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Family, friends mourn longtime veterans advocates death
0809GILMER
Doyle Grant, Larry Martin, Johnny Hulsey, James Gilmer, Ralph Souther, Edwin Doyle and Dennis Blalock pose for a photo in front of the courthouse where they were loaded up on a bus for basic training 50 years ago. Gilmer, seated, died Wednesday at age 70. He was a longtime veterans advocate. - photo by Erin O. Smith
Like the soldier he was in Vietnam, James Gilmer fought his way through a lung-scarring disease that robbed him of breath. His last battle was at Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville, where, surrounded by family and his beloved service dog, Gilmer died Wednesday at age 70. “He was ready to go, and he went very peacefully,” said his wife, Jan Gilmer, on Monday.