Retired Sergeant Major James Allen Vasilko (Jim) passed away on 14 January 2025. He died at home, surrounded by his family. His life was one of service. He enlisted in the Marine Corps a mere three days after his 17th birthday. His career in the Corps spanned thirty years, beginning with the Cuban Missile Crisis and ending shortly after Desert Storm. He served on the USS Constellation during the Cuban Missile Crisis, Monkey Mountain, Vietnam, during the Vietnam War, and was the Sergeant Major of Marine Corps Air Bases East and MCAS Cherry Point, NC, during Desert Storm. As a Gunnery Sergeant, he was the NCOIC of the Marine Security Guard Detachment at the embassy in Dakar, Senegal. Throughout his career, Sergeant Major Vasilko served on both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, and locations in between. He spent time in Norway, South Korea, Japan, and the Philippines. He officially retired in October 1991. After retiring from the Marine Corps, he moved to Ripley, Tennessee, the hometown of his wife, Rose. After she had followed him around the country, and across an ocean, he felt it was time for her to choose where they lived. He attended the University of Tennessee, Martin, where he received a BA degree in Education. That led to him teaching science at Ripley High School for twelve years. Wake Forest, North Carolina called Jim and Rose after he retired from teaching. Two of their four children, and their youngest grandchildren, lived in the area. He was active at St. Catherine of Sienna Catholic Church, the Knights of Columbus, the Marine Corps League, the American Legion, and was a Life Member of VFW Post 8466.