More detail on this person: Hugh J. Wynn,
retired Commander in the United States Navy,
passed away quietly in his home in Rosarito, Baja
California, on Wednesday, August 1, 2012. Hugh
was born in Visalia, California, on November 11,
1936 to Vernon and Georgianna Wynn. He attended
the Stone Corral Elementary School his early years
and from sixth grade through high school he
attended Lindsay schools where he graduated from
Lindsay High School in 1954. After College of the
Sequoias and U.C. Berkley, Hugh graduated from
Navy flight school in Pensacola, Florida, where he
also met and married his wife Dian. Hugh served
his country for twenty-seven years as an officer
in the United States Navy; he was stationed in
many parts of the world including Guam, the
Mediterranean, Japan and Vietnam. While in
Vietnam, Hugh was a member of the courageous
Navy Seawolves that were commissioned and
decommissioned in Vietnam, not known by many
except by those that served and by the sailors and
ground forces who owe their lives to their courage
and devotion. Hugh was a pilot of a Helicopter
Gunship and belonged to a squadron that flew
120,000 missions into the Mekong Delta, which in a
year would average 600 missions per pilot. the
Seawolves of HA(L) 3 (Helicopter Attack (Light)
Three) is the only Navy Squadron to ever fly in
combat and is the most decorated Navy Squadron
in history. Hugh is preceded in death by his
parents, Vernon Wynn and Georgianna Hefner,
brother Bob Hefner, his son Hank and daughter
Elizabeth. He is survived by his daughter Kathy
Doty; grandchildren, Tarah Doty, Brian Doty,
Jessica Ball and his sisters Barbara Wynn Bodine
and Sylvia Wynn-Lindemann. A private memorial
service will be held by the family.
Published in Visalia Times-Delta on September 14,
2012
Seawolf CDR Hugh John Wynn, Officer in Charge,
Det 9, 11/12/1969 to 10/9/1970.
Kathy (his daughter) wanted to let the Seawolves
know that her dad passed away in Rosario, Mexico
on 8/01/12 and she is having a memorial service
next Friday, 10/19/12 in Lindsay, CA, Tulare
County, Calif.
They really had a hard time getting her Dad's
cremated remains from Mexico, among other
problems like obtaining a casket flag, etc.
because he passed away outside the US.
Here is a link to his obituary:
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/visaliatimesdelta
/obituary.aspx?n=hugh-j-wynn&pid=159879969
I found out from Kathy that Hugh had a brain tumor
and was pretty much out of touch with everything
and was being transported back and forth from
Mexico to the VA in CA (LaJolla if I remember
correctly).
Hugh received the Combat Action Ribbon and 15
Flight/Strike Air Medals according to the HAL-3
1970 Squadron History (Awards); and according to
Kathy, he was attached to a helicopter rescue
squadron prior to HA(L)-3. (I don't know which
one, but is not on HC-7 Roster)
From: Dan Arnes
This information was last updated 05/18/2016
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Date posted on this site: 03/10/2024
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