Info Sheet - Eudelmer "Skip" Petrie
Died 19 March 2004
see also: Comments and Heroic Deed
PETRIE, EUDELMER "SKIP" Age 63, of Riverside, passed away 3/19/04 from cancer at VA Medical Center, Loma Linda, Ca. He was born 07/15/40 in Lodi, CA.
Skip retired after 33 years from the U.S. Army/National Guard as a Helicopter Pilot (Huey, Cobra), Major (04) Army Aviator. He also worked in the Mortgage Banking Industry in the Inland Empire for many years.
Skip received 3 Bronze Stars for Valor, 2 Distinguished Flying Crosses, Combat Infantry Badge, 2 Purple Hearts, Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry w/Palm & many others.
Skip is survived by his wife, Connie J. Petrie, Riverside; 3 Daughters, Anetra Petrie, WA., Tamara Baughner, TX., Teresa Spence, N.C.; Son, Michael Scott Thomson, TX. Graveside services were held, 3/26, at Riverside National Cemetery. Preston and Simons Mortuary
Published in Press-Enterprise on Mar. 27, 2004
Don Borey: There was a documentary about helicopters in Vietnam and the cobra. Skip appeared in it talking about the cobra. I think I saw it on the discovery channel many years ago probably in the late 80's or early 90's. At that time, I think he was a Major but memory is not real good. He was cobra platoon leader after Don Phillips in mid 1971. Prior to that he was operations officer when I joined the troop in Camp Frensel Jones in March 1971. He had returned to the troop after recovering from a friendly fire wound when he was filling in for the infantry platoon leader when F was D Troop. As I remember the story, he was injured by close rockets fired by one of the troop's cobras during an operation. Needless to say there was some friction between him and the cobra A/C until the A/C derosed.
On May 16, 1971 a mortar/rocket attack did heavy damage to an aircraft from F Troop, that was in for maintenance. (U.S. Army helicopter UH-1H tail number 69-15272). UH-1 Mechanics SP4 Leonard D. Montes, SP4 Ralph E. Posey and SP4 Phillip C. Blackmond were performing maintenance on the helicopter when an enemy rocket landed in the revetment. SP4 Montes was killed outright. SP4 Blackmond was seriously wounded and died of wounds a few hours after arriving at the hospital. (SP4 Blackmond was pulled from the burning helicopter by CPT Skip Petrie.) SP4 Posey received what appeared to be minor wounds and burns, but died of wounds while in an Army hospital in Japan. (Posey may have inhaled hot gases from the burning helicopter.)
For his actions after the rocket attack on Lai Khe that hit the Huey in maintenance, Skip Petrie was awarded a Bronze Star with V Device.