James Adair

James Bynum “Jim” Adair died on Monday, July 2, 2018, following a brief illness. 

Jim was loved by many and will be sorely missed.  He was a proud veteran, having served during the Vietnam War as a Special Forces Medic.  He was preceded in death by his parents, James O. and Jeannell Adair.  His sister Martha J. Adair, niece Melissa and nephew Jamie, will miss his humor and love. Jim was raised in Norman, Okla., graduated from Norman High School in 1966 and returned there after his service at Fort Bragg to earn his degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma.  He later earned a Masters degree in library science from OU.

One of Jim’s best friends and fellow Special Forces veteran, Jim Morris, posted the following moving tribute to Jim on Facebook.

“The funniest guy I have ever known died yesterday afternoon, James B. Adair.  He was 70 and I met him in 1969 at the Stroud OK airport.  I was just out of the army, and the hospital, and I’d decided to take up skydiving again.  I noticed a guy in a black HALO committee jump suit in the jump shack, where I’d gone to find out about lift fees, etc., and introduced myself.  Like me he was just out of the army, and a Special Forces veteran.  He was a trained SF medic, but the army, in it’s infinite wisdom, had ignored his repeated volunteer attempts to go to Vietnam, and instead made him the supply man on the HALO committee.  So, no combat, but a lot of great jumps.  He immediately became my skydiving instructor and one of my two or three best friends for the next 49 years.

“He could do anything, and do it well, but he bored easily.  He became a licensed firearms dealer, a qualified demolitionist, author or co-author of five or six books, and many, many magazine articles, most of which I edited and published.  My favorite magazine piece was about how to make a silencer out of a plastic soft drink bottle and a hose clamp.  He titled it THE DOCTOR PEPPER SILENCER, with the subhead ‘I’m a Pepper; You’re a Dead Man.’

“He finally did get in some combat in Central America, when I sent him down there to cover some ‘mercenaries’ who were teaching the Meskito Indians how to run raids into Nicaragua.  When they found out he was and SF medic they immediately promoted him to LT and made him their doctor.  He accompanied them on a raid into Nicaragua, the idea being to blow the bridge over the river that bisected the country.  They gave up half way in, buried their C4 and went back to Costa Rica.  On the way out one of these mail order bad motherfuckers whispered to Jimmy, ‘Do you think the Sandinistas could pick up our trail?’  His reply was the best line of that conflict.  ‘Stevie Wonder could pick up our trail.’  I’m told that later another group of mercs dug up their explosives and did plow that bridge, but I don’t know that’s true.  I’m pretty sure that when he reported in to St. Peter, Pete told him, ‘Throw your gear in the arms room and get some chow.  You’ll meet the Old Man at 1300.”

Jim loved his family and friends and his veteran brothers and sisters and above all else, his country.  In remembrance of Jim, please consider making a contribution in his name to the Veterans organization of your choice.

http://obit.carnesfuneralhome.com/james-bynum-adair