James was raised in Washington, D.C. James loved to share his story of joining the U.S. Navy. At the age of 18 he applied but was turned down because of his small stature and weight. James then spent a day drinking milkshakes and successfully enlisted on January 21, 1955. He served until 1959, most of which was an assignment on the USS Forestal. During the family’s years in Alexandria and Manassas, James was for 42 years a meat cutter for grocery stores, including Safeway. In 2004, James became a member of the Bridgewater retirement community and became an accomplished painter - and continued to drink milkshakes.