James E. Sherrard III

 1 January 1943- 14 March 2025

It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Lt. General James E. Sherrard, III, a distinguished military leader, husband, father, and grandfather. He passed away peacefully surrounded by his beloved family in Pensacola, Florida on March 14, 2025 leaving behind a far-reaching legacy of patriotism, honor, and loyalty.
Lt. General Sherrard served as Chief of Air Force Reserve, Headquarters, Washington D.C, and Commander Air Force Reserve Command, Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. As Chief of the Air Force Reserve, he served as Principal Advisor on Reserve Matters to the Secretary of the Air Force and the Chief of Staff, United States Air Force. As Commander of Air Force Reserve Command, he had full responsibility for organizing, training, and equipping U.S. Air Force Reserve Units and personnel worldwide. General Sherrard directed mobilizations of AFR personnel in support of combat operations in Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Iraq.
General Sherrard is a distinguished and proud graduate of the University of Mississippi Reserve Officer Training Corps program and entered active duty in July 1965. General Sherrard is a Command Pilot with more than 5,000 flying hours. He commanded two Air Force Reserve Tactical Airlift Groups, two Airlift Wings, and two numbered Air Forces. He also served as HQ Air Force Reserve Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans, Programs, and Manpower. General Sherrard retired from active service in June of 2004.
Throughout his career, General Sherrard was a devoted mentor, charismatic leader, a visionary, and loyal friend to many. He made everyone in his path feel valued, important, and reveled in helping his reports rise to their highest potential. He had the true gift of remembering every detail of anything he ever heard or read and never forgot a face.
Born in Tutwiler, Mississippi, General Sherrard was the son of Margaret and James Sherrard, II. He graduated from the University of Mississippi in 1965 and was a proud Commander of his ROTC program.
His journey as a pilot started in 1965 at Moody Air Force Base where he served as an Instructor Pilot from 1966 until 1970. General Sherrard also was Simulator Division Chief, Wing Flight Management Officer and Wing Operations Officer for the U.S. Air Force, and in the West German pilot training program from August 1966 through December 1970 at Sheppard AFB. He then served as Instructor Pilot-C130 A/B and AC-130A Flight Examiner and Squadron Operation Officer, 919th Tactical Airlift Group, Eglin Auxiliary Field 3 (Duke Field), Florida from October 1971 to September 1977. General Sherrard served as Squadron Operations Officer and C-130 E Instructor Pilot, 913th Tactical Airlift Group, Willow Grove Air Reserve Facility, Pennsylvania from September 1977 until November 1978. From November 1978 through July 1981, he served as Assistant Deputy Commander, then Deputy Commander for Operations, 459th Tactical Airlift Group, Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland. From July 1981 until October 1984, he served as Commander of the 910th Tactical Airlift Group, Youngstown Municipal Airport, Ohio. General Sherrard was Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans, Programs, and Manpower, Headquarters Air Force Reserve, Robins Air Force Base, Georgia from October 1984 until 1986. He then acted as Commander of the 440th Tactical Airlift Wing, Billy Mitchell Field, Wisconsin from August 1986 until January 1988. He served as Commander of the 433rd Military Airlift Wing from January 1988 through February 1990 at Kelly Air Force Base, Texas. General Sherrard was Commander of the 4th Air Force at McClellan Air Force Base, California