William Allen Nunn
Allen Nunn passed away peacefully at the Salt Lake VA Hospital on March 20th after a long illness, surrounded by his loving wife and his two sisters-in-law. He was the son of Marta E. Allen Nunn and William Gibby Nunn, and is survived by his wife of 44 years, Joy, his daughter Meghan Elizabeth, son-in-law Chris Buxton, grandson Eizha Lanoha-Nunn, granddaughters Rivir, Serene, and Willow Buxton, and his brother Art Nunn. This is the obituary Allen wrote for himself prior to his passing:
Allen graduated from East High in 1959. He enlisted in the National Guard in 1958 and began a life-long love affair with the Army which lasted 37 years. He retired in 1994 as a Colonel commanding a Joint Service Group. In all of his activities, he always looked for an “adrenal rush”. He was a sworn officer with the SLCPD for four years, and served in the Central Intelligence Agency for seven years. He served in Vietnam with the U.S. Army, the Australian Task Force and was a ground operations officer for the CIA. He was a Special Deputy with the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s office, 1974-2006. Among those activities were numerous adrenalin rushes to be had.
He was qualified in and served in the career fields of: Infantry, Armor, Aviation, Special Forces and was a qualified Foreign Area Officer. He won a C.I.B. in Vietnam, was an Army aviator and a Master Parachutist. He commanded three times at the Company level, an Air Cavalry troop, a transportation aircraft maintenance company (AIR) (DS), and a finance company.
Allen formed and commanded a Joint Service Group, the 6396th JSG, to provide training opportunities for seven battalions. The group supported theater commands such as PACOM, SOCPAC, EUCOM and SOUTHCOM; personnel trained to run exercises and also provided “surge” capability for several theaters.
Allen was board selected to attend the Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, PA. He graduated in 1991 and retired from the military in 1994.
Academic achievements included: BA in History & Government, 1974; BS, Pre-Medical Studies, 1977; BS in Human Biology, 1979; Doctorate, Naturopathic Medicine, National College of Naturopathic Medicine, 1987.
He was licensed by both the state of Utah, and the DEA, and practiced medicine for 20 years. Semi-retired, in 2012 he donated care, and began writing the books he was always planning to write.
Allen loved life, family, friends, pets, and his alternate personality, “Oleg”. Oleg always had the most fun ever. Allen had a fabulous sense of humor, and hundreds of stories to share from his life and experiences. He loved doing stand-up comedy and gesturing hypnotically at people…. He understood that life is a school where we are given both challenges and problems to solve. He was a master at problem solving. In his core beliefs, there are built-in firm guarantees that he will come again when class is in session. He loves and misses you all.
A celebration of Allen’s life will be held on Saturday, March 29th from 6:00 until 8:00 PM at Starks Funeral Parlor at 3651 South 900 East, where complimentary valet parking will be provided on the north side of the building. Graveside burial service will be at Utah Vets Memorial Cemetery (Camp Williams). Please contact Starks Funeral Parlor for date and time. In lieu of flowers, please donate to SLC VA Medical Center, Attn: GPF 1003 Patient Fund.
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For all we know, Mr. DeWitt Copp may have had Al Nunn, my dear friend and fellow Army flight school survivor, in mind when he wrote A Few Great Captains (Doubleday, 1980). Al lead by example all the 43 years I knew him. His example wasn’t always stellar. However, Al was always genuine, and he was steadfastly loyal to his family, friends and fellow warriors.
“Big Al” loved good food and beverage. No one piled more cheese, pepperoni and Italian sausage per square foot to prepare a pizza. He miraculously kept his cholesterol and blood pressure under control during flight school with self-prescribed daily doses of Scotch whisky every day except on Sunday. Then, on the Lord’s Day, he and his roommate Ray frequently could be found enjoying Eggs Benedict, strong black coffee, and small glasses of grapefruit juice. When downing the juice, Al made grotesque faces and punctuated the animated gestures with several hyperextensions of his hairy tongue while simultaneously uttering guttural sounds emanating deep within “Oleg” (reportedly his alter ego). The first time my better 80% and I hosted Big Al at our home for a meal other than a flight school pizza party, he made it crystal clear that he does not eat yard bird (aka chicken). Instead, he preferred a simple diet of steak, baked potato and a salad. Al also informed us that he did not use margarine. He thought it was a poison that had wormed its way into the US food chain. So, we served him butter.
