NGUYEN HOWE

COL Howe Nguyen was a potential VHPA member who died after his tour in Vietnam on 04/08/2014 at the age of 84.0
Fort Walton Beach, FL
Date of Birth 04/05/1930
Served in the Vietnam Air Force
Served in Vietnam with 74 CWC in 67-69, 43 TWC in 69, HQ VNAF in 69-75
This information was provided by Sammie Williams

More detail on this person: Col. Howe Nguyen passed away peacefully on April 8, 2014, at a local nursing home. He was a resident at Fort Walton Rehab nursing home for the last five years. He was born April 5, 1930, in Saigon, South Vietnam. He came to the U.S. in 1975 right after the Fall of South Vietnam, and had been a lifelong resident of Fort Walton Beach for the last 39 years. He started working multiple jobs for Okaloosa County School Board to support his family, and retired after 20 years of faithful service. He was an avid fisherman and enjoyed gardening and cooking. He also enjoyed spending time with his family. Howe was a former Colonel in the South VN's Air Force. He had spent his 25 years of dedicated service as a career helicopter pilot starting in 1950 flying along with the French AF and then the USAF until the end of the war in 1975. He was selected as one of the first helicopter squadron (#211) commander when the South Vietnam's Air Force was established in 1955 at Nha Trang AB. He was flight trained first in France in the 50's and then the US in the 60's; he flew both French (H-19) and later transitioned to US helicopter version first with the H-34 then with UH-1 as part of the Vietnamization doctrine. As a command pilot he logged in 5500+ flight hours with over 120 combat missions over South and Central VN providing close air support as well as rescue and recovery. In 1967 he served as the 74th Composite Wing Commander at Can Tho AB followed with another assignment at Bien Hoa AB in 1969 as the 43rd Tactical Wing Commander. He was promoted to General of the fledgling SV's Air Force where he assumed the post in 1970 at Tan Son Nhut AB, (HQ VNAF). He was a courageous leader, a talented pilot and a marvelous senior military commander.

Col. Howe is survived by his 5 children and their spouses, 9 grandchildren and 2 nephews from Florida, Texas and California. The family will receive friends for a visitation on Sunday, April 13, 2014 from 12:00 - 4:00PM at Emerald Coast Funeral Home. A Funeral Mass will be hheld on Monday, April 14, 2014 at 11:00am at St Mary Catholic Church. Burial will follow at Beal Memorial Cemetery. Floral arrangements are acceptable or donations may be made to Air Force Armament Museum.

Expressions of love and sympathy may be viewed online at www.emeraldcoastfuneralhome.com

Published in Northwest Florida Daily News on Apr. 12, 2014

This information was last updated 05/18/2016

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Date posted on this site: 03/10/2024