Obituary: John Duty COLLINS Jr. - Trinity County, TX ******************************************************************** This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: Loudene Kirk Tollar Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm ******************************************************************** Obituary from 18 Aug 2002 Washington Post: John Duty Collins Jr. 83, an Air Force colonel who flew combat Missions in Europe during World War II and retired after service at the Pentagon in 1973, died Aug. 8 at Inova Alexandria Hospital of acute myelogenous leukemia. Flew 28 missions as B-17 pilot with 305th Bomb Group in England, WWII. Mason and Shriner. Retired from US Air Force as Colonel in 1973. Groveton Ex-Students Association Hall of Fame. After his Air Force retirement, Col. Collins served for 10 years as vice president of the real estate and financial conglomerate Green- Hill in Alexandria. Col. Collins, a resident of Alexandria, was born in Groveton, Tex., and graduated from the University of Texas. He began his military career in 1942. He flew 27 combat missions in Europe during the war and received a Distinguished Flying Cross and four awards of the Air Medal. He was discharged from military service after the war but remained in the reserves. In 1951, he was recalled to active duty during the Korean War. Over the next 22 years, he served in a variety of assignments at posts in the United States and Italy with NATO. He received a master's degree in economics at Baylor University. In 1966, he settled in the Washington area. He served in personnel and finance-related assignments at the Pentagon before retiring. He also received a Legion of Merit. He was a member of Trinity United Methodist Church in Alexandria. A son, John Duty Collins III, died in 1989. Another son, James Edward Collins, died in 1999. Survivors include his wife of 57 years, Virginia Vaughan Collins, and a daughter, Susan Vaughan Collins, both of Alexandria; and four grandchildren.