More detail on this person: AT "Pump" Pumphrey AT is the son of Allen Timothy Pumphrey and Frances Isabell (Hargrove) Pumphrey. Husband of Angel (Polutnik) Pumphrey. He would have been a Junior but they never used it. Married 25 Apr 1959 Los Angeles, Cal They had one child Michael Patrick ------- A T Pumphrey, one of the last of the World War II flying staff sergeants, died at 3 PM on December 22, 2010. He was 93. A T, known by friends as "Pump," was born in Dill City, Oklahoma and spent his early years in Western Oklahoma and the Texas panhandle. He volunteered for the military draft in November, 1940, spending 33 years in the U.S. Army, rising to the rank of Colonel. Pumphrey was one of the Army Ground Forces flying staff sergeants before being commissioned in 1943 and served in combat in WW II, Korea, and Vietnam. He was shot down over Normandy shortly after the D-Day invasion and rescued by French partisans. After making it back to the US lines and being hospitalized for wounds, he returned to combat. He completed his military career at Fort Sam Houston. His honors include the Silver Star, the Distinguished Flying Cross with clusters, 45 awards of the Air Medal, the Legion of Merit with clusters, the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, and the Army Commendation Medal. Pumphrey was a Master Army Aviator and logged over 6000 flying hours during his military career, most of that in combat operations. He was inducted into the Army Aviation Hall of Fame in 1983 for his work in Army Aviation which included developing more emphasis on observation aircraft for patrol operations during the immediate aftermath of WWII and the tension with the Soviets. Memorial services: December 31, 2010 at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery with military honors. Contribution by Dick Pumphrey: Nickname is A. T. or AT was what he preferred. The youngest male child & last to pass away. He spent 33 years in the army. (Flew small single engined airplanes as an artillery spotter). Then Korea (Flew helicopters for the army) then two tours in Vietnam with the 1st Cav. Rgt (helicopters) & was decorated with the silver star & refused the MOH. He went in the Army as a private and retired in 1973 as a full colonel.
Burial information: Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, San Antonio, TX
This information was last updated 04/05/2020
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Date posted on this site: 03/10/2024
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