Noble James Wiley III was born in South Carolina into a military family on July 12, 1937. Noble is, indeed, an appropriate name for Jim, but we called him Jim nonetheless. His parents were Noble James Jr. (USMA ’28) and Catherine Wiley. As an Army brat, Jim lived in those classic brat locations during and after World War II: Yokahoma (YoHi), Japan; Fort Monroe, VA; and Fort Benning, GA. He decided on West Point early on and, after graduation from Columbus High School, matriculated to Sullivan’s Prep School. Jim entered West Point with the Class of 1960, was assigned to the dreaded Company C-2, and graduated with the Class of 1960. Jim was the spooniest cadet ever (his shoes were amazing). More than that, he was a dedicated cadet; he knew exactly what West Point was about and lived up to the mission of West Point.
But then graduation, and Jim had branched Infantry. In the meantime, he had met Joan Scoville, a fellow brat at Fort Monroe, between his yearling and cow year. They were married at Fort Monroe on June 29, 1960 in the beautiful Chapel of the Centurion there. Then Graduation Leave ended and it was off to the Infantry basic course, to Ranger and Airborne schools, and to Fort Bragg, NC with the 82d Airborne. Jim had decided by then that he wanted to become an Army aviator and, after four-month stints at Fort Wolters, TX and Fort Rucker, AL, became one. From there, back to Bragg, where their first child, Lisa, was born, then to Vietnam in 1963, back to Rucker for fixed-wing qualification, to Benning in 1965 for the career course and where second child, Dana, was born. Following that, to Rucker in 1967, where Chris was born, back to a second RVN tour with the 1st Cav. and as aide to Lieutenant General Tolson. And then, again, a return to Bragg in 1969 and, also, a graduate degree from Central Michigan. Wow! If you think Army families can’t move and Army wives can’t cope, think again. That’s 10 moves in nine years.
From 1971 to 1972, Jim attended the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, KS. He then received orders to the 25th Infantry Division in Hawaii from 1972 to 1975, where he was assigned to the division aviation battalion and later the XO of the 1/27th Infantry, and where the Wiley’s fourth child, Kevin, was born in 1973.
Returning to the United States in 1975, Jim went to Washington, DC, assigned to the Test and Evaluation and Research and Development agencies from 1975 to 1982 while also attending the Defense Systems Management College and obtaining his master’s degree from Central Michigan University.
Jim retired from the Army in 1982, with a distinguished career and with many awards and decorations, including the Ranger Tab, Parachutist Badge, and Master Aviator Badge. He was a serious man and a serious officer, dedicated to his country and the Army, but he had a wonderful sense of humor, and it showed throughout his life and career. Once, as First Classmen, we were walking through the Area and saw Jim coming toward us. He had weekend duty as the Cadet Officer of the Guard. As we met and passed, we said, “Hey, Jim,” but he, looking serious and straight ahead, said nothing (we three were roommates). I turned and, quoting from the opening line of “Battalion Orders” that we as plebes had to know verbatim, said, “But an officer on duty knows no one.” Jim, still walking, turned and smiled gleefully.
Though he retired from the Army, Jim didn’t stop working and serving. He joined CACI and, later, worked for Perot’s EDS Corporation for 10 years. While there, he was instrumental in developing and implementing the DEERS program, the comprehensive benefits program for all service personnel. When he finally retired in 1999, he looked forward to a relaxed, happy, and leisurely life that he truly deserved. Deserved in many ways, because he and Joni had raised a wonderful family. They had four children: Lisa, Dana, Chris, and Kevin. They, in turn, produced seven beautiful grandchildren.
Jim was a fighter, a never-give-up kind of guy. He showed that spirit as a cadet, an officer, working hard in retirement, and afterwards. Shortly after he finally retired, he showed early signs of what was later diagnosed as Parkinson’s (he had earlier fought and beat prostate cancer). As the Parkinson’s progressed, Jim was very gradually unable to do certain things, but he was always involved, always working to do his very best. He and Joni bought a vacation home with a classmate couple in Williamsburg. Many things to be done, but one long running project was assembling kit furniture for this three-bedroom place. After a while, Jim had increasing difficulty handling tools. As a classmate studied furniture parts lying around and looked at a diagram, he complained that the company had sent the wrong diagram. Jim said, “Try turning it around. It will become the correct diagram.” Similarly, when the classmate stated the company had sent a wrong part because it didn’t fit, Jim said, “Turn it over.” That worked.
Noble James Wiley III was a wonderful person, a superlative officer, and a loving and beloved husband, father, and grandfather. He loved and served his country, the Army, and West Point. His family loved him as do his classmates. We miss you, Jim.
— His loving family and classmates