Archive for the Our Fallen Category

10 April 1945 – 30 July 2001
Bayview Memorial Park, FL

Lieutenant Colonel Richard Oren Neal of Rockville, MD served in the Marine Corps from June 10, 1967 until September 30, 1990. He and his wife, Sharon have two Children: Patrick and Meghan. Lieutenant Col. Neal earned a Bachelor of electrical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a Master of Science in Operations Research at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA. Lt. Col Neal passed away on 30 July 2001.

MILITARY SPECIALITY: 7585/9650/7207
SPOUSE’S NAME: Sharon
CHILDREN: Patrick, Meghan
MILITARY SCHOOLS ATTENDED: The Basic School, NFO School, USN RIO School, USN EF-10B ECMO School, USAF RF-4C Tactical Recon School, Naval War College (NRG)
CIVILIAN DEGREES: Bachelor of electrical engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia; Master of Science in Operations Research, Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California
PRIOR ASSIGNMENTS: Ops Research Analyst, SSTC, DCA; Asst S-3, MACG-15; Asst S-3, VCMJ-1; Asst S-4/MMO, MAG-14; ALO, BLT 3/9
AWARDS/DECORATIONS: Air Medal (Strike/Flight) (3)
Hobbies: Auto Mechanics

USMC Resume:
The Basic School Class 1-68 Alpha Company, 1st Platoon, Jun-Nov 1967

Personal Reflections about Rich Neal:

From Sharon Neal:: “Richard would have so loved to attend the Basic School Reunion. He often spoke of TBS and had some great memories. He also enjoyed his flying days as an RIO as he loved flying. He had wonderful tours where he flew especially in California. Other non-flying tours included Post Grad School in Monterey, Calif. and a tour at the Pentagon. Richard was also assigned as XO of the NROTC Unit at Auburn University. After retirement he was employed by Boeing as an electrical engineer. However his heart was always with the Marine Corps and his first love was flying.”

20 June 1945 – 23 January 1968
Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, San Diego, CA 92166

Second Lieutenant Thomas Rickard Pearson Jr died on 23 January 1968 at the age of 22 due to a mortar, rocket, or artillery incident at Quang Tri Province in South Vietnam. Second Lieutenant Thomas R. Pearson is honored on the Vietnam Memorial Wall at Panel 35E, Line 17.

Tom was buried at the Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery in San Diego, as are both of his parents. All three are listed at the same plot site – Section PS-5  Site 151.

USMC Resume:
The Basic School Class 1-68 Alpha Company, 4th Platoon, Jun-Nov 1967
Vietnam: 3RD PLT, H CO, 2ND BN, 9TH MARINES, 3RD MARDIV, III MAF, Jan 1968

Personal Reflections about Tom Pearson:
From Rich Metli as relayed to Bob Newlin, 16 April 2015: I do remember very vividly that Tom was on the fence about switching to the Marines because of his father, brother and maybe a grandparent were or had been in the Navy. [On a Purdue NROTC short trip to some Navy base] I have a  very clear memory of Tom’s dissatisfaction with the lack of discipline in the Navy when a Lt. Jg. was taking a group of us around a ship for some forgotten reason and brought us over to a PO 3^rd Class who was sitting on a pipe stand smoking a cigarette.  The Lt. Jg., a nebbish sort, was giving the PO instructions of what to do with us as the PO looked annoyed, remained seated and blew the smoke out his mouth.  Tom lost his usual friendly composure and shouted at the PO to get on his feet when an officer spoke to him and put that God dammed cigarette out. I don’t think anyone ever spoke to the PO that way before, he shot to his feet and dropped the cigarette.   Sometime afterwards Tom was lamenting the lack of real discipline and made his decision (to go Marine Corps).

I knew him better at TBS.  As you know he was one of the nicest guys in the platoon, save Newlin.   As good looking as he was good natured, courteous and polite (Tom not Bob). The girls loved him (Tom not Bob).  So he was good to hang out with in case there were any “hanger-ons”.

