More detail on this person: Lt. Col. Louis Francis Palumbo, U. S. Army (Ret.), 76, of Savannah, Georgia, husband of Elizabeth Morse Palumbo, died Saturday evening, February 20, 2010, at CMC Mercy Hospital in Charlotte, North Carolina. He was born April 13, 1933 in Boston, Massachusetts, he was a son of the late Louis Palumbo and the late Helen Lombardi Palumbo. Louis is survived by his wife of 50 years, Elizabeth Mae Morse Palumbo; two children, Catherine Palumbo Schumer and her husband, Ron, of Charlotte, North Carolina, and Thomas Palumbo and his wife, Meaghan, of Columbus, Ohio; his two granddaughters, Claire and Christine Schumer, who were his special joy; his sister, Carolyn Paulsen and her husband, Peter, of West Palm Beach, Florida, and his brother, John Palumbo and his wife, Tina, of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Louis had been a resident of Savannah for more than forty years. Louis was an active member of St. Frances Cabrini Catholic Church where he was a member and former Chairman of the Parish Council. He retired from the United States Army after 23 years of service. He served in Korea as a helicopter pilot and was recognized with the National Defense Service Medal Oak Leaf Cluster for having saved many wounded soldiers by airlifting them from the battlefield. While in Korea he worked to establish orphanages for Korean children. Louis was also among the first to land on Vietnam soil with the 1st Cavalry Division. He was awarded a Meritorious Service Medal and a Purple Heart during his combat duties. Louis retired from the 3rd Division at Hunter Army Airfield as a Lieutenant Colonel. Louis remained active in the Savannah Veterans community. He was a member and former commander of the Military Order of the Purple Heart Chapter 596. Louis was a member of the Veterans of Foreign War and had served as the 2002 Veterans Day Grand Marshal. Services were entrusted to Gamble Funeral Services of Savannah, Georgia.
Burial information: Hillcrest Abbey East Cemetery, Savannah, GA
This information was last updated 03/17/2020
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
Copyright © 1998 - 2024 Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association