James Henry Bujalski

Jim proudly called Crosby, North Dakota, home. He was the fifth of six children born to a polish immigrant father and a school teacher mother. His father was a station agent for the Soo Line and the family lived in the town depots to which he was assigned.

Jim was appointed to the Air Force Academy and graduated in the second class in 1960. Jim’s brothers were in the military; Paul served in the Navy; Jack and David appointed to West Point; David was killed in Vietnam; and sisters, Jean and Marian became educators.

After pilot training, Jim flew RC121’s at Otis AFA in Maine searching for Russian submarines and during the Bay of Pigs between Florida and Cuba. Next was C123 pilot training. Jim was assigned to Saigon, Vietnam, October 1, 1963 until October 1, 1964. He completed 490 combat support hours, 409 sorties and received five Air Medals. Jim said this was the best flying he had ever done. He was a member of the Southeast Asia early years veterans group and attended their C123 reunions. Jim helped with the installation of a plaque at the Air Force Academy commemorating the USAF C123 Provider mission. Jim’s last assignment was C130’s training at Topeka, Kansas.

In 1965, he resigned his commission as a captain and entered the University of Washington Graduate School Of Engineering, graduating in 1967 with a MS in Aeronautics and Astronautics. He worked for 27 years for Aerojet General in Sacramento, CA, designing rocket engines and later as a project manager. For this he also obtained his MBA from Sacramento State University. While working, Jim had side careers in the dairy business, property management, and as a college instructor.

In 1995, he became an independent consultant and again a student, studying environmental management. In 1998, Jim became General Manager of a small manufacturing company in Carson City, Nevada. In 1999, he and his wife, Cleone, started a business selling Native American Jewelry. Jim liked saying that is when he went from Chief Manager to Chief Go-for. Jim and Cleone were married for 43 years. She passed away in 2003. They raised two children, Christopher and Christina and three grandchildren were added to the family.

In 2004, Jim re-met Judy Sims Rodrigue at a USAFA class of 60 reunion. They had dated for two years during his cadet years at the Academy. They married in 2004 as Judy retired from the Colorado Legislature. They spent the next 17 years living in Denver and Buena Vista, Colorado, with frequent sojourns in their RV around the US and Canada and spending many winters in Arizona. Besides traveling, Jim took up woodworking and was a valued engineer on many of Judy’s quilts.

A service will be held Thursday, July 8 at 10:30am at St. Frances Cabrini Catholic Church, 6673 W. Chatfield Ave., Littleton, CO, 80128. Interment will be Friday, July 9 at 1pm at The United States Air Force Academy Memorial Pavilion, 5136 Eagle Dr., USAFA, CO 80840.