From Steve Freiherr, 16 April 2015: Rich nailed it on Tom. No comment on his clothes – at least his uniform was squared away for drills and classes!

Seriously, I recall that besides the discipline issues w/his Navy cruise, the leadership displayed by the Marine NROTC staff, the comradery among the staff and the Marine Options, opportunity to be a platoon commander, and Marine Corps leadership opportunities all contributed to Tom’s decision to go Marine Option. His father was supportive of his decision, but he caught lots of grief from his younger brothers, especially James who I think went by “Drew.” I do recall he worked very hard to graduate with the distinction of being his class “Anchor.”

Tom and I spent many memorable weekends in DC staying with a friend of Tom’s Dad. His wife’s sole purpose in life was to get Tom and I invites to many social events/parties and to “fix” Tom and I up with appropriate dates – daughters of senior military officers and feds. And of course, we were required to write thank-you notes before we left for Quantico. Memorable times! I can share more details of our liberty and his short time in RVN, but not for publication.

25 June 1943 – 14 November 1998
Plano Mutual Cemetery, TX 75074

The Basic School at Quantico was George Pfeiffer’s second go-round with Marine-tough obstacle courses and endless training days. He had been through Marine Corps Recruit Basic Training at Paris Island four years earlier. Perhaps it was being twice trained that made Corps physical standards stay with him. Even after USMC days, he ran a fast mile and bench pressed far beyond what his weight would predict, until his final run—in brand new running shoes—on a warm November Saturday, 1998, when an unknown circulatory condition felled him.

George graduated near the top of Delaware’s Harrington High School class of ‘61, earning letters in five sports and setting track records that would remain unbroken through the 1980’s. However, having grown up in a foster family, he possibly lacked financial resources for college. He left the University of Delaware after one year and joined the Marine Corps.

Post-MCRD, he was onboard ship at the Bay of Pigs crisis and then had a very short Mediterranean cruise that ended when he was selected for the Naval Enlisted Scientific Education Program (NESEP). He reported to the University of Missouri in the fall of 1963, met and married Mary Ennis, June 3, 1966, and graduated at the top of his NESEP class in 1967 with a BS in Electrical Engineering.

Next stop: Commissioning as a 2nd Lieutenant and on to Quantico for TBS and Communications School. Near the end of Comm school and test time for the memorized in-use and in-reserve codes, North Koreans seized the USS Pueblo with those codes on board. Without knowing which or how many codes were compromised, the new Communications Officers were forced to start all over on the next set of codes.

George left Quantico for deployment to Vietnam on the same day in 1968 that Marines from Quantico were called up to guard Washington, D.C. against riots and fires, following MLK’s assassination. Even the possibility of serious violence erupting within the United States didn’t change immediate orders for Vietnam.

Letters home from Vietnam reported Communications duties in Da Nang, Khe Sahn, and Phu Bi (that are remembered).

Weeks in a vault studying secret codes must have been a foreshadowing of his future assignments in and out of the Marines. From Vietnam he went—with wife and baby daughter #1—to a “secret” Naval Communications Station in Morocco where uniforms were worn only on base. In spite of heavy security restrictions, it was quiet duty—until the final Saturday before his rotation back to the States. Moroccan dissidents attempted a coup against the King. Driving near the King’s palace in Rabat, George and his wife met a convoy that George noted was carrying live ammo (and that turned out to be the perpetrators). The soldiers allowed them to pass and turn in a different direction. George’s colonel happened to be at the palace and was caught in the fracas but released unharmed. The Pfeiffer’s farewell dinner at the Colonel’s home, scheduled for that evening, was necessarily cancelled.

Their family of four—a second daughter was born in Morocco—returned to the states the next week, July 1971, and George resigned from the Marine Corps. He had decided the civilian world offered the “pure science” that he declared early in his college studies was his goal.

