More detail on this person: Our beloved husband, father, grandfather and master aviator died peacefully on January 3, 2019. Miles was born 88 years ago in Fleetwood, PA, on January 26, 1930. Following high school, he enlisted in the Army and served overseas in Korea and Japan, where he met his future wife, Chieko Kitamura. During a 30-year military career, Miles served two tours in Vietnam with the 1st Cavalry Division; logged more hours in a Chinook helicopter than any other pilot at the time; flew US Vice President Lyndon Johnson; and saw the world with his wife and two daughters, with postings in Munich, Germany; Camp Zama, Japan; and finally, Fort Lewis. After retiring from the Army, Miles continued to work as a pilot. He flew over Death Valley doing uranium testing for the US Government, helped drain Spirit Lake after the eruption of Mt. Saint Helens, and ran the Papillon helicopter operations at the Grand Canyon. After his second retirement, he worked as an usher for the Seattle Mariners in the Level 2 Clubhouse until finally retiring at 84. Miles always took great pride in his family and wife, Chieko, who died just ten weeks earlier. She was his sun. He was her Northern Star. For our family, he was rooted in an honest day's work, a quiet generosity, and doing what was right. How fortunate to have had him as our Dad He is survived by his brother, Fred Allen Becker, of Tucson, AZ; his daughters, Kathryn Szabla and Joanne Emmons, their husbands Tom and Jasen, and four grandchildren, David, Matthew, Julia and Kate.
Burial information: Tahoma National Cemetery, Kent, WA
This information was last updated 01/19/2019
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Date posted on this site: 03/10/2024
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