Veterans Day is a federal and state holiday always observed on November 11th, to honor the men and women who have served in the U.S. armed forces. Last year I wrote about my grandfather, Ted Miyamoto, who had enlisted in the army and fought during WWII {click here to read more}.
.
During COL Lou McSheffrey’s 28 years of service in our nations military, he was involved in aviation as a pilot and later expanded to other areas of military operations. His skills, knowledge, and experiences were vital to help train soldiers, expand recruitment, organize and implement other operations in the military.
Before going any further into the history of COL McSheffrey’s military career, a little bit about him and his family. In 1976, his family immigrated to the United States from Belfast, Northern Ireland and he later joined them in 1977 after completing his Junior year of high school. He became a US Citizen in 1983.
Currently COL McSheffrey resides in Washington State with his wife Janée and their three children {Abby, Megan and Garrett}.
.
Lou McSheffrey {center}
In 1985, COL McSheffrey completed the Reserve Officer Training Corps {ROTC} at Arizona State University. The following year, he received his Bachelors of Science in Geography and was also designated as Distinguished Military Graduate. He then entered on active duty with the Army as an Aviation Officer. In June 1986, as a Second Lieutenant, he went to Fort Rucker, Alabama to attend the Officer Basic Course and Rotary Wing {helicopter} Flight School.
.
Honduras
In 1987, COL McSheffrey was sent to Washington State and stationed at Fort Lewis {2nd Battalion 9th Aviation Regiment, 9th Infantry Division}. He was deployed to Honduras several times on various missions where he flew UH-60A Blackhawk and served as an UH-60 Platoon Leader with S1 Task Force Eagle-Honduras, and as a company Flight Operations Officer.
.
Lou McSheffrey (right) with George Gonsalves (left), Desert Storm
.
Lou McSheffrey with General H. Norman Schwarzkopf {center}
COL McSheffrey was deployed in 1991 as a UH-60A Pilot to Operations Desert Storm and Desert Shield. He was assigned to the 4th Squadron 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Saudi Arabia, which led the 7th Corps ground attack into Iraq.
.
After completing his active assignments, in 1992 he joined the Washington Army National Guard. While stationed in Washington State, he had the opportunity to transition from rotary wing to fixed wing Army aviation that led him to flying an airplane, the Shorts C23 “Sherpa” {an aircraft that happened to be built in Belfast, Northern Ireland, where he and his family immigrated from}.
Within a few days after Hurricane Katrina made landfall on August 29, 2005, over one hundred Washington Guardsmen led by COL McSheffrey were deployed to New Orleans in a joint recovery effort with the Louisiana National Guard’s Aviation Operations.
.
A retirement ceremony for, COL Lou McSheffrey, was conducted in September 2013 to thank him for his 28 years of service to The United States of America.
.
The Master Aviator Wings was awarded to COL McSheffrey for flying over 2000 hours and serving over 15 years as an Aviator.
.
U.S. Army CH-47 Chinook
.
the cockpit, CH-47 Chinook
It was an honor and a privilege for Caleb to get a personal tour at Joint Base Lewis-McChord military base with the retired COL McSheffrey.
Currently, Lou is still involved in the military where his focus is mainly with the wounded, injured, and ill men and women by helping them find new career opportunities outside the military as they transition back into civilian life.
Thank You Colonel Lou McSheffrey!
.
Thank you Veterans for your service to our country!
Dan Coakley (Army) · Vern Cook (Army) · Rick Gormley (Navy) · Paul Keating (Marines) · Lou McSheffrey (Army) · Steve Miyamoto (Air Force) · Ted Miyamoto (Army) · Bud Morris (Coast Guard) · Chip Morris (Army) · Norm Morris (Coast Guard & National Guard) · Chris Swan (Navy) · Frederick W. Swan Jr. (Army) · Glenn Szalay (Air Force) · Ted Weigold (Marines)
.
sources/images: images 2,3,4,5,6,8 Lou McSheffrey’s personal photos ⎜ image 7 Washington National Guard/Facebook
posted by Bill & Kay
No comments yet.