More detail on this person: Russell E. Baugh,
COL USA (Ret.) was born in Baxter Springs,
Kansas. Because of his fascination with airplanes
from an early age, he entered the U.S. Army Air
Corps in 1943, and completed his pilot training in
August 1944 at Craig Field in Alabama. He was a
training pilot in Colorado Springs, Colorado
through the end of WWII.
Col. Baugh subsequently served in the Air Force
for several years, but transferred to the U.S.
Army in order to have more flying time. He had
two tours of duty in Korea - one from 1950 - 1951
and one from 1969 - 1970. During the first tour,
he became a charter member of the Veterans of
Foreign Wars in Pohang, Korea at the urging of his
brother Dale, who was serving there at the same
time in the Seabees.
Subsequent postings in the U.S. included Omaha,
Nebraska, where Col. Baugh completed his
Bachelor's degree in Military Science;
Leavenworth, Kansas; Fort Sill, Oklahoma; and Fort
Rucker, Alabama, where he was cited by Major
General Delk Oden for his accomplishments in the
field of Rotary Wing training throughout the world
from 1951 - 1968. From 1966 - 1969, Col. Baugh
trained more than 12,178 aviators for a total of
885,837 flight hours.
During his tour of duty in Vietnam from 1965 -
1966, he served as pilot for Major General William
Westmoreland, among others. He also had several
tours of duty in Germany. During the first one he
met his wife Elisabetha; they were married in
1956.
During his second tour of duty in Korea from 1969
- 1970, Col. Baugh served as the Commanding
Officer of the 7th Infantry Battalion for six
months, and as Special Assistant to the Division
Commander. He received several commendations
and letters of appreciation from the local Yang-Ju
County and national Korean government for his
"outstanding contribution to the promotion and
strengthening of the ties of friendship existing
between our two countries."
Col. Baugh was very fortunate to be able to attend
several ceremonies held at Fort Campbell,
Kentucky in honor of the 50th Anniversary of the
Korean War, and received a commemorative medal
in 2000, 2001 and 2002 presented by MG (Ret.)
Seung-Woo Choi of the Korean Army.
His final assignment with the U.S. Army was as the
Director of Army ROTC at Vanderbilt University in
Nashville, Tennessee; during 1974 - 1978, Col.
Baugh worked with many fine cadets in the
program. After his retirement in 1978, Col. Baugh
finished his law degree at the Nashville Law
School, and worked eight years for Service
Merchandise in their Property Management division.
During his retirement, he was asked by the
Governor of Tennessee to serve as the
Native-American representative to the state
Archeological Advisory Council.
During his 35 years of service, Col. Baugh was the
proud recipient of a number of medals and
commendations, including among many others the
WWII Victory medal, the Legion of Merit, the
Defense Meritorious Service medal, the Meritorious
Service medal, 10 air medals, the Army
Commendation medal, the Republic of Vietnam Civil
Action medal, a Good Conduct medal, the Korean
Service Medal, the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry,
the Army Meritorious Unit Commendation, Republic
of Korea War Service medal and the Military
Outstanding Service medal. A Master Army
Aviator, he was recognized for this contribution
to Army Aviation at a ceremony at the U.S. Army
Aviation Center of Excellence at Fort Rucker, AL
in 2010, and was named a pioneer of Army Aviation
with his name inscribed on the monument
dedicated to The Originals.
Col. Baugh was a life and founding member of the
Army Aviation Association of America (AAAA), and
a proud member of the Korean War Veterans
Association, the Army Otter Caribou Association,
the Order of Daedalians, the Quiet Birdmen, the
Experimental Aviation Association (EAA), and the
Military Officers Association of America (MOAA).
This information was last updated 05/18/2016
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Date posted on this site: 03/10/2024
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