Colonel (Retired) William Howard Mcglockton

Chapel Hill, NC – William H. (Bill) McGlockton, age 85, died at his home on September 16, 2021.  He was born on October 28, 1935, in Rock Bluff, Florida to the late Rev. Hambric L. McGlockton and Louise (Little) McGlockton. 

Bill attended Rosenwald High School in Panama City, Florida.  He subsequently attended Florida A&M University (FAMU) in the Fall of 1953 and earned a master’s degree from Ball State University in 1975.  While at FAMU, two momentous events occurred in Bill’s life.  First, his roommate introduced him to the love of his life, Lutrelle W. Hilton (McGlockton), his wife of 63+ years.  Second, through a 4-year participation in the Army ROTC program, Bill was commissioned upon graduation in 1957 as a 2^nd Lieutenant in the Army Transportation Corps, thus beginning a 25-year career in the Armed Forces.    

Bill served 8 months in the Army Reserves and entered Active-Duty service on April 21, 1958.  During his first year, he completed the Transportation Officer’s Basic Course during which he received information about the Army Aviation Program and decided to attend Flight School at Fort Rucker, Alabama.  He graduated from Flight School in 1959 as the sole African American in his class and was assigned to various aviation flying positions.  At Fort Rucker, he served with the Army Armed Combat Attack Helicopter Operations where he flew CH21 and CH34 helicopters.  These helicopters used side-mounted rocket pods and 30-caliber machine guns attached to the under carriage to develop the Army’s Attack Helicopter Doctrine.

 Following his time at Fort Rucker, Bill undertook CH34 pilot duties with an operational helicopter unit in Mainz, Germany for the Berlin Wall Erection Crisis.  Later, he was assigned as the Third Echelon Maintenance Detachment Commander for all CH34 Helicopter units in Hanau, Germany.  Under his command, the Army selected Bill’s aircraft hangar to host President John F. Kennedy and his presidential entourage for a visit to the hangar and speech from the President.  This tour to Germany included President Kennedy’s famous “Ich Bin Ein Berliner” speech in June 1963. 

 Bill’s next assignment was to a large CH37 Helicopter Unit where he served as a Pilot and Instrument Instructor Pilot.  During this time, Bill earned promotion from 1^st Lieutenant to Captain and was made an Operations Officer.  In 1964, Bill rotated from Germany to fly CH37 Helicopters at Fort Benning, Georgia, and later transitioned to the newly arrived CH47 Helicopter in preparation for the first of two tours of duty in The Republic of Vietnam in late 1965. 

 Bill started his service in Vietnam in August of 1965 as the pilot of a CH47 Helicopter, Tail Number 41310.  He took off from an aircraft carrier located near Qui Nhon, the East Coast of Vietnam.  During his two tours of duty, he completed over 450 combat hours and had three of his helicopters hit by enemy machine gun fire.  One of those hits occurred in the fourth month of his first tour of duty and resulted in a crash behind enemy lines that should have killed him.  In Bill’s words, “We had been flying all night.  We could hear bullets zinging all around.  It was Thanksgiving weekend of 1965.  I had 140 rounds of Howitzer 105 mm ammunition – one round weighs about 55 pounds.  We crashed and rolled over repeatedly down an embankment.  All the turbine blades spewed all over the place.  All the rotor blades broke off.”

 When Bill’s aircraft came to a halt it was upside down.  Miraculously, the ammunition which had been on floor of the aircraft was now on the ceiling but remained stacked.  Bill, who was the aircraft commander for a crew of 5, was strapped in his seat and hanging upside down.  His Chinook helicopter which is normally 18.5 ft high was crushed to about 6 feet.   Bill and his co-pilot, Gary, released their seat belts and fell out of the cockpit.  Then Bill and his crew managed to crawl out of the helicopter through a small opening.  Between the 5 crew members, only Bill carried a side piece for their protection.  Fortunately, a Chinook that was following Bill and his crew during their mission saw Bill’s Chinook take fire and fall from the sky.  The second Chinook was able to locate the downed aircraft because an exterior light on the front of Bill’s Chinook remained lit despite the crash.  Bill and his crew were rescued and brought safely back to camp.   

 At the end of his second tour of duty in Vietnam, Bill was assigned to Fort Eustis, Virginia, the Transportation School Aviation Maintenance Training Department.  He was the first African American commissioned officer to graduate from the CH47 Maintenance Test Pilot Course, and he was first in his class.  Subsequently, Bill was assigned to the Command and General Staff School in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas where he was promoted to the rank of Major.

 Upon completion of the Command and General Staff School, Bill achieved the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and accepted his first non-aviation related assignment as Department of Army, Inspector General overseeing a 5-battalion military police brigade in Kaiserslautern, Germany.  A two-year assignment in Berlin, Germany followed, with the first year as Inspector General of the Berlin Brigade and the second year as Deputy Community Commander, Berlin.  Bill considered his time in Berlin as his most rewarding non-aviation assignment.  It was also here that the Army promoted Bill to the rank of Colonel.  

