921 in Baltimore, MD; he entered into rest in Sacramento, CA on June 23, 2007; he was 85 years of age. Jack was a resident of the Baltimore area until 1943, when he was called to active duty in the U.S. Air Force. He took primary, basic and advance flight training in Central Command and graduated as second lieutenant, and as a pilot. Jack was assigned to the 8th Air Force, 2nd Air Division, 14th Combat Wing, 44th Bomb Group, 506th Sqdn. He flew nearly 30 combat missions, and while on a local flight after V - E Day, they crashed at Watton Air Base, destroying the aircraft and thankfully all survived. Jack earned the Air Medal with five Oak Leaf Clusters, Good Conduct, American Defense Service, American Campaign, EAME Campaign with three Bronze Stars, WWII Victory, Army of Occupation-Germany, Armed Forces Reserve and Vietnam Service Medal. Following WWII, Jack returned to the University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins University on a part-time basis, but after two years took a job with Edgewood Arsenal flying T-6s on weekends as a flight commander with his Baltimore Reserve Sqdn. In 1951, Jack was recalled to active duty to serve in the Korean War. He was assigned as an Bomber Flight Tester at Wright Patterson AFB in Dayton and participated in the Atomic Energy Commission project and then was transferred to Furstenfeldbruck, Germany where he married Vera Lowe from Catonsville, MD. In 1956, Jack returned to the University of Maryland and received his BS in Military Science. He was assigned to the McClellan AFB in Sacramento, CA. Jack spent 18 months at a radar site on Mt. Hebo in Oregon, where he was awarded the Air Defense Command "Expert" rating as a weapons controller. Jack and his family returned to Sacramento in 1961 only leaving once for a four month tour in Vietnam and Taiwan. Jack retired from McClellan AFB in November of 1966 as a lieutenant colonel. For the next five years, Jack flew, instructed in and towed sailplanes in Truckee, CA on weekends and qualified for as a commercial glider pilot and was instructor rated. Back in 1955, Jack and his wife bought a new Ford Thunderbird. His enthusiasm for T-Birds would last the rest of his life. He started restoring vintage Ford T-Birds as a hobby which ultimately became a fulltime business that he named Thunderbirds Ltd. At the same time, he attended college part time earning a BS in business administration in 1970 at Sacramento State University and two years later he earned his MBA from Golden Gate College. He was active for more than thirty years with local and national car clubs, Military Officers Association of America, Grey Eagle Retired Pilot Association, and the "Tony Baloney" lunch group that met every Wednesday. He loved Ocean City, Maryland, visiting Hawaii, dancing to big band music, photography, was obsessed with landscaping his yard, his plaid pants and polka-dot shirts, story telling and for being an historian. Jack really lived life on his own terms. Last father's day, his daughter honored him with a one hour flight on an old war bird he once flew. Jack was preceded in death by his wife in 1973. Missing him greatly is his daughter, Valerie Walker of Sacramento; sister, Gloria Bledsoe of Baltimore; nephews and niece, Rick Bledsoe of CA, David Bledsoe of VA, Barry Bledsoe of Baltimore and Janice Bledsoe of Baltimore; his companion, Virginia Esh of Sacramento; and many more family members and friends.
Services Entrusted to: Lind Brothers Mortuary 916.482.8080.