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It is with great sadness that we report that William "Mike" Barter passed away on May 20th. His obituary is reproduced here, sent by Carol Linn, Mike's sister: Below is the obituary for my brother William Michael Barter. Published in the Tucson Newspapers on 6/1/2009 BARTER, William Michael, passed away on May 20, 2009 after a brief illness. He was a loving son, brother, and uncle. He was predeceased by his sister, Nancy Ryan. He is survived by his parents, Bill and Brownie Barter, his sisters, Betsy (David) Matz, Carol (Charles) Linn, Marjorie Little; and his nephews, Joe (Nancy) Barter, Michael (Christina) Matz, Quincy (Barbara) Ryan, and Bruce (Sandy) Ryan. He was born In Denver, Colorado in 1948. He was a graduate of the University of Arizona and worked as an automotive engineer at both General Motors and BMW. He served in the US Army from 1969 to 1971 attaining the rank of Sergeant/E-5 as a helicopter crew chief in the 175th Assault Helicopter Company, "Mavericks", part of the 1st Aviation Brigade. He was awarded the Silver Star, The Distinguished Flying Cross, Purple Heart with Oak Leaf Cluster, Army Commendation Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, Good Conduct Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, and Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal. A memorial service was held on Friday, May 22, 2009 at Green Valley Community Church. A memorial scholarship has been established at The University of Arizona Foundation in Mike's honor. Gifts may be made to: UAF/William Michael Barter Scholarship Endowment and mailed to The University of Arizona Foundation, Donor Services, 1111 N. Cherry Ave., P.O. Box 210109, Tucson, AZ 85721-0109. On Thursday 5/14/09 my son saw the motorcycle group, that was riding from California to Washington D.C. for Memorial Day, here in Phoenix around noon. We figured they would have been going through Tucson around 2:30 to 3:00 pm. Mike stopped breathing and his heart stopped at 2:45 pm. The doctors worked on him for 1 1/2 hours but could not get his heart started for 45 min. We believe he was spiritually gone, but his body kept going until we took him off life support on Wed May 20th. We also believe that the motorcycle group stopped in Tucson to pick up his spirit and soul to take him to the Vietnam Wall in Washington D.C. We will be planning a service at Arlington later this summer. As soon as I have the details, I will let all of you know. Barter, William Michael View/Sign Guest Book http://www.legacy.com/gb2/default.aspx?bookid=6227830507189 Please pass this on to anyone who knew Mike. Mike's interment at Arlington National Cemetery will be October 6, 2009 at 2:00 P.M. I'd like to invite you to view the Memorial Website I have created for William M. Barter (Mike). It's a place to share thoughts, photos and memories. Please pass this invitation along to other who knew Mike. Please visit the site by clicking the link below: http://memorialwebsites.legacy.com/MikeBarter/homepage.aspx Carol Linn (sister) |
 | This is the recently commissioned 175th Mavericks artwork (hanging in the museum) that was designed by artist Joe Kline. The original was presented to the Aviation Museum at Fort Rucker in Alabama on August 10th of this year. In the words of Jim Spiers "This donation will forevermore preserve the legacy of our highly decorated Unit and serve as a reminder to all who see it of the mission, sacrifices and contributions of the members of the 175th AHC during the Vietnam war era." |
| L-R: Jim Spiers; Bill Callender; Steve (Smitty) Smith; Harry Kachadourian; Frank Estes |
If you or anyone you know of belonged to the Mavericks and would be interested in being in contact with some of their old buddies, we would love to hear from them. Please have them email this site at the link below. We will not publish or give out anyone's personal information without their express permission. If you have photos or stories that you would like to add to any of the pages, please email the site.
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