With engineers “a dime a dozen” at that time, he grabbed the only position available. Then in July 1972 a letter arrived from Dallas’s Texas Instruments; it had been mailed a year earlier. Postmarks indicated at least 2 trips across the Atlantic and postings to several countries in Europe and Africa before it reached him. The company wanted an ex-Marine design engineer in their Defense Systems. George jumped at the offer. During his 26 years at TI and TI Raytheon, he earned the coveted designation, Member, Group Technical Staff. His work included the “terrain-following radar” for F-111’s and the Stealth’s anti-detection system. The only way his family learned the nature of his projects was from after-the-fact news reports of TI’s role when it became public information.

As much as George loved “guy things,” he was a devoted husband and father. Mary’s large extended family took him in as their own, giving him the family he missed growing up. He located in Plano, TX, where Mary taught school and he avoided talking about his job by listening to his house full of women. He was uninhibited about emergency runs to stores for whatever “personal item” one of his daughters might require. One prom night found him replacing ruined pantyhose at the same Park Lane franchise where Marine Colonel Oliver North (infamously) picked up ballet tights for his daughter. George lived to see both daughters married and two granddaughters born. His legacy: each of his, now three, granddaughters is a talented runner.

USMC Resume:
MCRD, Paris Island, June 1962
BS in Electrical Engineering, University of Missouri, June 1967, 1st in NESEP class;
Commissioned a 2nd LT USMC
TBS Class 1-68 Alpha Company 4th Platoon
Basic Communications Officers Course 3-68, Quantico, April 1967, Class Honorman
Vietnam, 7th Comm. Bn FMF and Sub Unit #1 (CEO) Service Co., Hdqt 1st MarDiv, FMF, 1968-June 1969
Sidi Yahia, Morocco, Naval Communications Station, July 1968-July 1971
Resigned August 1971 with rank of Captain

Personal Reflections about George Pfeiffer:

From Robert Newlin, 13 Apr 2015: I recall that he had a wonderful sense of humor and a 1000-watt smile.

22 May 1945 – 8 June 2013
Beachwood Cemetery, MI 49653

Harry Quentin Radcliffe is the beloved husband of Nancy (Dozier) devoted father of Amy Byerle (Lee) and Laurel Schwartz (Michael), loving grandfather of six grandchildren and brother of Robert and Thomas. Harry was born in Norfolk, VA on May 22, 1945 and lived all over the world as his father was a Chaplain in the Navy for 32 years. He graduated from Vanderbilt University on a US Navy scholarship. He received school honors in academic achievement in engineering and a prestigious award in military performance while learning how to fly a private plane. Harry met Nancy at university and they were married December 30, 1968. After a few years of marriage, Nancy and Harry had daughter Amy and four years later, daughter Laurel.

After flying A-4 jets in the Marine Corps for 6 years, Harry became a test pilot with Lockheed Aircraft International, later known as Lockheed Martin Corporation. Lockheed soon realized that Harry had other talents besides flying that involved technical support, contract writing and management skills. The family followed him as his successful career developed, living all over the world. He was manager/president of companies in Singapore (6 years), California (4 years), Malaysia (7 years) and Argentina (3 years). The family moved to Washington DC in 1997 and Harry retired from Lockheed after 25 years. Too restless to settle down, he soon found work with two other companies, finally retired and moved to Philadelphia in 2010. Harry often volunteered to support his church, friends, family and communities. In Philadelphia, he continued flying patients needing medical support with Angel Flight East, as flying and helping others were a lifelong joy. Harry made a positive impact on countless people all over the world with his willing attitude to help others “fix” anything that needed to be done. He loved solving problems and was often seen holding a shovel or hammer in order to “make the world a better place.”

USMC Resume:
The Basic School Class 1-68 Alpha Company, 4th Platoon, Jun-Nov 1967
Flight School, Pensacola, FL.