There was no better story teller than Al Nunn. He rarely felt any need to embellish a story. Unlike mere mortals, he didn’t need to. Al lived one of the most interesting, full and complete lives imaginable. He shared the stories with anyone who expressed interest. Al had remarkable intellect and enjoyed showing it in diverse ways -- telling humorous stories, writing “off the wall” creative Christmas newsletters, and running for Congress (some voters apparently wanted him in office; absolutely no one in Congress did). I wish he had been elected. We wouldn’t be in the shape we’re in now!
William Allen Nunn, Al, “Big Al,” Colonel Nunn, and “Oleg” all constantly sought to redefine/reestablish balance within his life while he walked among us. These faithful servants of mankind all applied unique intellectual offerings to enhance the lives of family, friends, colleagues and members of his community. At times those of us who knew him the best were lulled (through our own complacency) into thinking that Big Al was coasting or resting. In reality, he never rested while “class was in session.” Al was in constant pursuit of the perfect plan and the optimum implementation strategy to maximize any potential payoffs that might be made in his favor by the “system.” How else could a young man from Salt Lake City achieve great successes in the US Army/Guard, the CIA, local law enforcement, naturopathic medicine, while nurturing his personal relationships among family and friends? While doing good deeds to benefit everyone he touched, my fellow warrior-in-arms never forgot how to make the system also work for him. His singular stroke of genius within his peacetime military service was convincing the power brokers in Hawaii that his presence was essential to the effective and efficient planning and conduct of joint command exercises. He successfully negotiated access to both the “Blue” and the “Red” books used during the exercises. Consequently, Big Al was always on the winning side. Pretty savvy! My bride and I held him accountable during his trips to paradise while I was stationed at Headquarters Pacific Air Forces from 1985-1991. It was our pleasure to host him for backyard cookouts in the shadows of Kole Kole Pass. He was easy to entertain as long as the menu featured Scotch, steak, baked potato (with butter, not margarine) and salad. Some things just never changed. When not talking shop at our home after work, we might meet at the Pieces of Eight restaurant in Honolulu to enjoy sauteed scallops. The chow was great and the price was right!
There is so much more that could be cited as representative of Al Nunn’s rich life. However, few things say as much as the following.
During one of his military assignments to South Vietnam, Al performed minor surgery on some of his fellow combatants while still serving as a young enlisted person. He was neither trained nor experienced as a combat medic. Nevertheless, he had the courage to do what was needed to help his buddies. Al didn’t worry about the potential risks to his career, if things turned sour. After he hung up his uniform, Al put on a lab coat and rolled up his sleeves to serve his community as a naturopathic physician. In one special humanitarian initiative, Dr. Nunn purchased several refurbished oxygen generators and distributed them to low income residents within his community at no cost to them.
Despite his life-long predisposition to seeking the good things life had to offer, he was reliable even when opportunities arose to tempt him to be something other than reliable and trustworthy. For example, early in his military career, Al (rank unknown) was issued a duffle bag before departing the US for delivery in Saigon, South Vietnam. He did his job as ordered. He dropped the bag at a restaurant (a CIA front operation). Al could have taken the duffle bag to any point on the planet. Instead, he delivered the bag (stuffed with large denominations of US currency) to the CIA operative. Well done, good and faithful soldier!
At times Al’s behaviors were hard to read (especially for young inexperienced people who tended to see things in black and white). I remember the time when Al invited me to join him in Salt Lake City for a visit with his mother, who he affectionately referred to as “Chubby.” It was a rare glimpse into his private life. At first, I thought he was being disrespectful. It didn’t take long to see that she adored Al and actually expected him to call her “Chubby.” He indirectly taught me an important lesson that lasted a lifetime.
Big Al could appear out-of-control at times with outlandish behaviors, which some might have characterized as “off-the-charts.” I certainly didn’t know how to react sometimes. However, his bride of 44 years always knew what to do! Al loved Joy and would do anything for her. He had a deep respect for Joy’s artistic skills and leadership roles within several local and statewide art communities. Joy softened Al. He was forever changed for the better when Joy gave birth to Meghan. Al and Joy together doted on Meghan and later freely focused their resources on several grandchildren.
You will be sorely missed, Big Al! Thank you for your smile, your phone calls, and all other spirited communications over the years. You were a very special friend, indeed!
As you fly west through eternity, you’ll be pleased that the weather forecast remains CAVU with light and variable tailwinds. No more storms ahead. All VNE restrictions have been repealed. You are cleared in “hot” with unlimited stores of munitions. Hooah!
Steven N. Ulosevich, EdD, SPHR Emeritus
Major (US Air Force, Command Pilot, Retired)
Pendleton, SC