More detail on this person: On May 31, 2016
Thomas Cato West (Tommy) died at the age of 83
in Haymarket, VA surrounded by loved ones. He
was beloved husband for over 60 years to Elaine
Elmo West; as well as father of Laura Meador
(husband Stephen), Thomas West, Jr. (wife
Heather), and Sharon West Sutton. Grandfather of
Brian Meador (wife Gina) and Holly Meador
Patterson (husband Brett); Andrew, Haley, and
Lindsay Sutton; and Francis, Clare, Mary, Joseph,
John, and Benedict West. He is survived by his
brother Charles Whitney West (wife Beverly) of St.
Augustine, FL; he was preceded in death by his
sister Marie Parmly (husband Eleazar) who died in
2015. Tommy was an army officer (USMA, LTC)
and test pilot and master army aviator (3164
flight hours) with three combat tours in Vietnam
and Korea. A man of deep Catholic faith, he loved
God, Country, family and friends, and will be
greatly missed by many. Known for his humor and
bravery, he loved sports, was always ready with a
joke, and his lifelong friends were his West Point
classmates and fellow aviators. Tommy was born in
Washington D.C. on Sunday morning, August 7,
1932, at Walter Reed Army Hospital, to Hortense
Guiteras West from Cuba. His father was BGEN
Charles Whitney West, USA, a JAG Officer and
West Point instructor (USMA Class of 1920). An
Army brat, Tommy spent his childhood in both
Washington D.C. and at West Point, NY. Near
West Point at Highland Falls NY, he attended the
Sacred Heart School and in 1950 he graduated from
Highland Falls High School in a class of 53
students. He excelled in Math and Science and
loved sports, particularly football. As he says
about his upbringing, "I had no worries: Three
squares a day, a dog, a gun, lots of places to go
huntin' and fishin', out Round Pond way." Two
weeks after high school graduation, in July 1950,
he enlisted in the U.S. Army at the age of 17 and
was assigned to the 1802nd Special Regiment at
West Point until he was reassigned to the USMA
Prep School at Stewart AFB Newburg, NY. He then
attained an appointment to West Point through U.S.
Senator Jim Eastland from Mississippi and entered
West Point in July 1951 where he was in Company
A-2. Upon graduation in June 1955, he was
commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant and chose
Army aviation as his specialty. Very shortly
following graduation, he married Elaine Elmo at
West Point on July 23, 1955 on the hottest day of
the year and they honeymooned in Cuba. From
1955 to 1957, Tommy attended flight training at
Gary AFB (Texas), Airborne training at FT Rucker
(Alabama), and Basic Infantry at FT Benning
(Georgia). From 1957-1958, he spent 16 months
along the DMZ in Korea assigned to the 8th
Infantry Division. After leaving Korea, he was
briefly with the 93rd Transportation Company
(Light Helicopter) (H-21) at FT Devens MA,
checking out on the CH-21C helicopter. From
1959-1961, he earned his Master's degree in
Aerospace Engineering from Virginia Polytechnic
Institute (now Virginia Tech) in Blacksburg,
Virginia. (All of his children and many of his
grandchildren later attended Virginia Tech.) From
1962-1963, he went to Vietnam as a Captain and
Platoon Leader with the 57th Transportation
Company (Light Helicopter) (H-21) at Saigon, Tan
Son Hhut. When the 57th was later reorganized as
the 120th Aviation Company (Air Mobile Light)
(CAC) at Saigon, he was awarded several Air
Medals while flying Combat Support Missions.
From 1964-1965, he attended the U.S. Naval Test
Pilot School in Patuxent River, MD, where he
gained experience in the T-1, A-4, T-28, S-2,
HU-16, and CH-46. From 1965-1968, he was at the
Army Aviation Materiel Lab at FT Eustis, VA,
working on the XV-5, XH-51, CL-84, and XV-11A.
From 1968-69, he returned to Vietnam and was
Commanding Officer of the 604th Transportation
Company (DS) and later was Director of Plans, 34th
General Support Group. From 1970-1972, he was
on the team to establish the new Army/NASA
Laboratory at the NASA Lewis and Langley
Research Centers at Langley AFB, VA. From
1972-1975, he served as Commander of the
Scientific and Technical Intelligence Team Europe
(STITEUR) at Frankfurt Germany, covering Europe,
Africa, and the Middle East. (His son Thomas Jr.
would later join the Air Force equivalent of this
unit.) During this assignment, Tommy traveled
extensively with his family throughout Europe
including frequent ski trips in the Alps, trips to
Rome, and numerous Paris Air Shows. Among the
many stories, Tommy and his family received a
private tour of St Mark's Cathedral in Venice,
Italy from then Cardinal Luciani, later to become
Pope John Paul I. From 1975-1980, Tommy was
Program Manager, Systems Research and
Development Service at the HQ Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) in Washington D.C., and
worked to integrate helicopters into the Air
Traffic Control System. He retired from the Army
in 1978 with the rank of LTC. His decorations
include the Legion of Merit (three awards), the
Air Medal (10 awards), and the Meritorious Service
Medal (two awards). Following retirement from the
Army, he continued with the FAA, then in 1980 he
went to HQ NASA where he was the first to hold the
position of Manager Aviation Safety in the Office
of the Chief Engineer. He retired from federal
service in 1985 and in his words, he "went
fishin'" and could often be found with Elaine and
other close relatives on Crescent Beach in St.
Augustine, fishing pole in hand. A wake will be
held on Tuesday June 7, 2016 at Fairfax Memorial
Funeral Home in Fairfax VA from 1-3 pm and 5-7
pm. Burial and funeral mass will be at Arlington
National Cemetery at a later date.
This information was last updated 06/05/2016
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Date posted on this site: 04/13/2025
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