Obituary of George J. Taylor

 

George J. Taylor voluntarily enlisted in the US Army in 1965 during the Vietnam War. He completed basic training at Fort Dix, New Jersey where he was trained in advanced infantry.  His first assignment was at Fort Lewis, Washington.  From the beautiful Northwest, George was sent to the jungles of Vietnam where he served one and a half tours and was assigned to the Rangers in a Long Range Recon Platoon.  In his words he was a “foot soldier carrying an M-16.”  He later served 1 tour in Korea as a squadron leader and 5 tours in Germany as a tank commander, Platoon Sergeant and First Sergeant.  Other assignments included Fort Benning, Georgia, Fort Hood, Texas, and Fort Polk, Louisiana.

 

George retired from the US Army at the rank of E-7, Sergeant First Class in April 1990.  He was awarded numerous medals during his military career which included the Army Service Ribbon, Vietnam Service Medal with 4 Service Stars, Vietnam Cross of Gallantry, Air Medal, Army Commendation Medal with 4 Oak Leaf Clusters, Combat Infantryman Badge, and the Vietnam Campaign Medal with an astonishing 60 devices. 

 

I once asked George how did he earn these awards, and he humbly replied, “ by surviving.”

 

Rather than settling into retirement, George went on to further serve his country crossing over to the US Air Force.  He joined contracting as a civil service employee in October 1991 at Peterson AFB, Colorado Springs, CO.  He eventually progressed to a Contracting Officer and Team Lead.  George single-handedly administered fifty-nine Blanket Purchase Agreements.  In December 1999, George transferred to Buckley AFB.  During his tenure he administered the majority of the furniture buys and was awarded the Inspector General “Professional Performer” award. 

 

George enjoyed living his life to the fullest. George is survived by his loving wife, Beverly K. Taylor of thirty-nine years, her daughter Bronica K. Garces, and his three children Tawana J. Alston, George J. Taylor Jr., and Melissa K. Henderson.