More detail on this person: Gordon David
Carpenter, Lieutenant Colonel, US Army (Retired),
bom 30 November 1928, passed away at his home
in Phoenix, Arizona on 2 October 1984. This information was last updated 01/25/2020
Please send additions or corrections to: HQ@vhpa.org VHPA Headquarters
Return to the Helicopter Pilot DAT name list
Return to VHPA web site
Date posted on this site:
07/12/2023
Copyright © 1998 - 2023 Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association
Lieutenant Colonel Carpenter entered the Academy
as a qualified competitor in 1948 after service in
Marburg, Germany as an enlisted man. He
graduated with the Sesqui-centennial Class in June
1952 as Cadet Brigade Commander.
His military career spanned twenty-four years from
1946 until 1970, the year of his retirement. As a
company grade officer, Colonel Carpenter served
both in the Federal Republic of Germany and in
Korea before being accepted for flight training.
He was aviation staff officer, Seventh US Army in
Germany (1965_66) and later served as plans,
operations and training officer, 15th Aviation
Group, US Army, Europe.
In the Republic of Viet Nam, "Gordo" served as
operations officer of the 13th Aviation Battalion
and later as commander of the 18th Aviation
Company. He flew both fixed wing and rotary wing
craft.
Lieutenant Colonel Carpenter was a graduate of the
Command and General Staff College and later
served as an instructor there.
Survivors include his wife Barbara of Phoenix and
a brother Richard of Alpine, Arizona.
Another site mentions him,
http://18aviationcompanyotternest.webs.com/ch2ott
ernesthistory.htm. I have several letters from
him to his mother in 1963 in which he says he was
at Nha Trang in Feb '63 and in Danang in May '63,
and Can Tho in Aug '63 where he says works as a
"battalion operations officer_planning and
conducting the aviation part of helicopter
operations."
From: David Kopf (formerly Carpenter)