Sergeant E4 George Edward Kimball / United States Air Force

It’s been said that for every military man or woman who fires on the enemy, there are at least nine support people in the background. There are the support people that one would think of first… like the quartermasters that distribute food, water and ammo to the soldiers in the field. There are the people, probably civilians who produce the ammo and package the rations. There are the mess-hall cooks and servers, in the field and on the bases. There are the helicopter pilots or wheeled vehicle drivers that get soldiers into and out of a battlefield. Those are the obvious ones.

What may not be obvious to everyone, are those professionals who provide after-service support. Those people who provide physical therapy and mental support, especially for those people who received combat injuries. Those professionals who help military personnel re-enter civilian life, and be successful. Sergeant George Kimball, USAF, made a career, both in the military and civilian world, out of helping his fellow veterans this way.

George Kimball was born in Albuquerque, NM in a military hospital. His father, Rowe Kimball, and mother, Helen Thompson, were Nashua natives. His father was a career Army, perhaps best noted for his time with the 503rd MP’s. Being part of a military family, Kimball moved around quite a bit, attending a different grammar school each year including time in a school in Japan. Finally, he settled in Nashua where he attended Fairgrounds Jr. High and Nashua High School graduating in 1971.

Of his time in high school Kimball explained, “I was not a good student. In fact, I hated school… although some classes were interesting and challenging. I did well with English Literature, Contemporary American Studies, Biology, and History.” He would become a better student a few years later.

Out of high school, and with no plans and nowhere in particular to go, Kimball took a test at a military recruiting station to see what military career he was best suited for. Apparently, things didn’t work out there, so he decided to just work in Nashua, and figure out what he wanted to do with his life. This led to jobs with Mayflower Movers, Almy’s department store and Child World toys. He liked the work and the people, but knew he wasn’t going to go anywhere careerwise by staying there.

After saving a few dollars, in April, 1973, Kimball took off to see the world – or as much of it as he could see with his pocket-money. His three-month excursion took him to Hawaii, California and New Mexico. By the end of June, 1973, he was out of money and out of ideas about his future. Returning to Nashua, NH, he walked down to the local Air Force recruiting station, and enlisted. On July 9, 1973, Kimball took his military oath of allegiance and was off to Lackland AFB in San Antonio, TX. He says, “I went into the service a little later than most – I celebrated my 21st birthday in boot camp.”

“While in boot camp, the Air Force tried to find a place for me,” said Kimball, “They tried placing me in a security job. But a background check popped up a red flag. While on my post-high school adventure, I managed to get locked up in a Brattleboro, VT jail. My buddy and I thought it was a big joke. But they took our fingerprints in Vermont and they showed up in the background report. That wasn’t a joke. Security job… denied.”

Kimball continues, “Then they thought I would be good at air traffic control. They put me in front of a control panel and explained a few things. I was watching actual aircraft, shown as blips, move across the screen. Then they had me take my glasses off and describe what I saw on the screen. I said, ‘What screen.’ Air traffic control… denied!”

Finally, the Air Force found something Kimball, thought he’d liked to do, took an interest in, and turned out to be good at – physical therapy and veteran support. Upon completion of his therapy training, Kimball received his orders for Davis-Monthan AFB, Tucson, Arizona. He would spend his remaining enlistment in Tucson, becoming proficient in physical therapy techniques, and gaining a satisfactory Physical Therapy Specialist skill level. He worked with airmen who had suffered traumatic injuries while on active duty status.

Kimball notes, “I worked with retired veterans and active-duty personnel. I worked with guys who saw duty in Vietnam, Korea, and WW2. I remember one person in particular, an active duty Captain. He was piloting his A-7, a jet used by the Air Force and Navy for ground attacks and reconnaissance. Suddenly, without warning, the canopy flew off his aircraft and he was ejected. His landing was not smooth and he spent a long time in physical therapy.”

