George Gray

George Buckner Gray, Jr, age 91, of Shreveport, Louisiana, retired Army Colonel, died Tuesday, January 23rd, 2018, at home in the presence of his family after a long struggle against prostate cancer. Visitation will be held 5:30-7:30 pm on Thursday, Feb. 1, 2018 at the Forest Park Funeral Home, 1201 Louisiana Ave., Shreveport, LA 71101, (318) 221-7181, www.forestparkfh.com. The funeral service will also be held at the Forest Park Funeral Home at 11 am on Friday, Feb. 2, 2018 with his nephew, Pastor Bill Lee presiding. Following the funeral, burial will be at the Forest Park Cemetery, 3700 St. Vincent Ave., Shreveport, LA 71103, www.forestparkcemetery.com. Pallbearers will be his grandsons, Robert Gray, Mike Gray, George Gray III, Joe Parrie, nephew Jerry Lee, and brother-in-laws Walter Lee (honorary) and Lynn Lee (honorary). George was born 19 October 1926 in Georgetown, Louisiana, the oldest child of Beatrice and George B. Gray, Sr. At age 17, on June 6, 1944 (D-Day) during World War II, George and three high school buddies convinced their Springhill, Louisiana high school principal to let them graduate early. They then drove to the recruiting station to enlist in the Army, where he served three years as an Infantryman and Military Policeman, only resigning in 1947 to attend the death of his mother. He then attended Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, Louisiana, where he lived with his aunt "Mrs. Jack" Bailey and became a part of their family forever. He returned to active duty in 1950 at the invitation of President Truman at the beginning of the Korean War. On May 6, 1952, a most momentous day, he completed the Officers Candidate School (OCS) at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, was commissioned a Second Lieutenant and married his sweetheart, Helen Lee. After seeing a newspaper photo of a scantily clad Helen on a parade float in Louisiana, George knew it was time to get a ring on her finger before someone else did. He received orders to Korea to eventually command an Engineer Port Construction Company. The pattern of his life was now established - service, dedication and support. He had his dream job in the Army because his assignments involved constructing large infrastructure (ports, roads, missile launch sites, schools), while furthering his education paid for by the Army at several fine universities, and being able to support his expanding family. George's fierce drive and determination propelled him from his humble Louisiana roots to all parts of the world with unique and challenging assignments. Some of his military assignments included Project Engineer in Newfoundland, Canada and Thule, Greenland, and Resident Engineer for the Corps of Engineers Ballistic Missile Construction Agency building the Titan I and Minuteman missile sites, following the Cuban Missile Crisis. Promoted to Lt. Colonel, in Vietnam for 16 months in 1967-1968, George commanded the 46th Engineers Combat Construction Battalion where they extensively sprayed Agent Orange as a defoliant when constructing roads, landing strips and housing. He was profoundly influenced by his association with John Paul Vann, believing that to be successful, America had to win the "hearts and minds" of the local Vietnamese population. The 46th was the only battalion to create the Task Force Builders, whose only purpose was to build hospital clinics, schools and teacher's housing for the local villagers in Rach Kien province, the center of many Viet Cong activities. Under the protection of the local village elders and mothers, their projects were protected from destruction by the Viet Cong, many of which are still in use today. For his final military assignment, now a full Colonel, George accepted the position of Corps of Engineers District Engineer of Saudi Arabia, overseeing about $8 Billion of construction projects, while reporting to Prince Sultan, Minister of Defense, and Prince (later King) Abdullah, Commander of the National Guard. In this three year assignment, the Corps built three major naval ports, seven regimental cantonments (for 4,000 men and their families), King Khalid Military City, and Headquarters complexes for the Air Force, Army, Navy, and National Guard. After retiring from the Army, George and his wife, Helen Lee Gray, started Gray International to oversee construction projects in South Korea, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia, finally retiring for good in 1986, when they returned to Louisiana. Ever active, on the Barksdale AFB golf course, George and Helen met other golfers involved with the Masonic Brotherhood. He could be found many weekends marching as Commander of the Shrine Legion of Honor in parades, working the concession stand at CenturyTel to raise funds for dyslexia programs, or conducting "Sunday school" to assist new Masons in completing their degrees. Among his decorations are: Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit, two Bronze Stars, three Army Commendation Medals, Air Force Commendation Medal, Air Medal, Korean Presidential Unit Citation and 3 Meritorious Unit Commendations. Believing you should never turn down an educational opportunity, George attended Louisiana Tech University and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from the Missouri School of Mines in Rolla, Missouri. He received a Master of Arts in International Relations from the Graduate School of Boston University. At Iowa State University, he received a Master of Civil Engineering degree. Military schooling included the Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania. George is preceded in death by his parents, his son, John Gray, Sr., sisters Helen Billings, Naomi Lockwood, and Carolyn McKee, and brother Charles Gray. He is survived by his (very patient) wife of 65 years who held down the fort while George was "on assignment", Helen Lee Gray, daughters Gail Gray and Patricia Gray, grandsons John Gray, Jr and wife Rachel, Mike Gray and wife Carmen, and George Gray III, granddaughters Melinda Parrie and husband Joe, and Jeanie Gray, as well as his sister, Betty Loftin. He leaves behind 5, soon to be 6 great grandchildren, numerous brothers and sisters-in-law, nieces and nephews, and an extensive extended family. He was involved in numerous veteran and civic organizations including past Master of the Hap Arnold Masonic Lodge, dual member of the Booth Masonic Lodge, Scottish Rites, Commander of the El Karubah Shrine Legion of Honor, and VFW post 2238. In the words of George Gray, "We should each live life to the fullest, being neither timid nor foolhardy, always accepting challenges with confidence and determination. A step back should be answered with two steps forward. We should be kind to each other and remember that each of us is a full member of our family." Memorials may be made to the Shriners Hospitals at: www.shrinershospitalsforchildren.org/shreveport SERVICES Visitation Thursday, February 01, 2018 5:30 PM Forest Park Funeral Home 1201 Louisiana Ave. Shreveport, Louisiana 71101 Funeral Service Friday, February 02, 2018 11:00 AM Forest Park Funeral Home 1201 Louisiana Ave. Shreveport, Louisiana 71101