More detail on this person: My Dad, a Senior
Army Aviator, served in Vietnam in 1968-1969 with
the Americal Division. He died on 10 June 2006 at
the age of 86. What follows is an excerpt from
his West Point Memorial page:
He was our hero. Not because we knew anything
about his military achievements, but because he
was our Dad. The key values he learned at West
Point, he taught us - Duty, Honor, Country and the
courage to stand up for them. Like so many of his
classmates, his uniform was adorned with
multi-colored ribbons, stars, oak leafs, arrow
heads and badges attesting to combat service. We
didn't know much about them because his
generation never discussed the topic. It wasn't
until the months prior to his death that he ever
mentioned any particulars; and then, he never
uttered a word about the combat and carnage
associated with the battles in which he
participated. After Dad's death, we studied his
files and memoirs. In time, we learned many
details: He, like so many members of the Long
Grey Line, was a hero. In 1943, as a 23-year-old
Captain, he earned both the Silver and Bronze
stars for valor in combat actions at Kasserine
Pass. The following year, as a Major, he was
awarded the Purple Heart for wounds received at
the Anzio beachhead.
As the memoirs were read, we tried to imagine what
it would be like to build an airfield, complete
with three mile runway, in Hamadan, Iran for the
Shah; or enter Vietnam in 1969 as a combat leader.
He rode into battle on the sturdiest of steeds, a
UH-1 Iroquois helicopter. While flying that iron
horse in the sky, he directed combat actions and
earned an Air Medal with "V" device and 17 Oak
Leaf clusters, a Distinguished Flying Cross and
the Sikorsky award for helicopter rescue. Not bad
for a 49 year old assistant Division Commander,
especially one who didn't receive flight training
until late in his career.
He was a pioneer in Army Aviation. Making the bold
decision to change his career path from
Engineering to Aviation at the 15 year mark, he
was ultimately promoted to the rank of Brigadier
General and served his country as the Director of
U.S. Army Aviation. In the capacity of Military
Assistant to the Assistant Director (Combat
Systems) of Defense Research and Engineering,
Office Secretary of Defense, he steered the course
of history. Dad authored four separate memoranda
for Secretary of Defense, Robert McNamara. The
most significant, dated 19 April 1962, directed
the development of bold, new approaches to expand
Army aviation. In another, he was so audacious as
to name the individuals who would sit on the
board. It culminated with the creation of the
Howze Board and Air Mobility testing. In reading
the memoirs, we found it interesting that Hamilton
Howze was selected, by name, by Robert
McNamara to lead this board. Years earlier, during
WWII, Dad worked as the assistant G3 for the 1st
Armored Division. His boss, the G3, was Hamilton
H. Howze ('30) and together they forged plans for
the Anzio invasion. It is an accepted fact that
the McNamara memos and the subsequent creation
of the Howze Board gave birth to modern air
mobility, ultimately creating the Air Assault
Division. These actions changed the way U.S.
forces conducted land warfare.
My Dad was living in Atlantic Beach, Florida, a
suburb of Jacksonville. He died of Congestive
Heart Failure. It took 3 years_His final years
were spent dealing with a debilitating disease,
but he marched toward death in the same manner
as he did most things in life; never giving up and
displaying courage we will never forget.
This information was last updated 05/18/2016
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Date posted on this site: 03/10/2024
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