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by Anonymous 17 years ago
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It is with sadness and regret that I advise you of the death of Colonel Frank G. McLenon, USMCR Ret.
The Colonel served as an enlisted turret gunner in WWII, flew Corsairs in Korea, and Helicopters and C-130s in Vietnam. He was the CO of ProvMag39, which extracted the last Americans from Saigon in 1975. He was also a Presidential Command Pilot for both Presidents Kennedy and Johnson. Mac was a down-to-earth Marine, who loved to sit and have a beer and tell sea stories with any Marine, of any rank, from any era.
Mac was 79.
Rest in Peace, Brother. Welcome Home
This was reported on Sgt Grit's
Posted : 2006-06-20 12:54
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Harvey M.Wiegert
Date: Jan 14, 2008 5:59 PM
To: webmaster@popasmoke.com
Greetings !! I am a Transporter but I got this Website from Gunnyjack Simpson. I saw the write up on Col. McLenon.. Col.Mac and I went to Glenview at the same time. I was the Maintenance Chief .. We set up the training & maintenance programs for the KC130F. It was not easy to pound all that technical info into a group that met twice a month and one of those days was all administrative. Col.Mac without a doubt was one of the best CO's I ever had.. His wife (Helen) was the best organizer we've ever had when it came to functions, parties, etc. We were all her "Doll Bunnies".
I managed to qualify two reservists as Flight Engineers mostly because they attended all the right schools on their own time but in time they couldn't keep up with the requirements on their week-end schedule and had to be dropped.. Col.Mac retired and I was sent to Hawaii at the same time..
Respectfully,
MGySgt. Harvey Wiegert. USMC 1946-1982 (Ret)...
hdwieg@aol.com
Posted : 2008-01-14 18:08
Col Mac
In 1975 I arrived in Okinawa as a twice passed over Major and assigned to Mag 36 under the command of Col Mac. Ltcol Larry Whelan was the XO. Since I was the senior Major on board none of the Squdrons wanted me of course ,as it would upset their command structure. So Col Mac made me his S-3 officer. Sometime after this Larry Whelan had to go on emergency leave to the states, he convinced Col Mac that rather than pull one of the Squardon CO's up to take his job that I would be the proper person to assign to the position. He agreed and took me to Iwakuni to meet the CG of the Wing and Col Mac convinced him that this was a proper move. We returned to OKi, Col Mac called a Group Meeting and gave the news to the Squardons, either they would have no problems with me as a Major speaking on his behalf and giving them orders, or anyone of them could step up and take the XO position and give me their Squadron. Of course you can guess the response from Jimmy Bolten, Herb Fix,and the others. No problem,let Moose run the Group.
It was this assignment, the fitness reports from Col Mac, and becoming his XO in PROMAG 39 for the evacuation of Saigon that made me a Ltcol and retiring as the CO Of HML 167 in 1977. The best Marine I ever served with and I am deeply sorry for this loss.
Posted : 2008-03-22 23:33
Col. McLenon passing
Moose,
Sounds like you were a good match with the Colonel! Sometimes, that's all it takes!:D RIP Colonel McLenon...
Posted : 2008-03-23 08:31
Turret gunner WW2
Moose do you happen to know what WW2 Sqd he was turret gunner in?? Sounds like the TBF as in my unit at that time VMTB-232. Sounds like my type Marine. RIP Good Marine SF PM
Posted : 2008-03-23 15:41
