James Leslie "Les" Griggs

Col. James Leslie "Les" Griggs, U.S. Army (Ret.), of Carlisle passed away in Philadelphia on Sunday, April 3, 2011, surrounded by family.

Col. Griggs was born on Nov. 14, 1937, in Bennettsville, S.C., to James Lonnie and Nannie Gilliland Griggs.

He graduated from Bennettsville High School and Wofford College before entering the U.S. Army as a second lieutenant in November 1959.

Col. Griggs spent most of his military career as a military intelligence officer and foreign area specialist. During his active duty service, Col. Griggs received a master's degree in Slavic studies from the University of Kansas and also graduated from the Armed Forces Staff College and the National War College.

His overseas service included several tours of duty in Europe and two years with U.S. Army units in Vietnam. Col. Griggs commanded the 8th Psychological Operations Battalion at Fort Bragg, survived three tours of duty on the Army staff in the Pentagon and also served with the Defense Intelligence Agency. He closed out his active duty service by serving as the director of Soviet Studies at the U.S. Army War College and, finally, as the United States Defense and Army attaché in Poland in 1985 and 1986.

Col. Griggs retired from active duty on Sept. 1, 1986.

Following his military retirement, Col. Griggs accepted a position as a military analyst in the Central Intelligence Agency's Directorate of Intelligence. He served with the CIA in several analytical and management positions until his retirement in August 2000. His final service with the CIA was as the Director of Central Intelligence representative to the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle.

Following his retirement from the CIA, Col. Griggs received the Distinguished Career Intelligence Medal for his service to the agency. Colonel Griggs often recollected that the two highlights of his CIA career were his tenure as chief of the military branch of the Balkans Task Force, which afforded him the opportunity to work with and mentor some of the most talented young military analysts at the CIA; and his work with Col. Ryszard Kuklinski, a Polish General Staff officer who worked covertly for the Central Intelligence Agency during the Cold War providing Soviet war plans and other vital information that would have helped NATO defeat the Warsaw Pact if war were to have broken out.

Col. Kuklinski and his wife, Joanna, became two of Col. Griggs's closest friends, and were godparents to his son Fred.

Col. Griggs received a heart transplant at Hahnemann University Hospital in Philadelphia in February 2006 after another transplant center had given up on him because his medical case was so complex. Everyone who knew Colonel Griggs is grateful to the medical professionals at Hahnemann whose skill and devotion gave us more time with him.

Col. Griggs is survived by his wife, Josephine Bonan Griggs; their beloved children, Fred and Annie (at home); and his children from his first marriage to the former Sara Frances Cockfield, Jim and his wife Mary of Broad Run, Va., and Melynda and her daughter Emily of Fairfax, Va.

Col. Griggs was preceded in death by Charlotte Anne, his daughter from his first marriage.

In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that donations be made to the Gift of Life Donor Program, 401 N. 3rd St., Philadelphia, PA 19123-4101.

A reception and visitation will be held from 1 to 3 p.m., Saturday, April 9, at The Vault of Carlisle, 1 N. Hanover St., Carlisle. Parking will be available behind The Vault and also at Hoffman-Roth Funeral Home & Crematory, Inc., 219 N. Hanover St., Carlisle.

Memorial services and burial with full military honors will be held at Ft. Myer Chapel, Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va., to be announced at a later date.

Hoffman-Roth Funeral Home & Crematory, Inc., is in charge of the funeral arrangements. To sign the guest book, visit www.hoffmanroth.com.