Personal Reflections about Harry Radcliffe:

29 January 1943 – 22 January 1968
Fairview Cemetery, Vinita, OK 74301

Terry Ranstead was from Miami, Oklahoma. He had one older sister, Jerry Ann Ranstead Caddell. During high school, Terry played trombone in a dance band and was the Senior Drum Major. He was also a cadet colonel in Civil Air Patrol. He attended Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College in Miami (pronounced Myamuh) and transferred to Oklahoma State University in Stillwater where he earned a bachelor’s degree in business in 1967. In college he was a drum major in the OSU band and a cadet in Army ROTC. He also worked full time at the Continental Can Company in Miami and then in the mechanical engineering lab at OSU.

Terry married his high school sweetheart, Dalma “Jean” Lanam, Sept 9, 1961. They had 2 children: son Terry Lee born July 29, 1962 and daughter Cheri Linn born June 16, 1964.

He joined the U.S. Marine Corps through the PLC program and received a regular commission in May of 1967 with a date of rank of June 7. Terry’s father, James Terry Ranstead, Sr. was killed in World War II. As a sole surviving son, Terry did not have to go into combat, but he volunteered. Both Terry and his father died within 15 days of their respective 25th birthdays. Terry’s and Jean’s grandson James Terry Ranstead was in Afghanistan at age 25, but returned safely.

At TBS Terry was in the 4th Platoon. He was known for his plain spoken “Will Rogers” style when expressing an opinion. He was serious and diligent in learning all he could and performing to his best ability.

After TBS he was sent to Vietnam and given the command of a platoon. He arrived in Vietnam 31 December 1967 and was assigned to Golf Company, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment,3rd Marine Division. On 22 January 1968 Terry was on a combat patrol at Quang Nam 5 kilometers south southeast of Tuy Loan Bridge when a mine was tripped killing him.

Terry was laid to rest in Fairview Cemetery – Vinita, Oklahoma. Jean Ranstead now lives in Carlsbad, CA; son-Terry Ranstead in Carson City, NV; daughter-Cheri Clemmons in Panama City, FL; and sister – Jerry Ann Caddell, Kansas City, MO.

USMC Resume:
The Basic School Class 1-68 Alpha Company, 4th Platoon, Jun-Nov 1967
Vietnam: G Company, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines, 3rd Marine Division; January 1968

Personal Reflections about Terry Ranstead:

11 October 1945 – 15 June 1968
Fort Donelson National Cemetery, Dover, TN 37058

William Gray Ross (Gray) was born 11 Oct 1945 in Trigg County Kentucky to Ruben Gray Ross and Cora Pauline Luton. John had one sister, Datha Laverne Ross. Gray’s Home of Record is Big Rock, TN which is a few miles south of his birth place.

Gray attended the Tennessee Technical University in Cookeville, TN Class of 1967

Second Lieutenant William Gray Ross is from Big Rock, Tennessee. He enlisted in the Marine Corps and served during the Vietnam Conflict. Rank of Second Lieutenant. 2Lt Ross served with 1st Marine Division, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, I Company. Service occupation of Infantry Officer. Second Lieutenant Ross died on June 15, 1968 at the age of 23 in or around Quang Nam in South Vietnam during Operation MAMELUKE THRUST. Circumstances of his death are attributed to: “Died through hostile action”. He earned the following decorations:

• National Defense Service Medal
• Combat Action Ribbon
• Purple Heart
• Vietnam Campaign Medal
• Vietnam Service Medal

Second Lieutenant Ross is honored on the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial, VVM Wall, Panel 57w, Line 31.

USMC Resume:
The Basic School Class 1-68 Alpha Company, 4th Platoon, Jun-Nov 1967
I Company, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division. Jan – 15 Jun 1968

Personal Reflections about Gray Ross:

