DENVER | The longest serving Adjutant General of Colorado, retired Maj. Gen. John L. France, passed away Oct. 15 in Denver. He will be interred with full military honors Oct. 26 at Fort Logan National Cemetery, Denver, followed by a memorial service to be held in his honor at the Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum also in Denver.
France served as The Adjutant General of the Colorado National Guard from 1979 to 1995.
“We have lost a great American — a legend in our time,” said Adjutant General of Colorado Maj. Gen. H. Michael Edwards. “Our community, state, and nation owe so much to this Citizen Warrior whose legacy will continue to inspire future generations of National Guard Soldiers and Airmen.”
France enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in November 1952, serving in California, Texas, South Korea, and Japan. He attended aviation cadet training, receiving his pilot wings and commission as a second lieutenant upon graduation in March 1955.
After separating from the Air Force in March 1958, he joined the Colorado Air National Guard while studying law at the University of Denver.
As a member of the famed Air National Guard official precision demonstration team, the Minute Men, he flew the F-86 Sabre jet aircraft during the late 1950s at air shows in the U.S. and five foreign countries.
The Minute Men were the first and only federally recognized aerial demonstration team in the history of the Air National Guard.
Mobilized for the Berlin Crisis in October 1961, France mobilized again in January 1968 and flew his F-100 during 239 combat missions in Vietnam with the 120th Tactical Fighter Squadron.
France was selected as the Colorado Air National Guard 140th Wing Commander in 1974. He was promoted to major general June 18, 1982.
After retiring in 1995, France served as president and vice president of both the National Guard Association of the United States and the Adjutants General Association of the United States. He was also a former board member of the Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum.
France’s Minute Men jet is on display at Buckley Air Force Base.
France is survived by his wife, Carol, and his daughters, Allison and Amy.
Military funeral honors and interment will take place at 11 a.m. Oct. 26 at Fort Logan National Cemetery, Shelter A. Please arrive at “Staging Area A” by 10:45 a.m. There will be a walking procession from “Staging Area A” to Shelter A beginning at 11:15 a.m.
A memorial service will follow interment at 3 p.m. at Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum. The military funeral honors, interment, and memorial service are open to the public.