MCCORD THOMAS H

CPT Thomas H. McCord was a VHPA member who died after his tour in Vietnam on 07/26/2017 at the age of 72.4 from Heart attack
Salinas, CA
Flight Class 72
Date of Birth 03/06/1945
Served in the U.S. Army
Served in Vietnam with F/8 CAV in 72-73
Call sign in Vietnam BLUE GHOST BLUE
This information was provided by Sammie Williams

More detail on this person: Thomas Hart McCord, 72 of Salinas passed away from a heart attack Wednesday, July 26, 2017. He was born in Tucson, Ariz. March 6, 1945 to Thomas and Doris McCord, the family lived in Fayetteville, Ark. and Houston, Texas before settling in the East Bay Area in 1949. He immediately joined the U.S. Army after graduating from Pleasant Hill High School in 1963. Tom was stationed at Ft. Ord for basic training and accepted into the U.S. Military Academy, West Point in 1965. He graduated from West Point in 1969 and went on to helicopter flight school at Ft. Rucker, Ala. He served seven years on active duty, including a tour in Vietnam, in which he received the Air Medal and Bronze Star Medal for outstanding service and exemplary professionalism. After Vietnam, Tom was stationed at Ft. Campbell, Kentucky until resigning from the Army in 1976. He and his wife Laura and their two children moved to Tulsa, Okla., where they lived for eight years. Tom received a master's degree in mechanical engineering from Tulsa University in 1983. A short time later Tom took a job as manager of the mechanical engineering laboratory at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey until retiring in 2001. He started McCord Specialty Automotive in Salinas, fulfilling a lifelong passion of turning a hot rod hobby into a business of "Engineered Improvements For Street Rods and Muscle Cars." He never advertised but frequently had more work than he could handle. He was a member of Gold Coast Rods and active volunteer for Cherry's Jubilee for several years. Tom was named Cherry's Jubilee volunteer of the year in 2005. He is survived by his wife of 47 years, Laura McCord of Salinas; daughter Shanna Crigger (Matthew) of Aptos; son, Mike McCord (Jennifer) of Salinas; brothers Bob McCord of Tacoma, Wash. and Jeff McCord of Tucson, Ariz. and five grandchildren: Alyssa, Danica, Jacob, Lila and Kelly. Visitation will be held 4:00p.m. to 7:00p.m. Friday, August 11, 2017 at Struve and Laporte Chapel, 41 W. San Luis Street, Salinas, CA. 93901. Rosary will be held at 7:00p.m. Friday, August 11, 2017 at Struve and Laporte Chapel. Funeral Mass will be 11:00a.m. Saturday, August 12, 2017 at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 1 Railroad Ave. Spreckels, CA. 93962

Burial information: California Central Coast Veterans Cemetery

This information was last updated 08/13/2017

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