COLONEL JERRY BUSSELL

1943 - 2010

Colonel (P) Jerry Bussell (Retired), Nevada's First Homeland Security Advisor and 2010 Distinguished Nevadan recognized by UNLV, passed on October 18, 2010.
Jerry was born in Parson, Tennessee, July 31, 1943. He received his Bachelor of Science Degree and Regular Army Commission in 1967 from the University of Tennessee-Martin, where he played varsity football and distinguished himself as Chief Justice of the Student Body, Commander of Cadets ROTC, Distinguished Military Student and Distinguished Military Graduate.
His early military education included Armor Officer Basic, Airborne, Ranger (with Tab), Jumpmaster, and Flight School. In 1968 he was assigned to the 1st Squadron 17th Calvary Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where he was quickly selected as Aide-de-Camp to the Assistant Division Commander, Brigadier General John J. Hennessey.
Jerry was promoted to Captain in 1969 and served proudly in Vietnam, where he was a commander and O-1 Birddog pilot in the 183rd Aviation Company (Reconnaissance), 1st Aviation Brigade, whose primary mission was to provide direct air support to "C" Company 75th Ranger Battalion. Gary Dolan, C Company (Ranger), 75th Infantry (Airborne), recently authored and published a book titled "Of Their Own Accord" chronicling their accounts of what it was like to be a Ranger in combat during Vietnam.
In the early 1970's, Jerry was assigned to Las Vegas, Nevada, (for compassionate reasons) as the Army Advisor to the 3rd Squadron, 116th Armored Calvary Regiment, Nevada Army National Guard. In 1972 he resigned his regular Army Commission and joined the Nevada Army National Guard. In 1978 he was promoted to Major after completing the Personnel and Administration Officer Advanced Course, in residence, at Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana.
In 1984, after completing the resident course at Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, he was assigned as Executive Officer and Commander of 1st Battalion, 221st Armor Brigade, 40th Infantry Division. He was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in 1985, and for an unprecedented two consecutive years, his unit received the Goodrich Riding Trophy, the most coveted award in Armor. Colonel Bussell personally received the highest individual award for Armor and Calvary Leadership, the Draper Award. These awards were given, in no small measure, because of Jerry's vision, planning and successful execution of the "Death March" in the summer of 1985, during which the entire tank unit traveled from Las Vegas to the Desert Training Center at Fort Irwin, California, and back. The Death March received publicity locally, nationally and internationally. Specialists in Soviet Military Affairs learned that the Soviets had analyzed the Death March and concluded that the U.S. Reserve Forces were ready warriors and highly trained, a factor which cited as contributing to the eventual collapse of the Soviet Union.
In 1987, Jerry graduated from the U.S. Army War College, resident course, at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania, and received a Master of Science Degree in Public Administration from Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania. He then was promoted to full Colonel in the Nevada Army National Guard, assigned first as the Director of Plans, Operations, Training, Readiness and Security, then as Director of Logistics, until his retirement in February, 1993.
After retirement, Jerry pursued his love of golf in an effort to ultimately earn a spot on the Senior Professional Golf Tour. After winning the U.S. Amateur National Golf Association's Senior Open in consecutive years, however, he was called back to public service. On November 19, 2002, Governor Kenny Guinn appointed Jerry as his Special Advisor for Homeland Security, a cabinet-level position, and then as Chairman of the State of Nevada Commission on Homeland Security, where he served the State of Nevada during the uncertain times that followed the tragic events of September 11, 2001.
Beginning in June 2004, he served as Special Consultant to Executive Director of UNLV's Institute for Security Studies and Adjunct Instructor. That position with UNLV led to many others, to include his final position as Executive Director of Operations for Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center (TATRC) within the UNLV Division of Education Outreach. Jerry's lifelong mission was to improve the lives of soldiers, and in his final position, he provided outstanding leadership and subject matter expertise to a team of researchers engaged in the development of a blended-learning approach to improve the combat life-saving curriculum and instructional methods used by the military in training soldiers how to treat battlefield injuries.
Jerry was honored many, many times during his life. His military awards and medals include the Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medal (1st OLC), Army Commendation Medal (3d OLC), Air Medal (24th AWD, 1 with Valor), Armed Services Reserve Medal, Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal (3d OLC), Vietnam Service Medal, Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, National Defense Service Medal with Bronze Service Star, Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry with Gold Star, Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry with Palm, Humanitarian Service Medal with Bronze Service Star, Army Achievement Medal, Ranger Tab, Parachute Badge, Army Aviator Badge. Some of his more memorable civilian awards include: American Red Cross Presidential Medal of Merit presented by President Ronald Reagan, Most Outstanding Alumnus University of Tennessee-Martin 2000, and 2010 Distinguished Nevadan from UNLV.
Jerry is survived by his wife of 28 years, Pat Lundvall.
A memorial is planned for Monday, October 25, 2010, beginning at noon, at the Nevada Army National Guard Army Aviation Support Facility located in Stead, Nevada, followed by a celebration of Jerry's life at the Eldorado Hotel Casino in Reno, Nevada.
With the help of co-founders Joe Brown and Perry DiLoreto, in 2003 Jerry established the Nevada Patriot Fund soon after the United States' engagement in Afghanistan and Iraq. The fund was created as a source of financial assistance for the families of Nevada servicemen killed in the line of duty. It is a tax-exempt organization now administrated as the Nevada Military Support Alliance Fund, www.nvmilitarysupport.org, and contributions in lieu of flowers can be made to that fund.