More detail on this person: Lt. Colonel Gene D.
Kleese (retired) of Newnan, Georgia passed away
quietly in his home on Wednesday, March 19,
2014. He is survived by his wife and college
sweetheart of 55 years, Barbara Murphy Kleese;
and 4 children, Betsy Allen Marvin of Charleston,
IL, Major Bryan E. Kleese (retired) of Sierra
Vista, AZ, Sara K. Kleese of Dacula, GA and
Suzanne Kleese-Stamps of Sharpsburg, GA. He
also leaves behind 10 grandchildren. Lt. Colonel
Kleese was born in Washington DC on June 22,
1937 to James G. Kleese, and Ruby Lee Ridgeway
Kleese. He attended the University of Arkansas in
Fayetteville, AR where he received his degree in
geology and was a member of the Army ROTC
program. Upon graduating from college, he was
commissioned as a 2nd Lt. in Field Artillery in
the U.S. Army. He then was trained in Primary
Helicopter School at Ft. Walters, TX and was
assigned to the 504th Aviation Company in Furth,
Germany. In Furth, Germany he flew as a helicopter
pilot for the 4th Armored Division and served on
ground duty for the 20th Artillery. Gene Kleese's
army career continued through honorable
assignments in Advanced Artillery and Air Assault
Divisions in Ft. Bliss, TX and Ft. Benning, GA. He
was then transferred to Ft. Rucker, AL. His most
important assignments during his time as a top
notch helicopter pilot were during his two tours
of Vietnam in 1965-1966 and again during
1968-1969. He served in the 11th Air Assault
Division / 1st Cavalry and was a distinguished
member of the Blue Max team. Most notably he
fought in the battle of Ia Drang which was the
first major battle between U.S. troops and Viet
Cong. Promoted to Major, Gene Kleese returned
from his second tour of duty of Vietnam. He soon
moved with his family to Ft. Leavenworth, KS and
was a student in the Command and General Staff
College. In Ft. Leavenworth he was assigned as an
instructor for the Department of Tactics and
developed the training manuals for Army combat
helicopter pilots. He was recognized and awarded
the Legion of Merit for his work in Ft.
Leavenworth. He moved again with his family to Ft.
McPherson, GA and was promoted to Lt. Colonel.
During this stage of his career he led an effort
in assimilating refugees from Vietnam, into Ft.
Chaffee, AR as they fled from the country to the
U.S. For his next assignment he moved with his
family once again to Land Southeast NATO in Izmir,
Turkey. In Izmir, Turkey he was assigned as the
Secretary to the General Staff and led the effort
to transfer leadership of the Turkish NATO
headquarters from American to Turkish
administration. He attended Troy State University
courses in Izmir and earned his MBA in Business
Management. His final assignment in his military
career was as Inspector General in Ft.
MacPherson, GA and his main role was to
repatriate American citizens from Canada after the
Vietnam War. He retired with honors in 1979 where,
during the course of his military service he
earned 2 Bronze Stars (2 each, 1 with Valor)
Meritorious Service Medal (3 each), NATO
Meritorious Service Medal, and Army Air Medal (26
each), Army Commendation Medal (4 each),
Vietnam Campaign Ribbon (2 each) the Army
Service Ribbon and the Overseas Service Ribbon (4
each). Gene Kleese was not about to sit back on
his laurels after his retirement from the
military. From very early in his adult life Gene
found a passion for sports, especially baseball
and golf. He was especially proud to serve as
Baseball Commissioner during the 1975-1976
season when the Old National Athletic Association
in College Park, GA saw their teams win the Little
League World Series. Upon retiring from the
military, he opened up ProAm Sports, a sporting
goods store with his wife, Barbara, in College
Park, GA, Peachtree City, GA and Fayetteville, GA.
In their new venture, Gene and Barbara worked with
several athletic associations providing uniforms
and trophies as well as being active in the Old
National Athletic Association as coaches to their
children's teams. Gene sold his businesses to a
partner and then worked successfully with Bankers
Life & Casualty Insurance and Merrill Lynch as a
stock broker. Ever the entrepreneur, Gene
published a guide for public golf courses in
Atlanta, GA called "Gene's Guide to Golf" where he
reviewed and rated golf courses, and their
services. He had three hole-in-ones during his
golf career. He finished his working life as an
instructor at Clayton State College teaching
Business Management and counseling college
students. In 2010, he authored and published a
short memoir titled "Vietnam, My War" where he
recounts his time in service as a combat
helicopter pilot. He was happy to lecture and
share his experiences with students from Newnan
High School, Newnan, GA as part of their studies
of the Vietnam War. Gene donated his body to the
Emory School of Medicine for research upon his
death. A memorial service will be held by his
family at 1:00pm on Sunday, March 23, 2014 at the
Sharpsburg, GA home of his youngest daughter.
Family and friends are invited to celebrate his
life and remember his legacy. In lieu of flowers,
the family requests donations be sent to The Pat
Tillman Scholarship fund for military athletic
scholarships at
http://pattillmanfoundation.org/donate/ in his
memory.
Published in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on
Mar. 21, 2014
This information was last updated 02/02/2012
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: 03/10/2024
Copyright © 1998 - 2024 Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association