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Wall of Honor Level:
Air and Space Sponsor

Honored by:
Ms. Margaret O'Neill-Hull

A gift from his wife Julia V. O'Neill and their 13 Children.

Commissioned through Army ROTC, Niagara University, NY. Entered Active Duty March 1958, Ft. Knox, KY. After Basic Armor Officer Training, attended Officer Fixed-Wing Aviator course at San Marcos, Texas and Ft Rucker, Alabama.

Rated as an Army Aviator April, 1959. After Instrument School, first duty station Ft. Hood, Texas. While at Ft. Hood, completed Helicopter Training at Camp Wolters, Mineral Wells, Texas.

Transferred from 2nd Armored Division to 18th Aviation Operating Detachment, which had been alerted for shipment to Okinawa.

Arrived Okinawa with Unit August, 1961. Unit was on Okinawa for 1&1/2 years before shipment to South Vietnam. Served as Commander and moved Unit by LST to SVN, landing at the village of Dai Ngai in November, 1962, then moved Unit by road to Soc Trang, SVN.

On Jan 2, 1963, served as Pilot of an O-1 Aircraft, carrying Senior Advisor, 7th ARVN Division, in the Battle of Ap Bac, detailed in the Pulitzer Prize winning book A Bright Shining Lie.

Returned to US, attended Advanced Armor Officers Course at Ft. Knox and assigned to Ft Leavenworth, Kansas as Airfield Operations Officer. After 2 years transferred to West Germany for a ground duty assignment as Commanding Officer A Company, 2nd Bn, 32nd Armor, 3rd Armored Division. Later, after promotion to Major, assigned as 1st Brigade Flight Detachment Leader and alerted for return to South Vietnam.

2nd tour in South Vietnam was at Sadec, as Liaison Officer to 9th ARVN Division, planning and supervising Airmobile Operations in the Mekong Delta and later as Executive Officer, 175th Assault Helicopter Co, Vinh Long, SVN.

Returned to US and Commanded B Troop, 1st Squadron (Air), 8th Cavalry at Ft Knox, KY. Selected for the US Army Command and General Staff School at Ft Leavenworth, Kansas, beginning August, 1971.

Transferred in July 1972 to become Army Aviation Advisor to the NJ Army National Guard, Trenton, NJ.

Qualified as an Army Aviator in the O-1, U-6, U-8 and U-21 Fixed Wing Aircraft and OH-23, OH-13, OH-6, UH-1 and CH-21 Helicopters. Retired from US Army May, 1978.

Civilian qualifications include Cessna 150, 172, 182, 414 and 425 Aircraft. Also Piper J-3, Cherokee and Seneca Models, Grumman Cheetah & Tiger Models. Also qualified as First Officer in Lear 31 Aircraft.