From Jack Powers, 13 Apr 2015:: “I remember Bill as a quiet Marine who always seemed in good humor. As were we all, he was proud to be a Marine Officer. It was rare to meet a person from the back woods of Tennessee where Bill was raised. Big Rock looks like it is well out of reach of any major metro area. I knew little about Tennessee beyond the fact it was the home of Davey Crockett and Sgt Alvin York, two outstanding marksmen. This sets up the one event that stands out in my recollection of Bill. While at TBS, there was a range (I believe called the “electric range”) that involved a fire and maneuver exercise. One fire team would establish a base of fire while the other elements in the squad maneuvered for a flanking attack. The range was set up with targets that recorded each hit by the base of fire team. JJ O’Brien was the fire team leader and Bill, Bob O’Rourke, and I were members of that team. We completed the exercise and were in the bleachers awaiting the critique as were other squads who competed. The instructor gave the scores for each team, but left ours out. He finally acknowledged our team had broken the course record…by a lot. At that point, I knew that we had our own “Sgt Alvin York” in the name of Bill Ross in 4th Platoon.”

A Note from The Virtual Wall

Corporal Crane was killed on 15 June 1968 – by friendly fire. So were 7 other Marines and sailors in two separate incidents. The eight men were

• F Btry, 2nd Bn, 11th Marines
  • Cpl Dennis Crane, Spotswood, NJ

• H&S Co, 1st Bn, 27th Marines
  • HM3 Joseph E. Tamagnini, Edison, NJ
  • HN Thomas E. Gregory, Endwell, NY

• I Co, 3rd Bn, 5th Marines
  • Capt Henry Kolakowski, Farmington, MI (Silver Star)
  • 1stLt Joseph T. Campbell, Stoneham, MA (Navy Cross)
  • 2ndLt William G. Ross, Big Rock, TN
  • GySgt William F. Gunset, Somerville, MA
  • Pfc Gary C. Seymour, Hazel Park, MI

The two deaths from 1/27 are documented in the 1/27 operations log. Bravo 1/27, operating on Go Noi Island, spotted enemy soldiers in a treeline and called in 81mm mortar fire. Three short rounds landed in the Bravo 1/27 position, killing two men and wounding one other. The wounded man did not require evacuation.

The 3/5 Command Chronology notes that Fox 2/11 was in direct support to the battalion and would therefore provide the artillery forward observer teams. On 15 June 3/5 was participating in Operation MAMELUKE THRUST, but regretably neither the After Action Report or the operations log for 15 June is available. Never the less, it is believed that Corporal Crane was with India 3/5 when it was engaged on 15 June. The Citation for 1stLt Campbell’s posthumous Navy Cross outlines what happened to India 3/5:

“On 15 June 1968 during operation Mameluke Thrust in Quang Nam Province, Company I became heavily engaged with a large enemy force and sustained several casualties. As the company prepared to evacuate its wounded, an artillery round impacted nearby, killing the company commander, a platoon commander, and the company gunnery sergeant. Although seriously wounded by fragments, Lieutenant Campbell realized that he was his unit’s only remaining officer and refused medical aid in order to assume command of the company.”

The artillery shell was a friendly short round which killed the five men named above – and, The Virtual Wall believes, Corporal Crane as well.

From: U.S. Marines In Vietnam: The Defining Year, 1968:

“… On 14 June, the 3^rd Battalion , 5^th Marines marched out from An Hoa, leaving Company-K to guard the fire support base, and crossed the Song Yen into the Arizona Territory. Just across the river from An Hoa, Company I came under attack. A communist mortar round killed the Company Commander, a platoon commander, and the company gunnery sergeant and seriously wounded the company executive officer, First Lieutenant Joseph T. Campbell. As the only officer left alive, Lieutenant Campbell refused evacuation and assumed command of the company. He directed ……..”

Dennis C. Rydstrom, LtCol USMC (Ret)
27 Feb 1943 – 18 Oct 2016

VP Turner Const. (Ret) Position:
Location: San Diego, California
Industry: Education Management

Work: San Diego
Retired since Sep 2002
Turner Construction
VP Staff Development and Training (Ret)1987 – 2002
United States Marine Corps
Lt. Col. (Ret) Jul 1967 – Jun 1987

Education: Hunter College
MS, Couns. 1965 – 1967
Manhattan College
BS, Psyc 1961 – 1965

Skills: Corporate Development, Training & Development, College Recruiting

5 August 1945 – 3 November 1973
Mt. Hope Cemetery, St James MN – alongside wife Patricia

Photographs:
Mike Sandberg circa 1972 serving with the Lancers of VMFA-212 at Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii; Captain and Mrs. Mike Sandberg (Patricia Mays) 5 June 1971.

