Colonel James Medric Eubanks

Colonel James Medric Eubanks, U.S. Army, Retired, age 87, a native of Mobile, died June 23, 2018, in the comfort of his home surrounded by family, Mobile, AL. Jim Eubanks grew up in downtown Mobile and attended Yerby School and later Barton Academy. During World War II as a youngster he joined Mobile’s Civil Defense organization and served as an usher, assistant to the local block warden and a bicycle messenger. He joined the Alabama National Guard as a private soldier while he was still a student at Murphy High School in the class of 1948. He was with the Guard when it was ordered to active duty during the Korean War. He served as a combat medic in Korea with a front line infantry battalion of the 3rd Infantry Division and was wounded there while rescuing a wounded soldier from the battlefield. He was promoted to the rank of Master Sergeant when he was 20 years old and later was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant, upon graduation from Infantry OCS at Ft. Benning, GA. He served two combat tours in Vietnam. He rose through the ranks and retired as a Regular Army Colonel in 1979. During his service, in addition to his combat tours he held numerous high level command and staff positions, including service on the Army General Staff in Washington, D. C. He was Chief of Staff of the Army’s Adjutant General Center and Executive Officer to the Department of the Army’s Adjutant General. In Vietnam he served as Adjutant General of the 23rd Infantry Division, the largest division ever fielded by the Army in combat. His final assignment was as Adjutant General of one of the Army’s five major commands, the Training and Doctrine Command at Fort Monroe, VA. His service was recognized by three awards of the Legions of Merit, three Bronze Stars, the Air Medal, the Purple Heart, four Army Commendation Medals and the Combat Medical Badge. The Vietnamese government awarded him the Vietnamese Honor Medal and the Cross of Gallantry. In 1979 he was inducted into the Infantry OCS Hall of Fame at Ft. Benning, GA. He was a graduate of the Army Command and General Staff College where he was awarded the General George C. Marshall Award as the top graduate of his class. He also received awards as the top graduate of his classes at the Army Medical Officers Advance Course and the Adjutant General Officer Advance Course. He also was a graduate of the National War College in Washington, D.C. He held a Bachelor of Science degree from Maryland University, an MBA degree from George Washington University and a Doctorate of Laws degree from Emory University. After his retirement from the Army, he was a Group Vice President for National Data Corporation in Atlanta, GA where he was responsible for two of the corporation’s four major divisions. After his retirement from that position, he returned to Mobile and built a home in West Mobile County. After returning to his home town, he continued to be active in the community and military affairs. He was a member of the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) and served as President of the South Alabama Chapter headquartered in Mobile and covering ten of Alabama’s southeastern counties and later was elected President of MOAA’s Alabama Council of Chapters, an umbrella organization for all 12 chapters in the state. He also was a member of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, the Korean War Veterans Association and the Vietnam Veterans Association. His service after returning to Mobile was recognized by his being selected as the Mobile Bay Area Veteran of the Year for 2004 and the award of two of MOAA’s highest awards, The President’s Award and The Chairman’s Award. In 2014 he was inducted into the Murphy High School Alumni Association’s Hall of Fame.

He was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 45 years, Nina V. Eubanks; his father, Medric C. Eubanks, a former Mobile County Deputy Sheriff; his mother, Ethel Eubanks-Darouse; and his stepson, J. Cecil Sanderson, Jr.

He is survived by 2 children, Wayne M. Eubanks of Mobile and Patricia A. Rohrkemper of Falls Church, VA; 2 step-daughters and their husbands, Martha and John De Marco of Salt Lake City, UT; and Carol and Thomas Tice of Amelia Island, FL; 2 grandchildren, Jason M. Eubanks and Philip N. Eubanks both of Long Island, N.Y.; and 2 step-grandchildren, Rebecca Lee De Marco and Nina Cagel both of Mobile; 2 sisters-in-law, Mary Ann Boggs of LuRay, VA and Carol Lee Clark of Augusta, GA; and great-grandchildren and other relatives.

Visitation will be held at the Pine Crest Funeral Home on Dauphin Island Parkway on Friday, June 29, 2018, from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM. Visitation will pick up again Saturday, June 30, 2018, from 10:00 AM until Service time at 11:00 AM.

Officiating services will be Frances Zimmerman.

Interment will take place on the grounds of Pine Crest Cemetery on Dauphin Island Parkway. Funeral arrangements by, PINE CREST FUNERAL HOME, 1939 Dauphin Island Parkway, Mobile, AL, 36605.

In lieu of sending flowers we ask that you please make a donation in Col. Eubanks name to the Alabama Battleship Park Foundation, Battleship Memorial Park, Post Office Box 65, Mobile, Alabama 36601