Announcement of Death – Colonel Zane Edward Finkelstein, U.S. Army, Retired

It is with deep sadness that I inform you of the death of Colonel (Retired) Zane Edward Finkelstein, the only Army lawyer to be decorated for gallantry in action in Vietnam.

It is with deep sadness that I inform you of the death of Colonel (Retired) Zane Edward Finkelstein, the only Army lawyer to be decorated for gallantry in action in Vietnam. He was awarded the Bronze Star for Valor and the Purple Heart for his combat heroism during a claims mission in December 1967. COL Finkelstein died on 15 August 2012 in North Carolina. He was 83 years old.

COL Finkelstein was born in Knoxville, Tennessee on 24 June 1929. He graduated from high school in Rochester, New York, and received a JD from the University of Tennessee in 1952.

After being drafted into the Army in April 1953 and completing basic training at Fort Jackson, COL Finkelstein was commissioned in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps. During his distinguished JAG Corps career, COL Finkelstein held various positions in Berlin, Germany from 1954 to 1957 and Taipei, Taiwan from 1961 to 1963. He also served as Military Judge in the 82nd Airborne Division; Assistant Professor of Law at West Point; Chief, Tort Branch, Office of The Judge Advocate General; Staff Judge Advocate, 1st Cavalry Division in Vietnam; and Chief, Military Justice Division at the Judge Advocate General's School (the forerunner of today’s Criminal Law Division) and adjunct professor at the University of Virginia Law School. COL Finkelstein then attended the U.S. Army War College, and after a term as Judge, U.S. Army Court of Criminal Appeals, COL Finkelstein became the first Legal Advisor and Legislative Assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He retired in 1983.

Upon retirement, COL Finkelstein worked for Harsco Corporation and JA and Associates.

A devoted and much-loved husband, father, grandfather, and friend, he will be missed greatly. He is survived by his wife Rosemary, two sons, Blair and Mark, and four grandchildren. A reception will be held by the family at the Cypress of Raleigh on 22 August from 1500 to 1700. He will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery at a later date.

Please keep the Finkelstein family in your thoughts and prayers at this most difficult of times.

DANA K. CHIPMAN
LTG, USA
The Judge Advocate General