Col. Jackie Mooney

April 7, 1939 - October 13, 2014

Retired Lt. Col. Jackie Eugene Mooney, 75, of Temple passed away on Monday, October 13, 2014 in Temple. Services with Full Military Honors will be held at 1:00 PM on Friday, October 17, 2014 at the Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery in Killeen, Texas. A visitation will be held on Friday morning from 9-11 AM before the service at the funeral home.

Jackie was born on April 7, 1939 in Bryan, Texas to Archie and Eda Belle Arrington Mooney. He graduated from Stephen F. Austin High School and Allen Military Academy College in Bryan, Texas. He attended Texas A&M and graduated with a B.A. in Mass Communications. He also did his master degree work at the University of Nebraska and the University of Wisconsin. Prior to entering the U.S. Army, Col. Mooney was a sports writer and photographer for the Bryan Daily Eagle and a sports writer for 3 years on the Beaumont Enterprise as well as a city hall and schools reporter at the Temple Daily Telegram.

He enlisted in the Texas National Guard, 36th Infantry Division at age 17 while he was a junior in high school and worked his way up to become the youngest Battalion Sergeant Major of his USAR Infantry Battalion.

After receiving his Army (Infantry) commission, he was assigned as Operations Officer, Fort Polk, LA, prior to going to Vietnam for a year where he was Scout Platoon Leader and then S-3 Air for 2nd/47th Infantry (Mechanized) Battalion, 9th Infantry Division. Upon his return to the US, he was selected as one of 20 soldiers for the National Speakers Program, giving more than 250 speeches in a year about his Vietnam experience. He was then assigned as a Public Affairs Officer at Fort Sam Houston, and a year later as a company commander and pilot member of the Organization Development Directorate, Fort Ord, CA. His next assignment was as the Public Affairs Officer, Fort Leavenworth, KAN. He was selected to attend the Command & General Staff College (CGSC) as a captain (normally for senior majors and LTC's) and then stayed at CGSC as a Professor/Instructor/Course Author. Following this, he was assigned as Public Affairs Officer, United States Military Academy at West Point, NY for 3 years. His next assignments were as Deputy Commander, Joint Security Area at Panmunjon, Korea (Camp Kitty Hawk) and Executive Officer, 2/7 Cav Bn, lst Cav Division, and as director of fielding new equipment at Fort Hood. He served for 1 year as Army Commander and Deputy Commander of Joint Task Force-Bravo in Honduras. His final station was the Pentagon where he spent 3 years as Department of Army Public Affairs Officer (PAO) and 3 years as a Department of Defense PAO.

He graduated from the Infantry Officers Basic and Advanced Courses, and Parachute Training at Fort Benning, GA; Jungle warfare school in Panama; Command & General Staff College (Masters Degree Level) and army war college (Doctorate degree level in Military Science) His decorations include the Silver Star and two Bronze Stars for valor, 3 Purple Hearts for wounds received in combat, Defense Legion of Merit, Joint Defense Meritorious Award (2 oak leaf clusters), Army Meritorious Medal (5 oak leaf cluster), Army Achievement Medal (5 oak leaf clusters), Coast Guard Achievement Medal, Army Reserve Medal, the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry with Gold Star, as well as Combat Infantrymen's Badge, the Parachute Badge (jump wings), Department of Defense Badge and the Department of Army Badge. Over all, Col. Mooney served his country for 44 years, 30 years active and 14 years in the National Guard and U.S. Army Reserve.

Col. Mooney was preceded in death by his parents.

He is survived by his brother, Robert T Mooney and his wife, Jean of San Marcos; sister, Jane Adams of Bryan; daughter, Sonya Mooney St. Jacques and husband, Frank and granddaughter, Isdorer Lou of Brooklyn, New York; step-daughter, Suzette Britt; nieces, Cindy Mooney Conveyers of New Braunfels and Sandra Mooney Cook of Austin; nephew Donnie Adams of Bryan. Also surviving are many uncles, aunts, cousins, and numerous acquaintances.

Crawford-Bowers Funeral Home in Temple is in charge of the arrangements.