Colonel James Edwin “Ned” Covington Jr., Decorated Vietnam Veteran and Federal Official, dies at 81.

Col. James Edwin (Ned) Covington Jr., Ret. was born on June 26, 1943, in Wadesboro, N.C., and passed away on October 1, 2024.  A longtime resident of Alexandria, Va., he is survived by his loving wife, Lisa Marie (Ryglewicz) Covington; sons, James Edwin Covington III, Bradley Davis Covington, and stepson, Kephra Ryglewicz-Froehlich, and grandchildren, Matthew Covington, James Covington, Aya Ryglewicz-Froehlich, and Anaka Ryglewicz-Froehlich.  He is preceded in death by his parents, James Edwin (Ned) Covington, Sr. and Louise (Memory) Covington.

Dr. Covington was a Colonel in the U.S. Army Chemical Corps, who headed the US Chemical Biological Defense Program Office for the Army Acquisition Executive.  Previously, he had Advised the Department of Defense in Chemical Demilitarization and US implementation of the Worldwide Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC).  He also served as a senior arms control analyst with the On-Site Inspection Agency in Washington, DC.  

As a career military officer, Colonel Covington retired after more than 26 years on active duty, earning distinction with the 101st Airborne Division in the Republic of Vietnam, where he twice suffered serious wounds in combat.  He was decorated for “Heroism” in May of 1969, as the result of action at the Battle of “Hamburger Hill” (Dong Ap Bia).  Later, he survived intense, hand-to-hand combat, as his Fire Support Base Berchtesgaden, was twice overrun by elite North Vietnamese “Sapper” forces in the notorious A Shau Valley. Colonel Covington’s military honors include 2 Purple Hearts, Combat Infantryman’s Badge, Senior Parachutist (Jump Master), Explosive Ordnance Disposal Specialist (Senior Supervisor), Expert Rifleman and Level III Certification in Acquisition Program Management through the Defense Acquisition University.

Following duty as the Deputy Chief Chemical Officer for US Army, Europe, Colonel Covington joined the Army Staff in the Pentagon where he became the primary planner for retrograde of US Chemical Weapons (CW) Stockpile from forward deployment in Germany around the world, to the site of their ultimate destruction at Johnson Atoll in 1988-89. As a member of the Joint Staff, he was a key member of the US Delegation to the International Conference on Disarmament in Geneva, Switzerland in 1989-92 and contributed to completion of the historic CW Convention (CWC) in 1992 (following 24 years of Contentious negotiation).  

He was also a US Delegate for negotiation of the Bilateral (US-USSR) Experiment on the Exchange and Verification of CW Data (Wyoming Memorandum of Understanding) in 1989 and the US-USSR Presidents’ Agreement on the Destruction and Non-Production of CW in 1990.  After retirement from active military duty (with the permanent rank of Colonel), he served with the first US Delegation to physically visit sites of CW storage and former CW production in the Former Soviet Union, where he evaluated technical proposals for destruction of the Russian CW stockpile.  Dr. Covington later developed US proposals to enable negotiation of the Bilateral CW Destruction Support Agreement in 1992 – a document that continues to support Russan efforts for destruction of the Former Soviet Weapons of Mass Destruction Stockpile. His many accomplishments earned him listings in several Marquis Who’s Who publications.  

Dr Covington grew up and completed high school in Whiteville, N.C., where he excelled in scouting (Eagle Scout), academics (Honors) and athletics (letters in four varsity sports).  He then earned his Baccalaureate Degree from Duke University (65), where he played football and lacrosse.  Following graduation from Duke, he was commissioned through the Army Infantry Officer Candidate School, as a Chemical Corps lieutenant.  Later, he earned a Master of Science degree (77) and Doctor of Psychology Degree (81) at North Carolina State University, in Testing & Assessment and Psychometrics (Statistics), respectively.  In 1983, Dr. Covington established the current Army ROTC Program at his Alma Mater, Duke University, where he served as the institution’s first Professor of Military Science.  

He had a passion for military history, football and lacrosse, going to the beach, his dogs, fencing with his wife, and classical concerts.  He actively participated with the annual “Running of the Bulls” at the Fiesta De San Fermin in Pamplona, Spain, in July of 2015 and 2016.  

His family will remember him as a loving husband, father, and grandfather. Known for his wisdom and wit, Col. Covington often quoted Winston Churchill: “Success is not final; failure is not fatal; it is the courage to continue that counts.”  To this he added his own advice: “When you’re going through hell, keep going.”

He will be interned with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery at a date and time to be determined.