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
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