Mission Driven
After a lifetime of service, Shell Point resident Jim Stapleton remains an Army man at heart By Nick Fortuna
E
ven now, 26 years after he retired from the U.S. Army, Col. Jim Stapleton is protecting his men. Back in 1967, Stapleton led a rifle company ranging from 90 to 110 men on a seven-month trek through the Central Highlands of Vietnam, and he didn’t lose a single man during more than 30 combat engagements. Fast forward to this spring, and Stapleton’s mission wasn’t nearly as challenging or perilous, though it still was important. Stapleton coordinates the veterans group at Shell Point Retirement Community in Fort Myers, where he has lived with his wife, Carolyn, since 2018. On a morning in
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March, just as the coronavirus pandemic was beginning to shut down public life, Stapleton could be found sitting on a bench outside the community’s meeting hall. A meeting of the veterans group had been canceled, and Stapleton wanted to make sure none of its 140 members showed up and socialized in tight quarters. It’s well documented that this particular virus is especially hard on seniors, so Stapleton took force-protection measures, just as he had five decades ago overseas. It was an example of Stapleton living according to his personal motto: “Mission first, people always.”
Stapleton seemingly was destined to be a soldier. “I was born in Army diapers,” he said with a laugh. He was born at Fort McPherson in Atlanta, where his father, Army surgeon James “Buck” Stapleton, was stationed. The family moved around a bit before Jim’s dad was assigned to West Point to run its hospital. A teenaged Stapleton quickly established friendships with neighbors who intended to enroll in the Military Academy, solidifying his future plans. He would enroll and play for West Point’s lacrosse team before graduating as an infantry officer in 1964.
