Edmundson JamesValentine

American military, a career Air Force man who rose to the rank of three-star Lieutenant General. He flew nearly 200 combat missions during three wars, WWII, Korea and Vietnam. Among his many medals were three Distinguished Service Medals, three Legions of Merit, the Silver Star, Bronze Star and a Purple Heart, which he was awarded for being wounded at Pearl Harbor. With his retirement in 1973, his military career had spanned 36 years. He and his family moved to Longboat Key in Florida where he entered local politics a year later as town commissioner. He would go on to win elections as the towns vice mayor and mayor. He and his wife were married for 59 years until her death in 1999. They had a son and a daughter. He died of bone cancer on June 19, 2001 at 4:30 AM at his Longboat Key, FL home according to a news report. Read less