Military Order of the Purple Heart Elects New National Commander

Jim Sims, a Tacoma native, has been elected National Commander of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, a national veteran service organization with more than 44,000 members.

Jim is a 1962 graduate of Saint Martin’s University in Olympia, Washington.  After graduation from college, he was commissioned a Second Lieutenant and served as a US Marine for more than 26 years, retiring in 1988 as a Colonel. He also earned a Masters degree from George Washington University. 

Assignments in the Marine Corps included Sea Duty (USS America); Company Commander in Viet Nam; Company Officer at the US Naval Academy; Battalion Operations Officer; Commander of the Marine Barracks Hawthorne, Nevada; Instructor at the Marine Corps Command & Staff College; Commanding Officer of 3rd Battalion 4th Marines; Aide to the White House Chief of Staff; and Secretary of the General Staff at Marine Corps Headquarters.  He was a Distinguished Graduate of the Air War College. When he retired, Jim was the Chief of Political Military Analysis for the Joint Chiefs of Staff.  He was wounded in December 1966 while a Company Commander in Viet Nam.

Jim was the Director of the Washington State Pollution Liability Insurance Agency from 1989 through 2002.  Most recently he retired from Time Oil Company in Seattle where he was Retail Operations Manager.  He served for three terms as an elected Supervisor of the Mason County Conservation District, and for three years was a member of the Olympia City Planning Commission.  In 2002 he was named the Distinguished Alumnus of Saint Martin’s University.

Sims’ military decorations include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, Defense Superior Service Medal, Bronze Star with "V" (valor), Purple Heart, Meritorious Service Medal, Navy Commendation Medal with "V” (valor), Joint Service Commendation Medal, Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry with Palm and Silver Star, and numerous other US and foreign decorations.  Patriot Sims served in a number of capacities in the Military Order of the Purple Heart, including state and regional leadership positions and, ultimately, national offices leading to his election as National Commander.  

Sims’ goals during his tenure as Commander include focusing on programs that improve communications within the organization, ensuring that the organization continues to serve veterans and their families, and stressing the active involvement of local chapters and state departments in veteran support activities.

To learn more about the Military Order of the Purple Heart and its programs, visit the Web site at www.purpleheart.org.