MCGARRY CHARLES M

CW4 Charles M. McGarry was a potential VHPA member who died after his tour in Vietnam on 10/24/2007 at the age of 69.2 from Cancer
Lometa, TX
Flight Class 65-9W
Date of Birth 08/01/1938
Served in the U.S. Army
Served in Vietnam with 9 INF in 65-66
This information was provided by Ken Jacobsen

More detail on this person: Lometa Mayor and Municipal Judge Charles Michael McGarry Sr., 69, died Oct. 25, 2007, at his residence after a long battle with cancer.

Funeral services are Nov. 1 at 2 p.m. at Church of the Hills in Lometa with the Rev. John Quigley officiating. Burial will follow at Lometa City Cemetery.

Visitation is Oct. 31 from noon to 3 p.m. at Sneed Funeral Chapel in Lampasas.

Mr. McGarry was born in Streater, Ill., the son of James Gordon and Helen Burns McGarry. He was reared in Los Angeles, Calif.

In 1958, Mr. McGarry began a 31-year military career with the U.S. Army at Fort Lee, Va., where he met and after a subsequent tour of duty in Korea, married his wife of 45 years, the former Patricia Anne Gowdy of Richmond, Va.

After an assignment to San Antonio, he entered basic helicopter training at Fort Wolters, Texas, and in 1965, he completed training at Fort Rucker, Ala., and received his aviator wings and was commissioned as a warrant officer one.

After graduation, Mr. McGarry served consecutive unaccompanied tours in Korea and Vietnam, returning to Fort Wolters in 1967 as a chief warrant officer and instructor pilot.

In 1969, Mr. McGarry began another tour in Vietnam, and in 1970, he was reassigned to Fort Rucker as senior tactical officer for the Army Helicopter School. From there, Mr. McGarry moved from aviation to Army logistics and served consecutive tours at Homestead AFB., Fla., and later to logistical assignments in Bad Kreuznach and Kaiserslautern, Germany.

In 1983, Mr. McGarry was assigned to Fort Hood as a member of the Inspector General Team where he remained until December 1990, when he retired from active duty as chief warrant officer four.

During his military career, Mr. McGarry was awarded the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, Air Medal with Numeral 7, Army Com- mendation Medal with 2 Oak Leaf clusters, Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal with one Silver and one Bronze Service Star, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon with Numeral 3, Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, Master Army Aviator Badge and Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm.

After retirement, Mr. McGarry attended Central Texas College and Tarleton State University, earning a bachelor's degree in criminal justice. He was inducted into the National Criminal Justice Honor Society.

He moved to Lometa in December 1999, and was appointed to the Lometa City Council in 2001. In 2004, Mr. McGarry was named mayor pro tem and served with the council until 2005 when he assumed duties as the mayor and municipal judge.

He was re-elected in 2006 and held both positions until earlier this month when he tendered resignations based upon his health.

Mr. McGarry was a member of Lometa Lions Club, American Legion Post 116 and Carmichael Lodge No. 548, A.F. & A.M., in Enterprise, Ala.

Survivors include his wife of Lometa; sons, Charles Jr. and wife, Monique, of Stockholm, Sweden, James and wife, Memori, of Salado, Patrick and wife, Amanda, of Nolanville, and Chad Lyons, of Austin; a daughter, Mary Hicks, and husband, Jimmy, of Bend; 11 grandchildren, Caitlyn, Robert, Sara, John, Georgia, Kaitlyn, Charlie III, Maximillian, Catherine, Hayden and Ian; and a brother, James McGarry and wife, Sandra, of Prescott, Ariz.

The family requested memorials be made to Odyssey Health Care Hospice, 2010 SW H.K. Dodgen Loop, Suite 201, Temple, TX 76504.

Arrangements by Sneed Funeral Chapel of Lampasas.

Burial information: Lometa City Cemetery

This information was last updated 05/18/2016

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: 10/23/2024


Copyright © 1998 - 2024 Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association