More detail on this person: Col. Albert Wesley
Malone was born March 27, 1931 in Carthage,
Missouri to parents John Wesley Gordon Malone
and Mildred Louise Kimball Malone. A few months
later they moved to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
where "Wesley" grew up. He attended OKC public
schools, then graduated from Midwest City High
School in 1949. Wesley attended Central State
College, which is now the University of Central
Oklahoma, where he met his future wife, Stella Fay
Crowder, on the tennis courts.
Wesley joined the Oklahoma National Guard's 45th
Infantry Division in August of 1950 as it was
being called to active duty. He and Stella were
married on Christmas Eve of that year when Al
(which the Army named him) came home on a
3-day pass. He was stationed at Camp Polk,
Louisiana and Stella joined him, where they lived
until he shipped out on March 27, 1951 (his 20th
birthday) to go to Hokaido, Japan, and then to
Korea. After his tour, he was sent to Fort
Benning, GA to attend the 13th Class of Infantry
OCS and then Airborne School. He later joined the
wall of pictures for distinguished Infantry OCS
graduates because of his military
accomplishments.
Al and Stella were then stationed at Camp Cooke,
CA, (where they experienced their first
earthquake); Ft. Lewis, WA; an AF Base in Santa
Maria, TX; flight school at Fort Sill, OK; the
Army Aviation School at Camp Rucker. He then
spent 3 years at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii
where he was a Company Commander, then
attended the Advanced Infantry Course and a
Nuclear Weapons course at Ft. Benning in 1959.
He was the senior reserve advisor in San Angelo,
TX, and a large area of West Texas for two years.
During his first tour of duty in Vietnam in 1962,
Al served as an Advisor to a South Vietnamese
Army Training Camp, which he had built using his
experience with the Construction Battalion and his
Army skills of begging, trading, bargaining, and
gentlemanly relieving some other units of
suppliers and equipment. In 1963 he returned to
Fort Sill, OK to teach Infantry Tactics in the
Tactics and Combined Arms department. In 1965
he attended the Command and General Staff school
at Ft. Leavonworth, KS, after which he
"Bootstrapped" at Oklahoma City University to
receive his Bachelor's of Science degree in
Business. Al and the family then spent 19 months
in Frankfurt, Germany, where he was in Nuclear
Operations at V Corps Headquarters.
Al then volunteered for his second tour in Viet
Nam, where he was the commanding officer of the
5/12th Battalion of the 199th Light Infantry
Brigade. He had become a Soldier's Soldier by that
time, and he was a strong but compassionate
leader to his men and a "Go-To" leader that his
CO, the Brigade Commanding General could
depend on. He forged a strong relationship with
his men, and several of them who were young
sergeants are friends of Al's to this day.
Al then went to NATO Military Headquarters in
Mons, Belgium, where he was the Nuclear Advisor
to General Andrew Goodpastor, the Supreme Allied
Commander, Europe (SACEUR) for 3 ½ years. By
this time, Al had been decorated with the Vietnam
Service Medal with 4 bronze stars, the Bronze Star
with 1st Oak Leaf Cluster, the Legion of Merit
with First Oak Cluster, and many other awards,
honors, and medals.
Al and Stella came to Birmingham in October 11,
1975 for him to be the Senior Advisor to the 87th
Maneuver Area Command, which supervised all of
the Army Reserve Units' training east of the
Mississippi River and in Puerto Rico. Al and
Stella fell in love with Birmingham, so rather
than take a last assignment at some less desirable
location, they decided to buy a home and stay
here. The 87th MAC's leader at that time was an
executive with Alabama Power and he offered Al a
job as a manager. After 11 years at Alabama
Power, Al took early retirement and enjoyed his
hobby of golfing at Chase Lake and then Altadena
Country Club, and continued his other life as a
Sports Car Club of America racer at Talladega,
West Palm Beach, Charlotte, Road Atlanta, and the
short tracks in the South. He then became an
SCCA Steward, who helped officiate the races.
Al had been heavily exposed to Agent Orange in his
second tour of Vietnam, which probably caused his
cancers and many skin cancers over the years. Al
also suffered from congestive heart failure and
all of these contributed to his declining health.
He passed away peacefully at St. Martin's of the
Pines Hospice Care early Tuesday morning, April
4th, 2017.
Al leaves to mourn him his wife and three
daughters, Sharon Fay Edwards of Lawton, OK,
Kathleen Anne Malone Crouch of Salina, Kansas,
and Carolyn Sue Malone of the home. He also
leaves 5 grandchildren, Jennifer Fay Rarden,
Kansas City; Donald Wesley Edwards, Charlotte,
NC; Sheri Michelle Orr, Stillwater, OK;
Christopher Brian Hargis, Waurika, OK; and the
Rev. Kathleen Anne Hargis, Dodge City, KS and five
great grandchildren, Joshua Rarden, Leah and
Connor Wesley Edwards; Mackensie Orr; Waylon
Hargis and Baby Hargis who will be born in
October. He is also survived by his brother, Lt.
Col. Richard Lee Malone, nieces, nephews, and 2
loving little rescue dogs, Sunny and Gabby. He was
preceded in death by his parents and 1 brother,
Jean Thomas Malone who was a Navy pilot.
The visitation for Al will be Saturday, April 8,
2017 at Southern Heritage Funeral Home on
Highway 119 from 2pm until 4pm. He will be buried
at 2pm on Wednesday, April 12, 2017 at Fort Sill,
Oklahoma. His granddaughter, the Rev. Katie
Hargis will be officiating.
Burial information: Fort Sill, OK
This information was last updated 04/21/2017
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