HEWLETT GEORGE P

MAJ George P. Hewlett was a VHPA member who died after his tour in Vietnam on 02/03/2016 at the age of 76.3
The Villages, FL
Flight Classes 64-3FW and 65-1QB
Date of Birth 10/26/1939
Served in the U.S. Army
Served in Vietnam with 281 AHC in 66-67, A/9 AVN 9 INF in 67, F/9 CAV 1 CAV in 72-73
Call signs in Vietnam MARDI GRAS, SABER 06
This information was provided by Bruce G. McKenty

More detail on this person: George P. Hewlett passed away February 3, 2016 in The Villages, Florida, with his loving wife of 55 years, Barbara, at his side. George was born October 26, 1939 in Philadelphia, PA. He was raised in Frankfort, PA and graduated from Lincoln High School in 1957. Upon graduation, he attended Penn State University for two years before joining the Army.

He joined the Army in 1960 and was a paratrooper with the 82nd ABN DIV for two and one half years before applying for Officer Candidate School. He was accepted to OCS in January 1963 where he graduated and was commissioned in June of 1963 as an Armor Officer. Upon graduation from OCS he went to the Armor Officer Basic Course and then on to Flight school at Fort Rucker, AL and Fort Wolters, TX. He attended his Armor Advance Course at Fort Knox in 1969 to 1970.

His first assignment out of Flight School was in Germany as a troop commander in the 3rd ID. He then went on to his first tour in Vietnam where he flew with the 281st Assault Helicopter Company and A Company, 9th Aviation Battalion, 9th Infantry Division from 1966 to 1967. From 1967 to 1969 he had various flight assignments at Hunter Army Airfield. From 1970 to 1971 he attended the University of Tampa for his degree completion.

In March 1972 he went back to Vietnam until March 1973 where he was the Commander of F Troop / 9th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division during the Easter Offensive of 1972 through the Cease Fire in January of 1973. George commanded during the Battle of An Loc where the troop first encountered SA-7 heat seeking missiles. The troop lost its first Cobra and crew to an SA-7 in April and had two more Cobras shot down with SA-7's later that year. During George's tenure as the troop commander he developed a reputation for never leaving one of his men on the ground. He flew Command and Control on an almost daily basis to insure his air crews would be rescued if shot down. He had the opportunity to rescue at least a dozen crews during his 12 months of command. Upon his return to CONUS, George rounded out his career with FORSCOM Headquarters at Fort McPherson, GA and Recruiting Command in the Atlanta area. George's awards during his two tours in Vietnam include the Distinguished Flying Cross with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters, the Bronze Star Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, and 52 Air Medals, several with V device. He will always be remembered by his troops for his heroic actions to rescue his air crews when they had been shot down by enemy fire.

After retirement from the Army in 1980, George became a general manager for Eckert Drug stores for many years and thirteen years with the United States Post Office. He finally retired in 1999 in the Atlanta area and in 2004 moved to The Villages, FL where he and his lovely wife enjoyed golf and many other activities offered there. George is survived by his wife of 55 years, Barbara, his son George, his daughter Leslie, and grandson Ellia.

Below from Bruce Mckenty

George pulled me out of the jungle after my Cobra had a mid air with an SA-7 so he meant a lot to me.

This information was last updated 07/28/2016

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Date posted on this site: 03/10/2024


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