James N. (Jim) Korpi was born on October 13, 1948. Jim grew up in Dublin, NH. He graduated from Peterborough High School in 1966. He received an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy from New Hampshire, and attended USNA through the end of1966. He then went to UNH and graduated in the ROTC program and went on to be a fighter Pilot in the US Air Force.
He was in Vietnam in the Phantom F4E in Line Backer I & Line Backer II. Upon completion of his tour of duty in Vietnam, his Air Force career took him to Luke AFB, Arizona and then on to Bitburg, Germany. He then went to Hahn AFB in Germany. He was a fighter pilot of the F4 during his tour of duty in Germany. He was then transferred to MacDill AFB in Tampa, Florida where he was one of the first selected fighter pilots to fly the F-16 Falcon. His next tour of duty took him to Egypt to transition the Egyptian Air Force to the F16. From Egypt, Jim returned to Germany once more to be stationed at USAFE Headquarters at Ramstein AFB.
Towards the end of his Air Force career, he was finally assigned to be the Air Force adviser to the Montana Air National Guard in Great Falls, MT. It was always Jim's dream to live out west, and he retired from his Air Force career in 1992 to continue to live out his dream of living in Montana surrounded by nature at it's finest. He enjoyed fishing and hunting and taking care of his loving dogs and cat.
Jim took his final flight into the clouds on November 12, 2018, Befitting of a military career veteran. Jim was preceded in death by his mother, Sara Korpi and his father, Reuben Korpi and his brother, Robert Korpi. He is survived by his daughter Corinna and his wife Margaret and his sister, Katherine Korpi, and his brothers, Leonard Korpi, Ralph Korpi and Steven Korpi and his many nieces and nephews.
Updated:31 October 2025
Curator: Ed Moore