Page 16 - Senior Link Magazine Fall 2023 - Online Magazine

Jim Christy A Marine’s Path to
The foundation stones for a
"
balanced success are honesty,
character, integrity, faith,
love, and loyalty.
~Zig Ziglar
his quote is very fitting
when I think of my father,
TJames (Jim) Christy. He has
lived his life dedicated to God,
his country, and his family.
James W. Christy was born in
Amarillo, Texas on February 18,
1930, to Floyd and Alice Christy.
The Great Depression limited
employment opportunities,
but his father worked hard
to support his family, and his
mother maintained the home and
cared for the family. Jim said,
“My father did a lot of different
jobs just to be able to work.” In
16 Lubbock Senior Link
Success
by Linda Gallagher
1946, his father began his career
with Burlington Railroad as a
fireman on a steam-engine and
was later promoted to rail yard
engineer.
Jim began his “sales career” as
an eight-year-old. His father
would buy a box of popsicles for
him, and he would walk up and
down the street, selling sweet
treats to hungry neighbors. Even
back then, he didn’t believe in
“strangers,” only folks he had
not yet met. He was working
after school at local stores by the
age of 15 and graduated from
Amarillo High School in 1948.
On January 1, 1949 Jim joined
the U.S. Marine Corps and began
basic training in San Diego.
The Korean War began on June
25, 1950. Over several weeks,
approximately 4,500 U.S. Marines
had died, some in battle, and
others from sub-zero climate and
windswept snowstorms. More
than 7,000 others suffered from
frostbite and other wounds. In
order to save lives, the military
instituted more rigorous training
for the elements, initiating the
U.S. Marines Mountain Warfare
Training Center (then known as
the Cold Weather Battalion).
Jim was aboard a train to begin
his journey to Korea when, just
before departure, an officer
pulled Jim and 23 other soldiers
off the train. Those two dozen
were selected for cold weather
training. The Training Center
was on national forest land in
the eastern Sierra Mountains
near Bridgeport, California, 450
miles north of Camp Pendleton.
The assignment was to prepare
soldiers with the skills and
supplies they would need for
survival in Korea. After their
initial training was complete,
Jim and his crew received word
that the very train they were
pulled off of never made it to its
destination, and their comrades
had not survived. “I always
felt like I was supposed to train
soldiers and save lives for those
men that died,” Jim said. He
was proud to work his way up
to sergeant and to have been an
integral part of saving lives. He
received an Honorable Discharge
in 1953.
In February 1953, Jim and three
buddies walked into The Dream
Diner dance club for an evening
of fun. That same night, Cornelia
(Connie) Chavez and three
classmates from St. Anthony’s
School of Nursing had also
decided to go dancing. As the
story goes, this was the night Jim
met the love of his life. Jim and
Connie married in December
1953. (Coincidentally, two of the
other couples who met that night
also ended up married. If you’re
looking for “the one,” The Dream
Diner is the place to go!)
Jim began his career with
Prudential Insurance Company
in 1955. He and Connie raised
their children—Thomas Michael,
Larry Don, Diana June, and
Linda Carol—with much love
and guidance. One of the family’s
biggest challenges and most
heartbreaking experiences was
the loss of their daughter Diana