Captain Michael Bruce Sandberg was born on 5 August 1945 in St. James, Watonwan County, Minnesota, the son of William Arthur Sandberg and Madeleine Elsie Wahl. Michael was the second of four boys: William Allen -1939, Steven Bradley –1949, and Irving Lee –1951.

Mike attended St. James High School. He was the senior class vice president and a member of the National Honor Society. He attended the University of Utah at Salt Lake City on a NROTC scholarship from 1963 to 1967 earning a BS in Physics. While at the U of UT, Mike was in the NROTC with a Marine Corps option and attended the 6-week Bulldog Program, between his Junior and Senior years, at MCB Quantico, VA.

Mike accepted a regular commission in the USMC upon graduation from the University of Utah and reported to Officers Basic School Class 1-68 Alpha Company 5th Platoon, in June 1967. Upon graduation in November 1967 he reported to NAS Pensacola for the Naval Flight Officer (NFO) pipeline training, where he took Basic and Intermediate flight school. At the culmination of NFO training, Mike received his wings as an F-4 Phantom Radar Intercept Officer (RIO) flying with the VMFA F-4 Phantom II squadrons. He was assigned to an F-4 squadron.

Mike deployed to Vietnam flying with VFMA-115. It is said that he may have had a three month tour as a Forward Air Controller with a Marine ground unit. At the conclusion of his Vietnam tours, Mike was stationed with the Lancers, VMFA-212 MCAS Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii.

While stationed in Hawaii, Mike met Patricia Mays. Patricia was employed in Hawaii and both were enrolled in post graduate work at the University of Hawaii.

Captain Sandberg and Patricia Mays were married on 5 June 1971 in a military ceremony at the Kaneohe, MCAS base chapel with a reception at the officers club. Both the Sandberg and Mays families were in attendance. Michael was released from active duty on 31 July 1973 and he and Patricia moved to Tucson, AZ where both were enrolled at the University of Arizona as graduate students. Mike was studying for a master’s degree in Physics and Patricia was also working toward a master’s degree.

In a tragic twist of fate, Mike and his wife, Patricia, were brutally shot and killed on 3 November 1973 in their Tucson condominium during a home invasion. Both killers were apprehended and convicted. One of the killers died of liver disease in 1987 while awaiting execution on Arizona’s death row. The other was executed on 3 June 1998.

USMC Resume:
TBS Class 1-68 Alpha Company, 5th Platoon June-Nov 1967
Aviation Preflight Indoctrination (API), NAS Pensacola FL.
Basic and intermediate flight school for Naval Flight Officers (NFO), VT-10, NAS Pensacola FL. and Corpus Christi, TX.
F-4 Phantom II RIO (Radar Intercept Officer) School, VT-86, NAS Glynco, NFO wings upon graduation.
Assigned to an F-4 training / operational squadron.
Assigned to an operational squadron: VMFA-115, VFMA-212, possible others.
Forward Air Controller (FAC) Spent 3 months as a FAC with Marine ground forces.
Release from active duty: 31 July 1973

Personal Reflections about Michael Sandberg:
From Stephen Silver (TBS 6-67) 2 Apr 2015: “Mike and I were friends in VMFA-115 in Vietnam, where our tours overlapped. He had a great sense of humor. We had a deal – whichever one of us got to Japan on R&R first would buy the other guy’s stereo gear and ship it home for him. Somehow I got there first – I think he might have been detached for a FAC [Forward Air Control] tour?? – and spent the day in the base stereo store. I remember him being delighted and I never told him that I had slept on my wallet that had both of our money in it and then walked out of my cubicle and left my wallet under my pillow. When I suddenly realized what I’d done more than an hour later, I sprinted back. The wallet was still there and his stereo gear made it home.”
Editor’s Note: “Patricia Mays was born 15 May 1941 in Los Angeles, CA to Roderick Ainsworth Mays and Dorothy Ellen Perkins. Roderick and Dorothy were both graduates of UC-Berkeley. Patricia had one older brother, Peter born 2 May 1939 also in Los Angeles. Both Peter and Patricia attended the University of California – Los Angeles (UCLA). Patricia graduated with a BA in Psychology. She was a member of the Delta Delta Delta sorority just as her mother was at UC-Berkeley.”

