Colonel John Richard Underwood

Colonel John Richard Underwood of Camp Hill, Pennsylvania and Walhalla, South Carolina died on March 9, 2022.

He is survived by his wife of 68 years, Sue Lay Underwood; son John Richard Underwood Jr. (Sally) of Prescott, AZ; daughter Jana Susan Poole (Russell) of Lewisberry, PA; son Stewart Douglas Underwood (Kyung-Bin Alice) of Carlisle, PA; and sister Ruth Jean Phillips of Walhalla, SC.

Colonel and Mrs Underwood have seven grandchildren and soon to be nine great-grandchildren. Colonel Underwood was predeceased by his parents James Alfred and Idabelle Oelkers Underwood.

Colonel Underwood, a graduate of Clemson University, was commissioned in the regular army in 1955. He commanded Air Defense missile and gun units at every level including Nike Hercules nuclear units in the Cincinnati and Chicago defenses and missile training units at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama. He was a veteran of Vietnam and an Arabic specialist with service in Saudi Arabia and six years as Military Attache to the Arab Republic of Egypt. Following retirement from military service, Colonel Underwood was seconded to the Department of State and served twelve years as Director General’s Representative to Egypt of the Multinational Force and Observers. Colonel and Mrs Underwood moved to Carlisle PA in 1998 and lived there until moving to Camp Hill in 2019.

Colonel Underwood was a graduate of numerous Air Defense and Artillery schools, the Command and General Staff College, the Defense Attache School, the Foreign Service Institute, and the Army War College. Colonel Underwood’s awards and decorations include the Army Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit w/oak leaf cluster, the Bronze Star Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Army Commendation Medal w/oak leaf cluster, the Army Achievement Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal, the Vietnam Campaign Medal, and the General Staff Identification Badge.

No public viewing is planned. Colonel Underwood’s body will be cremated and his remains buried in Arlington National Cemetery at a later date.