In the last two years of service, Kimball got to do all the studying he had never done in high school. He started attending college part-time, first at the University of Arizona and then at Pima Community College. He finished two years of college credit. When he finished his military obligation, Kimball continued schooling at Nathaniel Hawthorne College branch in Hudson, NH, ultimately graduating with dual degrees in Psychology and Sociology. Kimball ended his Air Force tour on July 8, 1977.

Now a civilian again, Kimball sought to leverage his skills, expertise and military experience for a new and fresh career. Kimball started his first professional career in 1979 when the New Hampshire Employment Security hired him as an Interviewer with the official title of Disabled Veterans Outreach Program Interviewer, known as a DVOP. In six years at NHES, Kimball progressed from interviewer to Veterans Employment Representative – VER. He worked in the Manchester, NH office. His work involved interviewing, career counseling, aptitude testing and creating employment opportunities for Veterans, especially Disabled Veterans. Kimball notes, “I worked mostly with veterans identified with VA disabilities – Vietnam Vets & Vietnam Era vets predominantly.”

In 1985, George was actively recruited by contacts at VA Vocational Rehabilitation & Employment and hired in September 1985. For the next 25 years, Kimball worked at VA VR&E.
He initially started as a Veteran Rehabilitation Specialist (VRS, GS11) and eventually was promoted to Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor (VRC, GS12).

Based at the VA Regional office in Manchester, his position involved actively working with disabled veterans to build vocational skills needed for entry into civilian career fields. He covered half of New Hampshire with direct contact with universities, colleges, and employers to promote a smooth transition for veterans entering training opportunities. Kimball further explains, “At the VA I worked with VA Disabled vets that included the wars of Vietnam, Lebanon, Panama, Gulf War, Kosovo and Iraq/Afghanistan veterans.” In September 2010, George officially retired from federal employment.

In 1995, Kimball completed his academics with a graduate degree in education with a concentration in counseling. He attended Rivier College in Nashua, NH.

After a year of retirement, Kimball, in 2011, was recruited and accepted a position with a federal contractor, Mancon, Inc. The contract was with the US Army’s Wounded Warrior program, known as Army Wounded Warrior or AW2. He accepted the position of AW2 Advocate. His assigned territory was the entire state of Massachusetts. In that position, he established professional links with local area contacts for veteran-related resources. Kimball advocated for medically retired soldiers, providing information, assistance, and connections with local, regional, and national resources. Kimball explains, “At AW2, I worked predominantly with combat veterans of Afghanistan/Iraq – who experienced significant trauma caused by a physical injury, a TBI, and/or PTSD, which led to a medical retirement from the US Army. I would say the more critically injured people I have worked with were the Army soldiers because the injuries were relatively recent at the time of their discharge.”

All of Kimball’s previous work experiences made guiding returning soldiers possible. He was very good at his work and made a lasting impact on the lives of many. Kimball viewed the work with Mancon as his “fun job” and an excellent ending to a long career. In June 2016, Kimball officially retired.

Kimball was married twice. His first marriage was to his high school sweetheart, Caron Ann Prevost. He met Caron in his senior year at Nashua High. They were a couple until the end of summer in 1971. They were apart for the next six years and reunited when George returned to Nashua after being discharged from the military. They were married in September 1978 and divorced in August 1999. George and Caron lived in Nashua, Merrimack, and Litchfield, NH, for many years.

In 2000, Kimball met his current wife, Melanie Ann Gauthier, of Bedford, MA. They dated for several years before moving in together. Melanie has three children: Samantha Jane, Colin Guy, and Brit Edward Richardson. In October 2005, Melanie and George were married. In April 2024 they moved from Bedford to their new home in West Townsend, MA.

On a more personal note, Kimball mentioned, “Throughout my adult life, I have had a creative side. From my teens into my early adult years, writing poetry was a form of a diary working out emotional challenges. Photography was a mainstay hobby that has ebbed and flowed throughout my life. In my late 40s, I took up oil painting and kept doing it for about ten years. Genealogy, researching and writing my family story, has been ongoing since the 1990s.”

US Service Personnel Profiles
By Gary Ledoux January 24. 2025