More detail on this person: Leo Francis "Lee"
Welsh of Copperas Cove, TX, died Oct. 24 of
pancreatic cancer. While a teen-ager, Welsh
enlisted in the Air Force, trained in military
intelligence, and served a tour in Japan as a
Chinese-intercept radio operator. After four
years in the Air Force, he briefly taught dance
lessons at an Arthur Murray Studio in Cleveland,
OH. He then enlisted in the Army, became a
paratrooper and served with the 101st Air-borne
Division at Fort Campbell, KY. Welsh rose through
the enlisted ranks to staff sergeant and was
selected for Officer Candidate School at Fort
Benning, GA. He graduated from Infantry OCS and
rose through the ranks from second lieutenant to
lieutenant colonel in the following years. As an
officer, Welsh attended several schools, including
Officer Rotary Wing Aviation Course, from which he
graduated with Class 67-8 as a helicopter pilot in
the summer of 1967; Infantry Officers Advanced
Course, Fort Benning; the Armed Forces Staff
College; and the John F. Kennedy Center for
Special Warfare Center's Psychological Operations
School at Fort Bragg, NC. In Vietnam, Lee served
from October 1967-October 1968 as intelligence
officer of the 52nd Combat Aviation Battalion. His
radio call sign was "Dragon 2," and some of his
friends called him that to the present day. While
in combat, Welsh's battalion was honored with the
Presidential Unit Citation. His personal awards
included the Bronze Star Medal and the Air Medal.
While most of his duties entailed in-office,
analytical work related to enemy movement and
capabilities, he still performed the duties of
combat aviator, often flying with the gunship
platoon commanded by his best friend, Don Martin,
Crocodile 6, assigned to the 119th Assault
Helicopter Company. While at Fort Bragg after his
tour in Vietnam, Welsh served as executive
officer, 1 82rd Assault Helicopter Company, XVIII
Airborne Corps. He was selected for the Army's
Degree Completion Program (formerly called
"Bootstrap") in 1969, and graduated with a
baccalaureate degree in business administration
from Campbell University, NC, in 1971.In 1979, he
completed his masters' degrees in management
with Webster University's outreach branch campus
at Pope Air Force Base, NC. After his retirement
as a lieutenant colonel, Welsh became a high
school ROTC instructor in western North
Carolina.He then was hired by Central Texas
College to work for CTC's overseas branch on the
Pacific Far East Campus. Welsh served inKorea as
the director of MOS Instruction; as regional
director of Region A; and as associate dean,
Operations and Support (ADOS). After service in
Korea, he was promoted to director of Human
Resources Management Division (worldwide) at
CTC's home campus in Killeen. Welsh is survived
by his wife Johnelle and five sons, Steve, Kenny,
Ricky, Chris and Bruce. Also survived by brother
Kenneth, sister Theresa and sister Michaela.
From an obituary in the September/October 2003
VHPA Newsletter.
This information was last updated 05/18/2016
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Date posted on this site: 03/10/2024
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