from February 1990 until July 1993. He served as Vice Commander, Air Force Reserve in Warner Robins, Georgia from July 1993 until October 1994. General Sherrard was Commander of the 22nd Air Force, Dobbins Air Reserve, Georgia from October 1994 through January 1995. He served as Vice Commander of Air Force Reserve Command Robins Air Force Base, Georgia from January 1995 until January 1998. He then served as Commander, 22nd Air Force, Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Georgia from January 1998 through September 1998. General Sherrard lead as Chief of the Air Force Reserves, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington D.C., and Commander of Air Force Reserve Command, Robins Air Force Base, Georgia from September 1998 until May 2004.
His Major Awards and Decorations are Distinguished Service Medal with one oak leaf cluster Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters, Air Force Commendation Medal, Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with six oak leaf clusters, Air Force Organizational Excellence Award with two oak leaf clusters, Combat Readiness Medal with two oak leaf clusters, National Defense Service Medal with service star, and Armed Forces Reserve Medal with hourglass.
Other Achievements are the 1996 AFRC Order of the Sword, 2003 National Father of the Year Award, 2003 Reserve Officers Association Minuteman of the Year, 2006 Ole Miss Alumnae Association Hall of Fame, as well as, Lt. General James E. Sherrard, III Air Force Reserve Command Outstanding Unit Award.
James "Jimmy" Sherrard was known for his gregarious personality, photographic memory, love of blues music and bourbon, and his unwavering love for his family and our great country. He never met a stranger and always made everyone feel valued. His happiest years included twenty-eight years of love and laughter with his wife, Marsha; spring training for his beloved Yankees; fishing for crappie in Minnesota; scalloping in Port St. Joe; catching any Eagles concert that he could; cheering on his alma mater, Ole Miss teams; and beaming with pride about his four daughters and eight grandchildren. He was blessed to have found another partner-in-crime later in life, Annette Lee, whom taught him you are never too old to live your best life. She helped him find his smile again.
James is preceded in death by the love of his life, Marsha Sherrard, whom is welcoming him home with open arms, along with his mother and father, Margaret and James Sherrard, II of Mississippi; and brother, Robert E. Sherrard of Pierceton, Indiana. James is survived by his four daughters, Heather L. Kingston (Scott) of Cabot, AR; Jennifer L. Tuerff (James) of West Chester, PA; Ashley M. Williamson of Fort Walton Beach, FL; and Allison S. Cheney (Steven) of Fairhope, AL; seven grandsons, Jackson L. Opdahl, Robert M. Kingston, MIDN Tucker S. Opdahl, Jay M. Kingston, Rex D. Opdahl, Zachary J. Williamson, and Harrison E. Cheney; and finally a granddaughter, Addison M. Cheney. He was blessed also with Marsha's family, the Rosenows.
A celebration of life will be held on April 25, 2025, at 3:30 p.m. at St. Simon's on the Sound Church in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. In lieu of flowers, the family requests your consideration to make donations to Ole Miss ROTC; Memorial contributions may be made to the University of Mississippi Foundation. Please direct your gift to the Lt. Gen. James E. Sherrard, III Memorial Fund. Gifts may be made online at https://umfoundation.com/Sherrard by phone at 662.915.5944, or by mail: University of Mississippi Foundation, 406 University Avenue Oxford, MS 38655.
Lt. General James E. Sherrard, III will be interred on a future date with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery.

