Cover photo for Jim Koenig's Obituary
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Jim

Jim Koenig

d. December 30, 2013

Jim Koenig, 67, died December 30, 2013 at 5:48am and, is now in Heaven. He was born an only child in Richmond, Virginia and moved to Mountain City in 2008. He served 20 years in the U.S. Army retiring in 1984 as a First Sergeant. In the 1960's and 70's he was paratrooper in the 101st. Airborne Division at Ft. Campbell and later volunteered for duty in Vietnam, serving in the 75th Airborne Rangers. During the war as an Army Ranger, he was a member of a six-man military intelligence team that operated deep into enemy territory. He was decorated twice for heroism under fire winning two Bronze Stars for valor. Later in the war he received his third and fourth Bronze Stars for personally eliminating numerous enemy personnel and their supplies. He also received the Purple Heart Medal for wounds encountered during an ambush near the Cambodian border, three Air Medals, one of which was awarded after his helicopter was shot down by enemy fire during intense combat in Long An Province of the Mekong Delta. Additionally for his war time service he was awarded the Combat Infantryman's Badge, the Army Commendation Medal, the Vietnamese Service Medal and Vietnam Campaign Medal. During his two decades of military duty he served in Vietnam, Korea, Germany, Beirut Lebanon, and, as an Army Recruiter in Monroe, North Carolina where he heard the Gospel preached in an independent Baptist church and accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as his Savior. While on recruiting duty he was named the top Recruiter in the nation for enlistments into the 82nd. Airborne Division, and, was featured in a film shown to all Army recruiters across the nation on how to be successful in recruiting. Other awards during his military career included two Meritorious Service Medals for exemplary service, seven Good Conduct Medals, a second Army Commendation Medal, the Non Commissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon, the Army Achievement Medal, the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, the National Defense Medal, the Expert Rifle and Machinegun Badges, and his silver Parachutist wings. While stationed at Hunter Army Airfield in Georgia he was the First Sergeant of Headquarters Command. He later wrote and announced the Stewart-Hunter Radio News on 19 civilian stations, and was the morning military television news anchorman on WJCL-TV in Savannah. In 1980 he won first place in the Keith L. Ware competition for the best television news program in the entire U.S. Army, and later judged second, for all services, in the world-wide Department of Defense Network. In 1982 he was the editor of a military newspaper in Frankfurt Germany judged best in its class for all of Europe. That same year Post 30 Magazine named him in the list of Who's Who in Military Journalism. Following three years in the Public Affairs field he volunteered to return to First Sergeant duty overseeing a 310-soldier company. He was selected to attend the Sergeant Major Academy in Texas but elected to retire in 1984. After military retirement he was employed as the Chief Investigator for a nation-wide corporation, owned a painting contract company, attended Old Paths Bible Institute, was caretaker of an independent Baptist Christian camp, and worked for The Sword of the Lord Newspaper in Murfreesboro, TN. He was a member and faithfully attended Dyson Grove Baptist Church in Butler. He never left his house without his King James New Testament Bible and a pocket full of Gospel tracts. He would always make time to tell folks how to get to Heaven, the Bible way, by showing them Romans 3:10, 3:23, 5:12, 5:8, 6:23, 10:9-13 and Acts 3:19 Before dying, he said the most important thing he ever did was repenting of his wicked sins and trusting the Lord Jesus Christ as his personal Savior at 1:00 p.m. on November 29th, 1972, adding, "Nothing else matters when it's time for you to die and cross over into eternity." SURVIVORS: His wife of 49 years, Nancy Koenig of Mountain City, two daughters, April Nutting and husband Leo and Sherry Dyer and husband Derek. One son, Alan Koenig and wife Tori, four grandchildren, Brandon, Dana, Jessica and Kyle, and one great grandson, D.J Graveside Service will be conducted on Wednesday January 1st 2014 at 10 am from the Dyson Grove Baptist Church Cemetery with Rev. Leonard Fletcher officiating. In lieu of flowers, please consider a gift to the Dyson Grove Baptist Church Missionary Fund. Online condolences may be sent to the family and viewed through our website at www.johnsoncountyfuneralhome.com Arrangements for the Jim Koenig family are in the care of Johnson County Funeral Home.
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