Memorial held 47 years after chopper pilot was shot down,
ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo.—Family and friends of a U.S. Army pilot shot down over Laos during the Vietnam War gathered at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery on Thursday for a long overdue memorial service.
Reginald D. Cleve, of Farmington, was initially listed as missing in action after his Huey helicopter disappeared March 22, 1971, leaving false hope that he and three crew members survived. The government eventually ruled everybody on board was killed.
But without a body, and other factors, a memorial service with military honors was delayed until Thursday.
“You are a special group,” Richard Cleve told members of his brother’s unit who traveled from several states to attend. “People who would come to honor 47 years to the day.”
Seventeen of about 80 people who showed up were former pilots and crew who served with Cleve in the 176th Assault Helicopter Company. More are expected for another ceremony at 11 a.m. Saturday at the St. Francois County Courthouse.
“Everybody’s best friend was Reg,” said Robert Fureigh, 70, an engineer from North Little Rock, Ark. “That’s one of the reasons why you have so many people here today.”
In 1971, he was in another helicopter near Cleve’s at about 5,000 feet when they came across heavy anti-aircraft fire. He said the flight was part of a disastrous mission to support South Vietnamese troops being overrun on the ground in Laos.
He said his crew chief announced that a helicopter “exploded” right behind them. Later, Cleve’s helicopter was the only one that didn’t return to base.
“We didn’t fly down and check because it was suicide,” he said. “The enemy was just crazy.”
Cleve was born Aug. 2, 1947. He grew up on a farm and graduated from high school in 1965, president of his class. Following the lead of his two older brothers, Richard and Bernard, he studied engineering at what is now Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla. He quit college and married Karen Pingel, the eldest daughter of the airport manager in Farmington. He signed up to be a chopper pilot in the Army. By 1970, he was in Vietnam.
“It wasn’t fun and games,” said Carl Zipperer, 67, a former pilot from North Carolina. “It was life and death. You had to pay attention to what you were doing.”
The 176th mainly flew troops, chow and ammunition.
“He was a good pilot all around,” said Dusty Peterson, 69, a door gunner from Nebraska. “That’s why I liked flying with him.”
Most new helicopter pilots arrived to the war with 210 hours of flight training time, said Don West, a combat pilot and instructor with the unit.
“Then you really started to learn how to fly combat,” said West, 68, of Des Moines, Iowa, who went on to make a career out of flying, mainly medical evacuation in the Midwest. “We were living in the minute.”
Cleve was his roommate. In 2006, he made a trip to Laos to walk the jungle where his helicopter was shot down.
“I wanted to get close and feel that,” he said. “I wanted to look for myself.”
West said he found poverty and serenity. There were homes on stilts. One family had unearthed 51 shell casings that they were selling for cigarettes.
“For all I know, they could have been used to shoot him down,” he said.
Cleve’s widow, Karen, eventually remarried and had a full family. Her brother Chuck Pingel helped organize the memorial services. He has a framed stenciling of Cleve’s name from the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington that he sees every day.
“I decided we need to do something more,” said Pingel, of St. Peters. “It was devastating to all of us.”
That his sister is in poor health and there was never a formal ceremony for Cleve helped motivate him.
On Thursday, a procession of cars stopped at a pavilion, amid the gravestone-covered hillsides. A large photo of Cleve as young man in uniform rested on a stand.
“We recognize in the time of battle, things don’t always go as we expect,” the Rev. Scott Hall told the group.
Three volleys of shots rang out from the honor guard, followed by taps. Then a familiar thumping sound grew louder and louder until two Army Black Hawk helicopters flew by overhead at 500 feet.
Cleve was one of about 5,000 helicopter pilots and crew killed during the Vietnam War. Amid shrinking space, a new memorial wall will be unveiled in their honor April 18 at Arlington National Cemetery.