William Donald Clingempeel, 78, a retired U.S. Army Colonel and resident of Warrenton, Virginia, died January 4, 2006, at his home following a long illness. He was born in Roanoke on April 30, 1928.
In 1946, he enlisted in the Army and served with the U.S. occupation forces in Japan. He later attended the Virginia Military Institute, received his degree in civil engineering and was commissioned in 1952.
His assignments included tours of duty in Vietnam in 1963 as an adviser, and in 1970 as deputy commander of the 12th Signal Group; as an instructor in Division Operations at the Army's Command and General Staff College; as Commander, 82nd Airborne Division Signal Battalion; as Chief, Operations and Readiness Training Branch, U.S. Army Pacific; and as Deputy Director, Electronic Warfare Laboratory.
In 1976, he was designated the Army's first Product Manager for Signals Intelligence and Electronic Warfare Material Readiness.
Among his decorations are the Legion of Merit, the Air Medal with “V” device for valor in combat, the Army Meritorious Service medal and the Purple Heart.
After retiring from the military in 1981, he joined Mantech International Corporation and served in several executive management positions.
Survivors include his wife, Carol; six children, William D. Clingempeel II and Kathryn L. Dahl of San Diego, California, Michael F. Clingempeel of Herndon, Laurie Ann Fitzgerald of Salem, Virignia, Jo Ellen Leinbach of Atlanta, Georiga, and Amy S. Binney of The Woodlands, Texas; 11 grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.
A sister, Joyce Lee Allman of Roanoke, also survives.
Services will be held at Fort Myer Old Chapel, Arlington, at 10:45 a.m. Tuesday, February 13, 2007.
Interment with full military honors will follow at Arlington National Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Fauquier Hospital Foundation, the Warrenton Volunteer Rescue Squad, the Virginia Military Institute Scholarship Fund or the charity of one's choice.
Michael Robert Patterson was born in Arlington and is the son of a former officer of the US Army. So it was no wonder that sooner or later his interests drew him to American history and especially to American military history. Many of his articles can be found on renowned portals like the New York Times, Washingtonpost or Wikipedia.
Reviewed by: Michael Howard