Memorial Day Memoriam…Remembering Those Who Served

Memorial Day is a holiday for remembering the people who died while serving in our country’s armed forces. In honor of this holiday I want to write something personal…about my Papa (pronounced Paw-Paw, the country way of saying Grandfather), who served over 20 years as one of the top pilots in the U.S. Army. With his passing on May 9th, 2015, I’d like to share just some of his accomplishments and contributions in the Army and to the United States.

(Curtis Allen McVey Sr. at age 21)

Curtis Allen McVey Sr. was born in Lerona, West Virginia on April 4^th, 1931. He grew up in Oak Hill, West Virginia and enlisted in the Army at the young age of eighteen in 1949. In 1950, while stationed in Tooele, Utah (Desert Chemical Depot), he met and married my Grandmother Jacqueline LaChance. Together they had three children; two daughters Deborah and Linda, and a son (my dad) Curtis Allen McVey Jr.

During his two year Army enlisted period he was stationed in Tooele, Utah and Baumholder, Germany. My Dad was born in Baumholder and just last December (60 years later) he and I went to Baumholder to visit his birthplace. It was an unforgettable experience; visiting this small town that my Papa was stationed at and actually going inside the quaint hospital where my Dad was born. We enjoyed our time there and returned with some memorabilia for my Papa in Alabama.

(My Dad and I visiting his Birthplace in Baumholder, Germany, Dec. 2014)

My Papa liked to share stories, but he never boasted of how talented he was and of all of his accomplishments. It wasn’t until recently that I really knew of most of his achievements, and I know there is still more to learn. In 1955, Curtis graduated from the Aviation Warrant Officer Candidate School at Fort Rucker, Alabama, where he earned his wings as an Army Aviator. As a Warrant Officer, he was stationed many places like Fort Wainwright, Alaska,  Fort Benning, GA,  Fort Knox, KY and the list goes on. My Dad and his sisters lived a very interesting childhood, never staying in one place for too long.

It was at Fort Rucker, AL that Curtis flew both rotary-wing and fixed wing aircraft. The rotary-wing aircrafts he flew included the Huey (UH-1), Choctaw (UH-34), Chinook (CH-47), Blackhawk (UH-60), Apache (AH-64), and most famous the ‘Flying Crane’ or Skycrane (CH-54). In 1965 during his Vietnam tour he flew the CH-54 with the 1^st Cavalry Division.

(Actual Skycrane that Curtis McVey Sr. flew)

In 1968, he was one of two Army pilots chosen to fly the CH-54 Skycrane in Fort Wainwright, Alaska, during the Arctic testing. The photo below shows a large tarp of the 1^st Cavalry Division Patch that he dropped at the top of Ho Chi Minh Mountain in Vietnam. Curtis was flying the Skycrane (CH-54) in Vietnam, carrying the tarp and was asked to lay it at the top of the mountain.

(Curtis McVey Sr. in Alaska in 1968 briefing a Major General on a part of the SkyCrane during Arctic Test)

They now use the Skycrane helicopter in firefighting, like for the wild fires in California, Colorado, etc. They are painted a bright orange and used for dumping water on fires.

In 1969, Curtis retired from the U.S. Army with twenty years of military service and immediately worked with Doss Aviation, Inc. at Fort Rucker, AL as an Instructor Pilot training Army pilots. In 1981, Curtis went back on Active Duty with the U.S. Army and was stationed in Mannheim, Germany as an Instructor Pilot for four years before retiring for a second time. Curtis retired as a Chief Warrant Officer 4 (CW4).

Soon after, I was born. Growing up, I had no idea of all the amazing things he had done, places he had been, and lives he had saved. It’s still hard to grasp the idea that he was flying such massive machines. What I knew and will always remember about my Papa was that he was a very giving and loving man. He always spoiled me and my family when we came to visit from Florida for the holidays. We enjoyed our times in his home in Clayhatchee, Alabama, baking cookies and looking at what he was growing in his backyard.

(Me and my Papa)

As I grew up, so did our family! After my sweet Grandma Carole passed away from cancer, my Papa married Barbara and she had 3 kids of her own. My Papa was a loving man and accepted everyone as his own. He enjoyed going to church and spending time with family and friends. He also loved to pick up new hobbies. He grew gourds and made bird houses out of them, he grew loofah and made sponges, he learned to play the guitar, banjo, and fiddle. He collected coins and made jewelry out of them, and later on found his love for painting. There was nothing that he wouldn’t try. His passion for living life to the fullest showed in everything that he did.

                       (Photo of Curtis McVey Sr. with his 2^nd wife, Carol, and his 4 children and their families. *I am in the neon outfit, clearly it’s the early nineties)

In 2012, Curtis was diagnosed with cancer and he fought hard for years. Living in California made it hard for me to visit often, but I was happy to visit him three more times after he was diagnosed. On May 9^th, 2015 he passed away in his home with his wife by his side. He left behind his wife, 3 children, 4 step-children, 4 grandchildren, 10 step-grandchildren, 3 great grandchildren, and 5 sisters. He was loved by all! Fortunately most of us were able to gather in celebration of his life in Troy and in Newton, Alabama. He had a beautiful military funeral, in honor of all that he had done for this country. I know he would be proud to know that we all salute him for his duties as an Army Pilot and Trainer along with being a loving Husband, Brother, Father, Grandfather, and Great Grandfather. He is my HERO!

Written by: Jennifer McVey

Director of Marketing / Group Coordinator

Grand Legacy At The Park