More detail on this person: William "Bill"
Pepin's adventurous life ended November 23, 2014
in Des Moines, Washington. He had lived in the
southern Seattle metropolitan area with his
beloved wife, Leah, since the late 1970s. Bill was
born in a farmhouse near Pierpont, South Dakota on
October 23rd, 1933 and moved with his family to
Loveland, Colorado when he was 9 years old. He
and Leah Mae Waidelich were married in 1952 after
both graduated from Loveland High School. The two
celebrated their 62nd wedding anniversary just
days before his death. Joining the U.S. Army in
1953 and trained to operate heavy equipment, Bill
was sent to Korea to work on airfields during the
war on that peninsula. He was stationed in Okinawa
when his first child was born. Released from the
Army after the war, Bill rejoined Leah in
Colorado, worked with crews digging tunnels which
would eventually bring mountain water to
Colorado's Front Range communities, and dreamed
of flying. He and Leah followed those dreams back
into the Army and the two, with their eventual
five children, would lead the life of a military
aviation family for the next 30 years. Initially
unable to get into flight school, Bill stayed
close to aviation as a ground control approach
(GCA) radar operator guiding aircraft into Army
airfields in the U.S. and Kitzengen, (what was
then) West Germany. He was a staff sergeant (E-6)
in 1963 when accepted for helicopter flight school
and would fly "choppers" for the next 21 years.
Bill was awarded his wings just in time to be part
of the historic "11th Air Assault Division" which
developed the revolutionary tactical integration
of helicopter and infantry troops at Fort Benning,
Georgia. In August, 1965 the entire unit,
helicopters, support personnel, and Chief Warrant
Officer Bill Pepin, were loaded onto aircraft
carriers. They sailed through the Panama Canal and
across the Pacific Ocean to South Vietnam where
they became the First Cavalry Division, one of the
most decorated combat divisions of the U.S. Army.
Bill served two year-long tours in Vietnam. The
first, 1965-66, he flew dozens of combat missions
in "Hueys," ferrying soldiers and supplies to, and
wounded and survivors from, battlefield landing
zones (LZs), including the infamous LZ-Xray in the
Battle of the Ia Drang Valley. During his second
tour in Vietnam, 1968-69, Bill flew Chinooks,
large load bearing helicopters, and the "First
Horse" Huey as the personal pilot for the
commander of the First Cavalry Division. The Air
Medal with "V" device for valor and the
Distinguished Flying Cross were among the
decorations he was awarded for his service during
the war. Safely home, Bill's Army aviation
experiences included flying support for President
Richard Nixon, the experimental movement of
multiple pieces of artillery, earthquake relief in
Peru, and developing long range
transport-by-flight of Chinook helicopters,
including a ground breaking, over-water flight to
Puerto Rico from the U.S. mainland. After duty
stations in Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, and
Hawaii, Bill ended his Army career as liaison
between the FAA and the Army. Based in Seattle,
his region of responsibility stretched through
Alaska, the Pacific Northwest, and the Rocky
Mountain states. Bill and Leah retired in Seattle.
Still drawn by the tug of aviation, he owned and
operated AvSim, a flight simulator business, for
several years. He volunteered as a driver for
Disabled American Veterans and pursued his love
of bicycle riding, scuba diving, and travel.
Bill's last years were spent in the devoted care
of his beloved Leah. He leaves their daughter,
Lisa Mulligan of Edgewood, Washington, four sons,
Bob Pepin of Lafayette, Colorado, Richard Pepin of
Overland Park, Kansas, Craig Pepin of Loveland,
Colorado, and Russell Pepin of Tranas, Sweden, 13
grandchildren, and five great grandchildren. The
family suggests that memorial donations be made
to the Wounded Warrior or Disabled American
Veterans organizations.
Published in Loveland Reporter-Herald on Jan. 15,
2015
This information was last updated 11/07/2012
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