 In 1976, Bill accepted a challenging assignment as Professor of Military Science at Saint Augustine’s College in Raleigh, North Carolina, where he graduated 23 Army Lieutenants in 1980, six of whom achieved the rank of Colonel.  Next, Bill returned to aviation when he accepted the position of Deputy Director, Advanced Systems Directorate, Army Aviation Systems Command in St. Louis, Missouri.  After a year, he was appointed to department Director where the challenges became greater as interfaces with aviation industry developers and the Army end-user community took on increasing significance.  In 1982, Martin Marietta Aerospace (Lockheed Martin) offered Bill a position as Business Development Manager in Florida, which he accepted after announcing his retirement from the Army.

 Bill earned numerous commendations, medals, and awards during his distinguished 25-year military career, including:

        ·        Meritorious Service Medal

·        Vietnam Service Medal, with one silver service star

·        Master Army Aviation Badge

·        Airman’s Medal, with eleven oak leaf clusters

·        Army Service Ribbon

·        Army Commendation Medal

·        Overseas Service Ribbon

·        Army of Occupation Medal

·        Vietnam Campaign Medal

·        Bronze Star (for heroic service in a combat zone)

·        National Defense Service Medal

·        Legion of Merit

·        Vietnam Service added to the Library of Congress, Veterans History Project

 Bill worked for Martin Marietta (Lockheed Martin) for 11 years.  During this time, he was promoted to Director, Business Development and assisted with the development of a major aircraft applied system which is used on U.S. and foreign government aircraft today.  After leaving Martin Marietta in 1992, Bill worked as an entrepreneur and owner of a small defense contractor business, and served as a business consultant to numerous organizations, clubs, and small businesses until his final retirement in 2019.

 Bill was a loving and devoted husband.  During his courtship of Lutrelle, he wrote in a letter, “When I met you, I met the only woman I could ever love”.  Sixty-three years of marriage confirmed that declaration, as did buying her flowers “just because” whenever he visited the grocery store.  When mobility issues set in and Bill was unable to leave his home, he credited Lutrelle with keeping him well fed and comfortable.  She remained the joy of his heart and center of his life.

 Bill was also a loving father and grandfather who enjoyed watching and playing sports with his children, including golf, racquetball, tennis, and bowling.  During summers, Bill traveled with his family throughout Europe, the continental United States, and the Caribbean.

 Bill was a member of the Tuskegee Airmen and Omega Psi Phi Fraternity.  He also was a member and president of Host of Orlando.  After moving to North Carolina, Bill attended the Congregation at Duke University Chapel on Sundays with his wife and family.  He also enjoyed resting and relaxing on his back porch each morning with a cup of coffee.  He and his wife would sit and watch the birds and butterflies visit their backyard.  These quiet, restful periods were a particular delight to Bill, as he often described himself as a “country boy” at heart.

 Bill is survived by his wife, Lutrelle W. McGlockton; four children, William H. McGlockton, II (Joan) of Washington, DC; son Dr. Michael McGlockton (Rayna) of Fort Walton Beach, Florida; daughter, Tarshia McGlockton of Chapel Hill, NC; and daughter Tamara McGlockton Hill (Johnny) of Durham, NC; seven grandchildren, Matarie Broom (Charles); Lauren Smith (Jarron); Channing McGlockton; Alexis Taylor; Jillian McGlockton; Gabrielle McGlockton; and KJ Hill; and one great granddaughter, Ryan Henderson Broom; one sister, Mildred McGlockton Demps; three brothers, Hambric Leon McGlockton, Jr., Carl Eugene McGlockton, and Reverend Samuel Earl McGlockton; and numerous nieces and nephews.  Bill was preceded in death by his siblings, Franklin McGlockton, Geraldine McGlockton Simmons, and Eleanor McGlockton Brown.

 A Celebration of Life Service will be held at:

 Duke University Chapel

401 Chapel Drive

Durham, NC  27708

 Saturday, October 2, 2021

Visitation:  12 noon EST

Service:  1:00 PM EST

 Rev. Dr. Luke Powery, Dean of Duke University Chapel, officiating.

Family and visitors who atttend  the Memorial Service for Colonel (Ret.) William H. McGlockton are instructed to park at the Bryan Center Parking Garage, located at 135 Science Drive, Durham, NC  27710

The service at Duke University Chapel will be live streamed at the link below:

 https://youtu.be/5Xbi20ouDFc

 In lieu of flowers, the family encourages you to contribute to the McGlockton-Hill Scholarship at Duke University.  Bill’s love for Duke University stemmed from graduating all four of his children from Duke, including a son-in-law and daughter-in-law.  Please use the link below to donate to the scholarship fund or you may contact Duke University directly at (919) 613-7575. 

 https://www.gifts.duke.edu/mem/McGlockton

 The McGlockton family is under the care of Hall-Wynne Funeral Service. Online condolences: www.hallwynne.com – select obituaries.