Duke Family Retirees & Others,

Another Duke Field Icon and one of its finest,Lt. General James E. Sherrard, passed away at Sacred Heart Hospital of Pensacola on 14 March 2025 after a long and courageous battle against Cancer.

During his time at Duke Field, first as a Pilot Scheduler and later as Operations Officer of the 711 SOS, those of us who worked for and around him quickly learned that Jimmy was a very gifted person who had a photographic memory and leadership skills far above that of the average person. We knew that he was destined to become something very special during his military career, and as you'll learn from his Obituary and Tribute Wall comments, Jimmy far exceeded all our predictions and went on to become"Chief of the Air Force Reserve"before retiring in 2004.

After his retirement, Jimmy moved back to his home in the Ft. Walton Beach area and continued his connection with the 919th through his active support and advocacy for the 919th Special Operations Wing and our Retiree Associations. The Duke Field Family held a "Special" place in his heart, and he was very proud of the many accolades and outstanding achievements our unit attained over the years.He served our Nation and the U.S. Air Force with great honor and distinction and will truly be missed by all. Please keep his family in your thoughts and prayers as they go through this very difficult time.

His Obituary and Tribute Wall can be accessed on theDavis-Watkins Funeral Home website at: www.daviswatkins.com (Don't forget your Comments).

His Obituary is also listed on ourFriends of the FirstLady website at: https://www.friendsofthefirstlady.org/

A celebration of life will be held on April 25, 2025, at 3:30 p.m. at St. Simon’s on the Sound Church in Fort Walton Beach, FL.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you consider making donations to the Ole Miss ROTC; Memorial contributions may be made to the University of Mississippi Foundation. Please direct your gift to the Lt. Gen. James E. Sherrard, III Memorial Fund. Gifts may be made online at: https://umfoundation.com/Sherrardor by phone at662.915.5944, or by mail: University of Mississippi Foundation, 406 University Avenue Oxford, MS 38655.

Lt. General James E. Sherrard, III will be interred on a future date with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery.

Here are comments from some of those who knew Jimmy during the early days of the 919th.

(Charlie Ware) Lt. Gen. James Sherrard was not an Air Force Academy graduate. He never flew fighters and never served in combat. For him to rise to the rank of three-star general and become chief of the Air Force Reserve denotes just what a special and talented person he was. Those of us who knew him and worked with him in the early days of his career predicted that he was destined to rise to the top.

Jimmy (as he insisted on being called) left active duty and joined the Air Force Reserve in 1971. When he came to the 919th TAG at Duke Field, he had just enrolled in dental school at the University of Florida. For a while he commuted between Gainesville and Duke Field for UTA. When he was assigned a class for C-130 training, he decided to skip a semester at dental school and concentrate on flying with the Reserve. It was then that he decided that an Air Force career was more appealing than that of being a dentist. He never went back to dental school. Jimmy and his family moved into Gary Gebhardt’s Surfview Apartments on Okaloosa Island, as did many reserve-bums at the time, and he worked with the Reserve unit as much as he could.

Jimmy soon became the chief scheduling officer, and it was here that his special talent for organization and his innate ability to remember details and people became apparent. He could make phone calls all day and never have to consult a directory for a number. He seemed to know everybody and had a way of making everybody he came in contact with feel special.

In 1974, Jimmy accepted an ART position and became the squadron operations officer where he successfully guided the unit through numerous inspections and ORIs and played the leading role in the unit conversion from the C-130B to the AC-130A gunship. He was president of the district Reserve Officers Association and was instrumental in having the state ROA convention held in Ft. Walton Beach in 1976.

Jimmy was equally at home whether testifying before congress or having a beer at the bar with his old buddies. He had the rare talent of making anyone he encountered feel that he genuinely cared about them. It was joked that Jimmy could fire you and make you feel he was doing you the biggest favor of your life.

(Al Greenup) Lt General James Sherrard (Jimmy to the early Duke guys) will always be remembered as a product of the 919th Special Operations Wing. From the very early days at Duke Field, everyone knew from the git-go that Jimmy Sherrard had oodles of potential. He was extraordinarily smart and a natural leader.

Shortly after leaving Duke as a major and the 711SOS operations officer, his climb through the ranks was meteoric. He was exceptional at every level of command and his destiny was to be the Chief of the Air Force Reserve, where He was superb as the chief.He was universally revered for his approachability and leadership qualities.

The relationship so many of us of had with General Sherrard (Jimmy) exemplifies the comradely that can only be experienced in a military environment. I am grateful I had that experience.General Sherrard was the consummate officer and gentleman.  He was General James Sherrard officially, but he was and always will be Jimmy affectionally.

(Clay McCutchan) He was always holding the squadron together and keeping the squadron commander briefed and informed on what was happening. In a reserve unit, where leadership is often split between full-time and reservists, having someone like him was critical. He ensured everything ran smoothly, keeping everyone aligned and the mission on track.While working as the operations officer at the 919th, Sherrard’s impact was particularly evident during major transitions, such as the 919th’s shift to AC-130A gunships. The change required recruiting and training new personnel while adapting to a vastly different operational structure.

Before you know it, that impossible task was gained, and he really had done an outstanding job of planning and leading. He just started working on it, leading the team, putting everything together, and somehow made it all happen… We had to go out and find those people and get them trained, and Jimmy was right in the middle of making that happen. We went from a tactical airlift five-man crew to a gunship crew of 14, each requiring special technical skills, which was incredible to pull off in such a short time. It wasn’t just about numbers—it was about getting the right people, making sure they were ready, and leading them through such a huge change.