SILER, MANLEY EUGENE, JR.

MARINE CORP AVIATOR CREWMAN'S WINGS, DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS, PURPLE HEART, AIR MEDAL WITH 5 STARS, MARINE CORP GOOD CONDUCT MEDAL, NATIONAL DEFENSE SERVICE MEDAL, VIETNAM SERVICE MEDAL, VIETNAM MILITARY MERIT MEDAL, VIETNAM CROSS OF GALLANTRY WITH PALM, VIETNAM CAMPAIGN MEDAL, MARINE CORP COMBAT ACTION RIBBON

Manley Eugene Siler, Jr. was the third son of four born to Mr. and Mrs. Manley E. Siler. The family moved to Odessa in 1965 from Jackson, Tennessee and Gene was in his sophomore year. He enrolled at Permian High School and graduated in 1967. He joined the Marine Corp immediately after graduating in June 1967.
He completed recruit training at the Marine Corp Recruit Training Depot at San Diego, California. He completed ITR at Camp Pendleton and then trained at in a Marine school in aviation at Jacksonville, Florida.
He departed for Vietnam May 9, 1969, and was assigned to HML-367, Marine Air Group-36, First Marine Air Wing and was based at the Da Nang Air Station. He was functioning as a door gunner and crew chief on Huey helicopters. On October 10, 1969, two UH-1E gunships were tasked to take out enemy positions near Con Thien. The aircraft (BuNo 152438), in which LCPL Siler was the crew chief, was the second gunship of the two in the operation. The gunship received heavy ground fire and was hit in the tail boom/tail rotor area and as a result, the helicopter crashed. Three crewmen including LCPL Siler were killed in the crash. The pilot was rescued by a nearby Army unit of "A" Company, 1/11th Infantry, 5th Mechanized Infantry Division. For this action LCPL Siler was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross posthumously as well as the Good Conduct Medal and his 5th Air Medal and the Purple Heart.