More detail on this person: Sherrill J. "Sandy" White Jr. Sherrill J. "Sandy" White Jr., 67, of Fayetteville, died Saturday, Sept. 4, 2010 at Duke University Medical Center in Durham. He was a retired Army major. Sandy White was born Dec. 22, 1942, in Panama City, Fla. He grew up through the third grade in Florida; through the 11th grade in Vermillion, S.D.; and graduated from Washington High School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in 1961. After high school, he attended Coe College in Cedar Rapids until the end of his sophomore year, when he joined the Army with two friends in August 1963. Sandy's Army assignments included the 82nd Airborne Division (1964-65), the U.S. Army Parachute Team (1965-67), the Special Warfare Center Military Free Fall Committee (1967-68), Officer Candidate School (1968), the Special Warfare Center Military Free Fall Committee (1968-69), the Rotary Wing Aviation Course (1969), the 82nd Aviation Battalion (1969-70), the 178th Assault Support Helicopter Company Republic of Vietnam (1970-71), the 7th Special Forces Group (1971), the 196th Assault Support Helicopter Company at Fort Bragg (1973), the 196th Assault Support Helicopter Company (1974-77), the U.S. Army Airborne Board (1977-79), Kwajalein Missile Range in the Marshall Islands (1979-81) and the Special Warfare Center Combat Developments Directorate, where he retired as chief of the Air Items Branch. While assigned as a test officer at the Airborne Board, then-Capt. White was the test officer for the Concept Evaluation Program testing of what was then called "Offset" Parachuting - now known as High Altitude Opening (HAHO) - and was one of the first test parachutists to intentionally open a ram air parachute immediately after exit at 25,000 feet above ground level. While assigned as the chief of Air Items at the Special Warfare Center (SWC), then-Maj. White was instrumental in reopening the Military Free Fall School, which had been closed due to a fatality with the halo main parachute. He obtained approval through the Training and Doctrine Command Headquarters to conduct a pilot program study for free fall training using the psychological chamber and vertical wind tunnel at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio; and obtained funding for SWC purchase of 70 Unit Four Hawk Tandem ram air parachute systems to support an advanced parachutists curriculum. As the operations officer at Kwajalein Missile Range, then-Maj. White configured on-hand DeLong pier sections pulled by tug boats to support three $15 million sensor payload launch recoveries in the broad ocean area when U.S. Navy support was called to the Indian Ocean in response to the invasion of Afghanistan by the Soviet Union. After retirement from the Army, Sandy was hired back at the Airborne Board as a civilian test officer in December 1984. Some of his more noteworthy tests include those conducted for JSOC and its subordinate units: Eagle Eye, Campaign Ribbon Cache, Salt Water Release Mechanisms, Swimmer Attack Board, Paraplane, Underwater Communications Systems and Fast Rope, to name a few. However, he considered his biggest accomplishment the development and approval of a Test Parachutists Certification Program, which he sincerely hoped would grow and mature into an Army-recognized skill identifier, with commensurate pay. He was also an accomplished author. Mr. White had written two books, "Range 19: A New Beginning" and "Range 19: The Mission Continues." He was finishing a third book, "Range 19: The Final Op," at the time of his death. Mr. White is survived by: wife, Gwen White of the home; daughters, Chris Phifer and husband Ray of Las Vegas, Liberty Seastrand and husband John of Salt Lake City; stepdaughter, Carie Jones of Chapel Hill; sister, Janie Powers and husband Gerald of Cedar Rapids, Iowa; and nine grandchildren, Justin Phifer, Chance Phifer, Mason Phifer, Noah Endfinger, Lilly Seastrand, Zeppelin Hopper, Katie Seastrand, Ben Seastrand and Sarah Seastrand. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 8, 2010 at Jernigan-Warren Funeral Home in Fayetteville with the Rev. Archie Barringer officiating. A visitation will follow the service. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the American Heart Association , 7272 Greenville Ave., Dallas, TX 75231 or to the National Kidney Foundation , 30 E. 33rd St., New York, NY 10016. Services entrusted to Jernigan-Warren Funeral Home of Fayetteville.
Burial information: Cremated, Ashes given to family or friend
This information was last updated 03/23/2021
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Date posted on this site: 03/10/2024
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