Darold "Jake" Axtman

Darold Steven “Jake” Axtman passed away at CHI Garrison Memorial Hospital on July 28, 2017. Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 am Tuesday, August 1, 2017, at Church of Corpus Christi, 1919 N 2nd St., Bismarck, with Rev. Paul Becker officiating. Burial will held at 1:00 pm Tuesday at the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery, Mandan. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service at the church. He was born on October 27, 1939 in Rugby, ND. He was the second of twelve children of Rudy and Elizabeth (Wangler) Axtman. He attended grades 1-8 at Brazil School #3, a one room schoolhouse, in Pierce County, ND. He graduated from Rugby High School in 1957. While in high school he was active in FFA and had the opportunity to study voice lessons from Barbara Blessum. He sang tenor in choir and sang Danny Boy in national competition at the University of Oklahoma in 1956. He continued to sing and yodel throughout his life. In the fall of 1957 he entered college and attended North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND. Through a college sponsored program, he was an Exchange Student in Cardiff, Wales, England in 1959 for one year. He returned to NDSU and graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in 1963. In July 1963 he entered the US Naval Aviation Flight Ground Training Program in Pensacola, Florida Naval Air Station. In 1964 he graduated from the Advanced Naval Aviation Flight Training earning his “Naval Aviation Wings”. He was assigned to his first operational flying squadron – a C-130 Hercules Cargo Transport – Aircraft Squadron, in Norfolk VA, Naval Air Station; served as the Squadron’s Communication Officer. In July 1964 his squadron was deployed to Southeast Asia where he flew supplies and people into and out of South Vietnam Air Bases from 1964 to 1967; flying over 2,000 flight hours. His aircraft was shot down over Vietnam two different times, once over water and once over land; years later he learned one of the men evacuated on his tour was his brother, Jerry, who was in the US Army Infantry and wounded in Vietnam. In 1979 he was promoted to Commander (CDR) and then selected for Aviation Command of an operational P-3C Orion ASW Squadron. In February 1981, he became the Squadron’s commanding officer and then transferred to the Admiral’s Chief of Staff Officer. In this position he was responsible for seven squadrons nine P-3C Orion ASW aircraft, twelve flight crew members, two hundred maintenance support personnel and fifty administrative support personnel.   In 1983 he was promoted to the rank of US Navy Captain. In 1984 he graduated from the National Defense University and was assigned as Assistant to the US Secretary of the Navy as Director, US Navy Research, Development and Evaluation. As Director he served as the US Navy’s principal US Delegate to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) – Armaments (Technology) Developments Test & Evaluation Committee. As Director, additional responsibilities included managing over four hundred international exchange agreements relating to research and development, testing and evaluation and procurement of equipment and systems and the overall management of the US Navy’s Foreign Weapons Technologies Evaluation Program. On January 1, 1991, Darold elected to complete his US Navy career at the rank of US Navy Captain. His decorations, medals, badges, citations and campaign ribbons awarded were: Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal, Joint Service Commendation Medal, Navy Commendation Medal, Navy Achievement Medal (2), Air Force Commendation Award, Meritorious Unit Commendation, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Sea Service Ribbon, National Defense Service Medal, Navy Expert Pistol Shot Medal, Vietnam Service Medal (3), Republic of Vietnam Civil Actions Unit Citation, Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross w/palm Unit Citation, Republic of Vietnam Campaign. From 1991 to 2010 he served as a consultant for a number of business entities in the CA bay area. His companies developed and patented technology based communication and security systems. He retired in 2010 and moved back to North Dakota in 2011. Darold married Joan Ballatore on April 1, 1967, in Redwood City, CA. He is survived by his siblings, Janice (Gerry) Nohr, Bothell, WA; Bernie (Al) Haman, Bismarck; Larry (Pat Becker), Bismarck; Laverne (Roger) Duchscher, Rugby; Wayne (Elaine Cofell), Garrison; Vernon (Susan Bednarz), Bismarck; Karen (Mark) Hagel, Garrison; Denise (Richard) Iliff, Garrison; Curtis (Cheryl), Bismarck; and Keith (Pam), Minot. He was preceded in death by his parents; brother, Jerry; and sister-in-law, Myra. Memorials are requested to CHI Garrison Hospital or the ND Veterans Cemetery.