Richard Selden Demory
Lt Col US Army (ret)
Dick Demory was born in Greenwich, Connecticut
on September 18, 1920. He moved with his family at the age of four
to Montecito, California, and graduated from Laguna Blanca High
School.
Demory joined the National Guard in 1940 and
was stationed at Fort Lewis, Washington when Pearl Harbor was
attacked. When the National Guard was then federalized, Dick Demory went to
Officers Candidate School and upon completion was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant. He was
assigned as a Platoon Leader of the 3rd Platoon, C Troop,
113th Cavalry, “The Red Horse Cavalry”. He was involved
in the liberation of Paris and for a short time was the acting Mayor
of three outlying villages. The “Red HorseCavalry ” crossed France and
Belgium, were instrumental in the Battle of the Bulge, and were
involved with the liberation of Germany. Lieutenant Demory was
awarded his first Bronze Star for valor when after the British had
closed the Falaise-Argentan Gap, the “Red
Horse Cavalry” killed over 400 Germans and captured 1000. By the end of
WWII, Lieutenant Demory was awarded a second Bronze Star for valor,
a Purple Heart, the Belgian Fourragere, and many other service
medals.
Captain Demory
volunteered for the Army again in 1948. He was assigned to an
Artillery Battalion in Fort Hood, Texas. He then entered pilot
training and at Connally AFB in Waco, Texas he received his wings in 1949.
After the outbreak of the Korean war he was assigned to the 3rd artillery in Korea.
Captain Demory flew 125 missions in L-19 and L-20 spotter planes
over enemy lines in Korea, where his aircraft was hit with enemy
fire six times. He then took over the 54th Medical
Helicopter Ambulance, M.A.S.H. His Bell
H-13 Helicopter was
hit with enemy fire. He flew the very last M.A.S.H. evacuation at
shortly before 10 PM of the cease-fire. Captain Demory received his
second Purple Heart for action in Korea.
In 1958, Demory commanded a flight of 7
de Havilland Otter aircraft from Germany to Lebanon during the
Lebanon Crisis. The aircraft were to support the Marines and the 24th
Infantry Division. He was stationed in Lebanon for three months,
flying paratroopers.
Later Lieutenant Colonel Demory was assigned to the de Havilland Aircraft
Factory in Toronto. The
United States
ordered 173 aircraft in 1959 and took
the first delivery in 1961 under
the factory designation AC-1. The US Army and Air Force designated
the aircraft as the C-7 Caribou. He was the sole test pilot
for every one of these aircraft and then flew the first one to Viet
Nam for combat evaluation. He was then assigned to the Bell Helicopter factory in Hurst, Texas, where
he was the Commanding Officer responsible for test flying the Huey
Helicopter prior to delivery for service in Viet Nam. He later went to Hughes in the same capacity for light
observation helicopters.
Richard Selden Demory, a long time member of
Old Bold Pilots, passed away on
June 15, 2010, at his home in San Antonio, Texas. He was 89 years
old.