Family shares loved one’s Hall of Honor induction via Zoom
FOUKE, Ark. — Thanks to the power of Zoom, Fouke resident Clarice Pat Allen got to see one of her deceased brothers posthumously being honored Saturday more than 200 miles away from her hometown.
Nearly 28 years after his passing, Allen’s brother, Lt. Col. Gerald D. Attaway, was inducted into the University of Texas at Arlington’s Military Science Department’s Hall of Honor during a late Saturday morning ceremony.
“It was because of seeing Jerry’s induction that we learned so much about his military service,” Allen said of her brother. “We learned so much that we didn’t know about him until now. Jerry always wanted to travel — that’s probably why he joined the military.”
Born Aug. 5, 1942, in Fouke, Attaway grew up in Texarkana where he participated actively in the Boy Scouts and in the Royal Ambassador church program, in addition to Little League Baseball, according to biographical information collected by UTA.
Around 1957, Attaway, who was 15, managed to alter information on his birth certificate which enabled him to enlist in the Army, according to older brother James Attaway, who now lives in Quitman, Texas.
“Jerry was always the kind of guy who liked adventure and he knew some Korean War veterans, so I guess this is what may have lead him to enlist — even though he wasn’t old enough at the time,” James Attaway said. “Our mom may not have liked it when she heard the news about Jerry’s enlistment, but she gave him a Bible on his way to military service.”
Following boot camp, Attaway was assigned to the U.S. 101st Airborne Division at Ft. Campbell, Ky. There he completed Airborne School, earning his parachute wings at age 16. However, once the Army found out his true age, he received a discharge until he was legally able to re-enlist at age 17 in 1959 — this time with his mother’s permission.
Upon completing his threeyear enlistment, Attaway received an honorable discharge and decided to enroll in UTA — at that time known as Arlington State College. There he joined the school’s Reserve Officer Training Corps program, according to the UTA biographical brochure.
Attaway would go on to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree in business administration in May of 1968, in addition to receiving a commission as a lieutenant in regular U.S. Army Infantry. From there, he drew assignment to the U.S. 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, N.C.., where he served as an infantry platoon leader. His taste for adventure soon led him to volunteer and transfer to the U.S Military Assistance Command in Vietnam.
While in Vietnam, Attaway would go on to earn the Silver Star for his leadership in combat during a deadly tangle with enemy forces Jan. 20, 1970. There, Attaway led his unit while under attack before he temporarily withdrew it to a small hill, according to the UTA biography.
Following a brief respite, Attaway moved out ahead of his unit and continued chase the enemy up a hill while calling on his men to follow him.
Upon nearing the hilltop, Attaway drew heavy enemy automatic rifle fire in his direction as well as grenades hurled at him. However, without regard for his own well being, he pumped bullets toward the enemy, before rallying his men to outmaneuver them and force them to withdraw from the hill — without taking their equipment and combat documents with them.
Following his first combat tour, Attaway then commanded a reconnaissance unit within the U.S. Armys 1st Air Cavalry Division before eventually being discharged in April, 1971.
Attaway’s combat tours would earn him a Silver Star, Bronze Star, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal,
Combat Infantry Badge and the Vietnam Campaign Medal. He would also go onto become a lieutenant colonel by April of 1993, according to the UTA biography.
As for the rest of his life, Attaway would go on to enroll in the South Texas School of Law in Houston. There, he would earn a law degree and practice law in Mesquite, Texas with is other two brothers— James and Charles. He would also become an army lawyer.
Later on in Attaway’s law occupation, he would go to work for the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office, where he would eventually die from a heart attack in a Dallas courtroom Nov. 1, 1993, at age 51.
“It was a shock to the family when we heard he passed away,” said Angela Reed, one of Attaway’s nieces. “I can still remember sitting in his lap, when I was about eight years old — and he was in the driver’s seat in his car. He
said he was going to teach me how to drive a car and then he would take off fast.”
As for her brother’s death, Allen said the courtroom heart attack was not her brother’s first one, adding that he suffered an initial severe heart attack earlier in 1993.
“I believe he may have died owing to complications related to Agent Orange, which he may have been exposed to while serving in Vietnam,” Allen said.