20 March 1944 – 8 November 2001
1^st Lieutenant USMC; 4 Jun 1967 – 15 Nov 1971
Arlington National Cemetery, VA 22212

Rich Sergo passed away on 8 Nov 2001, at the age of 57, of renal cell carcinoma in Naples, FL. Richard Alan Sergo was born 20 Mar 1944 in Berwyn, IL to John Robert Sergo and Helen Julia Swad. Rich was one of three children with one brother, John Robert Sergo, Jr. and one sister. He attended Fenwick High School in Oak Park, Illinois.

A June 1967 graduate from Purdue University in Lafayette, Indiana, he received his BS in Electrical Engineering. Upon graduation he accepted a Regular commission as a USMC 2nd Lt and reported to the Officers Basic school (TBS) Class 1-68 Alpha Company, 5th Platoon.

Al Woods (L) & Sergo (R)

Rich served one and a half tours in Vietnam. In addition to various assignments, he served as both an infantry platoon commander and company commander.  He was discharged from active duty as a 1st Lieutenant on 15 Nov 1971.

Rich is survived by his wife Margaret and daughter Alexandra of Naples Florida. He is also survived by children Pamela and Kelly Sergo (Susan Sergo); and Jason Alan and Jaclyn Anne Sergo (Cynthia Lane Sergo) from previous marriages.

“Upon being discharged from active duty, he worked as a design engineer for Litton Industries, General Electric and Exxon.  He was Director of Software Development for Exxon Office Systems.  Prior to co-founding his own company, he was the Chief Operating Officer of Eagle Computer and the Chief Executive Officer of Sierra Vista Technologies.  He co-founded Sentinel System and Paradigm Computer Systems where he served as the Chief Executive Officer.  He developed the architecture for the first real time industry standard compatible fault tolerant computer and was a recognized industry authority on fault tolerant computing.  He was credited with establishing the criteria for a fault tolerant computer.  He was active in the IEEE and served as the Chair Person of the IEEE Fault Tolerant Standards Committee.”

USMC Resume:
College 5 yrs – 1967
The Basic School – Quantico, VA Jun-Nov 1967
Vietnam Service 680109-700505; 3rd Recon Bn.
Airborne Course Okinawa 1968
MCV Recondo School Nha Trang RVN-1968
Basic Embarkation School Little Creek VA ;1969
Basic Staff Planning, Little Creek, VA 1967
Jungle Warfare School Ft. Sherman PC 1970
Purple Hearts x2
Combat Action Ribbon
Meritorious Unit Commendation

Personal Reflections about Rich Sergo:


From Jack Sammons, 1 Feb 2014: “Rich Sergo was a great roommate: warm, friendly, very easy company, terrific sense of humor, and with a wide range of interests.  We went to D.C. together a couple of times for movies, music, and bars, but I never had any contact with Rich after we left TBS, I’m sad to say, and didn’t know his story.  Thanks for reminding me of Rich; it’s very nice to remember him.”

From Jules Seldon, 20 Mar 2015: “In early 1969 I was based at Dong Ha Combat Base.  I ran into Jim Seagraves there and then one day General’s Aide 1stLt Sanborn were touring with General Carney and we spoke.  Anyway, Dong Ha was also the HQ of 3rd Recon Bn and my platoon assisted them with demolitions from time to time.  One day I ran into Rich Sergo in 3rd Recon’s area.  He was dressed in clean utilities (which appeared to have been pressed) and was wearing gold jumpwings.   He gave me one of those “look where I’ve been” looks, but we did not have time to chat.  Years later I was reading a book on 3rd Recon Bn and Sergo’s name was on the list of Marines and Corpsmen who had served in ‘Nam with the Battalion.”

