Letter from Carolyn (Wife of Jim’s Nephew)

I married into the Herrick family when I was active-duty Air Force. I came from from a family with no patriotism or military heritage, who didn’t celebrate military service, and legally joined a family of blue-blooded Americans who served God, family, and country.

When I learned about Uncle Jim, his service, and the way he is remembered in my now-family, I was in awe. That awe quickly turned into a deep, abiding love for all the men and women in this family — blood or otherwise! — who carry on his legacy.

Even though we never knew Uncle Jim, I feel the kinship of being both his sister-in-arms and niece by marriage. My heart aches for our grandparents and roughly 16 other aunts and uncles who knew him and miss him so dearly.

John and I named our son after Uncle Jim, knowing that long after his generation passes we will raise a new generation to revere the way he served. We want our son to be the kind of patriot, warrior, hero, and man of faith that Uncle Jim was.

I feel so privileged to be a Herrick. I couldn’t love or miss Uncle Jim any more if I was his blood relative and had grown up with him bouncing me on his knee telling me stories. I hope and pray that he is found and repatriated one day soon. He deserves it, his mama deserves it, his sister and 7 brothers and their wives deserve it. America deserves it, too.

USAF Capt. James W. Herrick ~ gone but not forgotten 10/27/69. 🇺🇸

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13

Letter from Jim (Nephew of Jim)

As each year passes, a big number like fifty loses some significance. Fifty cents was a lot of money as a small child. Fifty dollars was a lot of money just recently - some days more than others. But fifty years is a significant amount of time.

My dad's family is a loving family with five living generations. It is a close family with a lot of love and many relationships spanning generations. My Uncle Jim was the oldest of eight brothers including (my father) Paul, Gary, Jerry, Roger, Don, Bob and Steve.

It hurts that I never knew Jim. With a family that had a deep desire to serve one another, we both had the calling to serve in the military. That seems like a bond that would have been strong.

Since I don't have a personal memory of Jim, I must use the shared memory that belongs to my family. So on this anniversary of Jim becoming Missing In Action (MIA), I remember my Uncle Jim.

You Are Never Forgotten!

Letter from Meghan (Granddaughter of Jim's Brother, Paul)

Grandfathers, uncles and relatives I never got the chance to know still occupy my mind to this day. I hear stories about what they were like and how much people miss them. It’s hard to miss someone who you never got the chance to know, but I still try my best to have them know they are not forgotten. My only wish is that they know, wherever they are, that there are so many people who think about them all the time. They will never be forgotten, because even those who never met them still hear the memories of them from those who loved them personally.

Meghan Herrick