James H. Tilburg, Major, USAF (Retired) died on March 22 from a heart attack. Jim, as he preferred to be called, was born in Newark, New York, and spent the first eighteen years of his life in Palmyra, New York. The son of Catherine and William Tilburg, he was the third of three boys. Jim is survived by his wife Carolyn, five children, thirteen grand children, and seven great grand children.

Shortly after graduating from Palmyra High School, Jim entered the United States Air Force (USAF) and attended Basic Training at Sampson Air Force Base (AFB) and went on to complete the Airborne Radio Communications and Navigations Systems Repair Training Course at Scott AFB, Illinois.

Jim's first duty station was Kelley AFB at San Antonio, Texas where he met the squadron commander, who was to become his mentor and provide the guidance to obtain the qualifications necessary to become a pilot.  Jim entered USAF pilot training in February of 1954 and completed Under Graduate Pilot Training as a Jet Fighter Pilot 1 June 1955.

After several years of progressive flight training, including A-26, B-47 and B-52 Aircraft, Jim was transferred to a staff position as Chief of the Nuclear Safety Division at the Headquarters, 2nd Air Force, Strategic Air Command at Barksdale AFB, Louisiana.  Jim volunteered for a combat role and was accepted for transition to the F-100 Super Sabre. Just before graduation, his entire training class received a change in orders that reassigned each of them to various US Army units in need of Forward Air Controllers. He deployed to Viet Nam with the US Army in December of 1966. During his tour, Jim was promoted to the rank of Major and was immediately transferred to the 1st Brigade of the 1st Division, US Army, as the Air Force Liaison Officer to the Brigade Commander. It was during this portion of his tour that Major Tilburg received several citations, to include the Silver Star, Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star, Purple Heart and more.

Upon returning to the United States, Jim was assigned as an instructor for pilots en route to Viet Nam as Forward Air Controllers. In November, 1968 Jim married Carolyn Giles, whom he had met at Barksdale AFB in 1964. Carolyn immediately became the adopted mother of four small children. The children's biological mother had been killed in an accident and they were temporarily living with their grandmother. After a classified tour in Laos as an Air Operations Commander, Jim returned to Hurlburt Field as an Instructor Pilot in O-1, OV-10 and T-28D aircraft. He finished his military career with the Special Operations Group of the Tactical Air Warfare Center.

Jim retired from the USAF 1 January 1973 with twenty years of service. After retirement he accepted a job offer as Company Pilot with a Mechanical Contractor in the Washington D.C. Area. After a year and a half Jim responded to an advertisement for a Safety Manager position with the Lummus Company, a subsidiary of Combustion Engineering. He and family moved to Boulder, Colorado where he was assigned as the Safety Manager at a Plutonium Recovery project currently under construction. After completing his obligation at this project, Jim was selected to fill a position on a much larger project just starting in southern Iraq. Jim and family remained in Iraq for nearly four years, until hostilities broke out between Iraq and Iran. In September of 1980, Iran launched a surprise air raid on the nearly completed project, causing many casualties. Total evacuation of workers and families was completed in the next few hours.

Future assignments within the construction industry included a fertilizer plant in Kalimantan (Borneo). Jim then took a position with General Dynamics where he was first assigned to Pakistan to help with development of Pakistan's F-16 fighter planes. He later moved to Taichung, Taiwan. General Dynamics was assisting the Chinese in the construction of a factory to manufacture a newly designed defensive fighter in the the Republic of China. Upon contract completion, Jim and family moved to Cairo, Egypt where the company was assisting in the construction of a factory to manufacture the the M-1 Tank for the Egyptian Army. A new project was just beginning in Pakistan to remodel an existing factory to repair American made weapons for the Pakistan Army.

After another trip to Pakistan, Jim and Carolyn moved back to Florida to retire. Jim worked with his son-in-law and daughter to remodel and construct homes. He remodeled two homes of his own in the Fort Walton Beach area. He then moved to Naples, NY, where he built a three story log cabin at the age of 65. In Naples, Jim was a member of the Masons, President of Rotary, and Vice-Commander of the local VFW chapter. He successfully ran for the school board (he didn't win!). One of his proudest achievements was supporting Carolyn in her opening and running a successful quilting business. Jim was particularly proud of the beautiful woodworking in the store. Jim and Carolyn moved back to Florida to be where it is warm because as Jim liked to say “the only people who like snow neither plow it, nor shovel it.”

The family will have a Celebration of Life Service on March 27 at Emerald Coast Funeral Home on Racetrack Road.  Visitation will be at 9:00 AM and the Service will be at 10:00 AM.  In lieu of flowers, a donation can be made to Saint Januarius Catholic Church, 180 North Main Street, Naples, NY, 14512.

 Service Information