(17 Apr 1945 – 6 May 2022)

OBITUARY:  Kenneth L. Shackelford was born in Atascadero, California on April 17, 1945 and died at home in Thayne, Wyoming on May 6, 2022. His life was filled with many personal and professional accomplishments. After high school he attended San Jose State College from 1963-1967 on a track scholarship, where he held the American and World records in the 880 and 1 mile team relay.

After graduation he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Marine Corps. Once he completed OCS in Quantico, VA, he was selected for flight training and earned his Navy wings of gold. Ken proudly served his country from 1969-1970 in Vietnam, flying 229 combat missions in the F-4 Phantom.

Upon his return to the US he became an instructor pilot in the Advanced Naval Training Command based in Kingsville, Texas, and was selected to be the Marine alternate for the Navy flight demonstration team, the Blue Angels.
He married his wife of 50 years, Carol, in May 1972, and after resigning his commission in the fall, he and Carol returned to So. California. Ken was hired by Western Airlines as a pilot based in Los Angeles, eventually transferring to Minneapolis.

While in Minneapolis he successfully opened three Apple computer stores and was chosen by Apple to be one of the only people in the state of Minnesota to be trained on the “Lisa” which was the precursor to the Mac computers we have today.

In 1984 the family sold the computer stores, and moved to Park City, UT where Ken began a new chapter in the airline business as Western merged with Delta Airlines. Ken’s drive and leadership lead him to culminate his career as Chief Line Check Pilot for the Delta 737 fleet from July 1996 until 2000, retiring in 2003.

Ken leaves behind his loving wife Carol; Daughter Kelly, her partner Matt Gridley and her three daughters Emma, Abby and Olivia; Daughter Kathleen, her husband Brooks Holmes and their two sons Teigen and Torin; Son Kenneth Ill and his wife Niko Perez.
No service is planned at this time.
“When the sun of life sets, the stars of memory shine.”

AUTOBIOGRAPHY: Came into the USMC through the PLC program. Attended San Jose State University California 1963-67 on a track scholarship and was member of relay team holding the 880 yd World Record in 1967. B.A. Public Administration. Later M.A. Administration from University Of California 1977.

Basic School TBS 1-68 July 1967 – Graduated 14 of 219. Flight Training March 1968 to March 1969. Third Marine Air Wing A-4 syllabus but while at MCAS El Toro orders changed to F-4 Phantom as one of the first four “students” in the newly commissioned VMFAT 101. Assigned to Fleet Squadron VMFA 531. July 1969. Ordered to WESPAC November 1969 assigned to VMFA 314 Chu Lai RVN where I flew 229 combat missions in support of Marine ground forces. Awarded 17 Air Medals.

Returned to CONUS November 1970 and assigned to VT -23 Advanced Jet Training, Kingsville, Texas as a flight instructor. Resigned USMC August 1972.

Flew the Boeing 737 and 727 for Western Air Lines as first officer and crew member and was a ground school instructor. Joined Delta Airlines when Western and Delta merged in 1987. For Delta was a Captain on the B737, Check Pilot for B737 Delta Flight Standards 1986 – 2001, Lead Check Pilot Salt Lake City, Utah 1988-89, and Chief Line Check Pilot B-737 Fleet Delta Air Lines, Atlanta, GA 1989-2001. Retired March 2003.

Married Carol Ann Davidson at NAS Miramar May 13, 1972. We have two Daughters: Kelly 37yrs and Katie 35yrs, one Son, Ken Jr. 30yrs and five Grandchildren.

We live on five acres next to the Jim Bridger National Forest Wyoming and winter in Temecula CA. My hobbies are Woodworking, Golf, Fishing, and traveling.