More detail on this person: Although my Dad,
Capt. FW. "Butch" La Roue aka Moose, was not
an official member of your organization, I wanted
to notify you that he passed away of a massive
heart attack on August 28, 1998. There was no
prior warning. The irony is that, August 28th,
1968 is the day Dad came home from Vietnam.
Thirty years to the day. More time than some
soldiers that served over there but, less than we
would have preferred. This information was last updated 05/18/2016
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Date posted on this site:
03/10/2024
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Dad continued to fly after his return for a little
while. He was an instructor at Rucker for a year,
then a member of an engineering battalion of the
Missouri National Guard. He was Honorably
discharged in 1975. I know he had found memories
of his flying days, and this year he even was set
to renew his commercial ticket after a successful
medical and check ride.
My father had a great life. He always attempted
to do his best in everything. Vietnam was "his
duty" as he put it. He was glad he served, and
would do it all over again given the same 'call'.
Over 400 people came to his funeral which I can
only assume is a good indication of how many lives
he touched in those thirty years.
One of the reasons why I am writing you today is
that I would like your advice on how I might be
able research a particular incident that happened
in Vietnam. You see, my Dad was awarded the
DFC for rescuing the crew of a downed gunship
during a large insertion of ARVN troops into
hostile territory. Specifically, I would like to
find out if the after-action report still exist.
If it does then I might be able to find the names
of the crew members that he saved. It's a stab in
the dark, I realize. But I thought I'd try
anyway.
Furthermore, if you have a way of posting Dad's
name on your site to notify people who may
remember him that would be great. I'll leave you
my home e-mail address (pLaRoue@netcom.ca)
incase people would like to contact the family.
From: Pat La Roue