James John "JJ" Vollmuth

Chief Master Sergeant USAF (Retired) James John "JJ" Vollmuth Chief JJ Vollmuth, age 83, of Biloxi, MS passed away 27 July 2021 in Biloxi, MS. He was a resident of Biloxi for over 60 years. He was born in Bismarck, North Dakota on 12 March 1938 and grew up on a farm near Selfridge, ND. Following High School, he enlisted in the US Air Force on 30 May 1956. Chief Vollmuth was preceded in death by his father and mother, Albin and Elizabeth Vollmuth of Selfridge, ND; his brother, Thomas Vollmuth of Stanton, ND; nephew, Christopher Vollmuth; sister-in-law, Mary Vollmuth, brother-in-law, Anthony Mazara; and father-in-law and mother-in-law, Walter and Eva Mazara. Chief Vollmuth is survived by his loving wife of 60 years, Sherry Mazara Vollmuth of Biloxi, MS; son, Jay (Maria) Vollmuth of Biloxi, MS; son, Michael (Sylvia) Vollmuth of St. Martin, MS; granddaughter, Katelyn Vollmuth; grandsons, Christopher (Blair) Vollmuth, Bryan (Julianne) Vollmuth, Nikolas Vollmuth; and great grandson, Maddox Vollmuth. He is also survived by brothers, Richard Vollmuth of Mesquite, NV, George (Margaret) Vollmuth of Fargo, ND, Nick (Debbie) Vollmuth of Selfridge, ND, Jack (Jolene) Vollmuth of Denver, CO, Jerry (Debbie) Vollmuth of Denver, CO, Fred (Bernie) Vollmuth of Mandan, ND, Pat (Lisa) Vollmuth of Cottage Grove, MN; his only sister, Marie (Milt) Mosset of Apple Valley, CA; and sister-in-law, Pam Vollmuth of Stanton, ND. He is survived by many nephews and nieces. Chief Vollmuth enlisted in the Air Force on 30 May 1956. Following Basic Military Training at Parks AFB, CA he was assigned to Keesler AFB MS to attend the Air Traffic Control Operator Course, arriving there on 4 July 1956. Upon completing the Air Traffic Control Operator Course in October 1956, he was assigned to the United Kingdom where he served as an Air Traffic Controller at RAF Bases Sturgate, Upper Heyford and Chelveston during the next three years. In December 1959 he returned to Keesler AFB as an Instructor in the Air Traffic Control Operator course. He was promoted to Staff Sergeant on 1 October 1964. In August 1965 he was assigned to Loan AB, France as a Control Tower Crew Chief. In October 1966 he moved to Upper Heyford AB, England, when all U.S. Forces left France. He was promoted to Technical Sergeant on 1 December 1966. In April 1967, he was assigned to Bunker Hill (Grissom) AFB, IN. where he served as a Radar Approach Control (RAPCON) Crew Chief and Squadron Training NCO. In March 1969 he was assigned to U-Tapao Royal Thailand AFB, Thailand where he served as a Mobile RAPCON Crew Chief. He was promoted to Master Sergeant on 1 May 1969. He was then assigned to Nakhon Phanom (NKP) RTAFB Thailand to assist in the development of Mobile RAPCON policy and procedures. He served as a RAPCON Crew Chief and Training NCO. In October 1969 he was assigned to the NKP Control Tower and served as the Tower Chief Controller and Flight Facilities NCOIC. In April 1970, he was assigned to Ramstein AB, Germany as a Fixed RAPCON Crew Chief. While at Ramstein, he was selected as Controller of the Quarter for Jan-Mar 1971 and Controller of the Year for the entire European Communication Area in 1972. In July 1974 he was assigned to Keesler AFB as an Instructor Supervisor in the Air Traffic Control Operator Course. He was promoted to Senior Master Sergeant on 1 November 1975. In January 1978 he was assigned to Osan AB, Korea where he served as the Chief Controller of the Osan Control Tower. In January 1979 he returned to Keesler AFB as Intermediate Supervisor in the Air Traffic Control Operator Course. He was promoted to Chief Master Sergeant on 1 September 1979. He served as the Course Superintendent during the Air Traffic Controller strike in 1981 when the number of students in training doubled. He served in that capacity until March 1984 when he was selected as the Senior Enlisted Advisor (Command Chief) to the Commander, Keesler Technical Training Center. In this position he was the top Non-Commissioned Officer on Keesler AFB. He retired from the Air Force on 1 July 1987 - completing 31 years of Air Force service. In August 1988, he returned to the Air Traffic Control Course as a GS-9 civilian instructor. He was promoted to GS-11 in June 1990 and served as an Instructor Supervisor. In December 1991 he became the Manager of the Courseware Development Department in the Air Traffic Control Course. In January 1993 he became the Squadron Resource Advisor. In March 1994 he was promoted to GS-12 and became the Course Training Manager for the Air Traffic Control Course. In March 1996, he became a Program Analyst in the Plans and Programs section of the 81st Training Wing. In that capacity he managed the relocation of many technical training courses to and from Keesler AFB. He played a major role in leading the beddown of the new C-130J aircraft on Keesler. He was appointed as the Keesler Trusted Agent for the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) study during 2005. He retired from civil service in Jan 2007. This completed 51 years of government service to his country. During his Air Force career Chief Vollmuth received many awards and decorations including: Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters, Air Force Commendation Medal, Air Force Good Conduct Medal with seven oak leaf clusters, Army Good Conduct Medal with two devices, Presidential Unit Citation, Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with “V” device and six oak leaf clusters, Vietnam Service Medal with three campaign stars, Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with palm, Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal. He also received the Outstanding Civilian Career Service Award. He was a Master Air Traffic Controller and a Master Instructor. Chief Vollmuth was a life member of the Disabled American Veterans, and the Air Force Communications and Air Traffic Control Association, member of the VFW, the American Legion, the Biloxi Bay Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Coast Centurions, Former member of the Noncommissioned Officers Association, Air Force Association, Air Force Sergeants Association, and the Biloxi Chamber of Commerce Military Affairs Committee. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on 2 August 2021, at St. Michael Catholic Church, in Biloxi beginning with visitation at 10:00am followed by Mass at 11:00am. Final interment with full military honors will take place at Biloxi National Cemetery, 400 Veterans Ave, Biloxi, MS. In lieu of flowers, request donations be made to The Keesler Chiefs Group, 720 Chappie James Ave. Keesler AFB, MS 39534 or St. Michael Altar Society, 177 1st Street, Biloxi, MS 39530. Bradford-O’Keefe Funeral Home is honored to serve the family of Mr. Vollmuth.