WILLIAM MACLEAN

1921 - 2020

MACLEAN Colonel, William Gordon MacLean Jr. Col. U.S. Marine (Ret.) Colonel William Gordon MacLean Jr., USMC (Retired) passed away peacefully at his home surrounded by family on Veterans Day, November 11, 2020. A veteran of three wars, Bill was 99. The eldest of four children of William Gordon MacLean and Alice Burgoyne Spencer, Bill was born in Minneapolis, MN on March 24, 1921. His parents were missionaries for the Presbyterian Church, and he spent most of his youth in Colombia and Mexico. He attended Wooster College and the University of Minnesota where he became fascinated by aviation. Bill married Gwendolyn Louise Gilbert. They had four children: William Gordon III (Bill), Martha Lou (Marcy), Charles Edward (Chuck) and Douglas Gilbert (Doug). Bill enlisted shortly after Pearl Harbor and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in December 1942. Bill deployed to the Pacific in early 1944, flying the PBJ-1J on close air support, anti-shipping, and night "heckling" missions. Bill served briefly in northern China before returning to the States in 1946. For his service during WWII, Bill was twice awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for heroism and extraordinary achievement in aerial flight. Bill qualified in helicopters in 1951 and deployed to Korea. He served as Executive Officer and then Commanding Officer of Marine Observation Squadron 6 (VMO-6), flying more than 200 medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) missions. Bill was recognized for positioning MEDEVAC assets just behind the front, cutting the time required to fly wounded troops to field hospitals. This innovation ultimately resulted in the survival of more than 95 percent of Marines and Soldiers who reached field hospitals alive. Bill was awarded the Legion of Merit with "V" (valor in combat) for his service in Korea, specifically for pioneering night pickups of wounded men by helicopters, which at the time were not fitted for night flying. Bill then commanded Marine Observation Squadron 2 (VMO-2) at Marine Corps Air Facility, Santa Ana, CA from 1952 to 1954. He served at Marine Corps Headquarters in Washington as Program Coordinator for Helicopter, VSTOL, and Light Fixed-Wing Aircraft from 1954 to 1957, and was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in 1957. Bill completed his B.S. from the University of Maryland that year, and in 1958 received his M.B.A. in Financial Management and Comptrollership at The George Washington University. From 1959-1961, he was Comptroller at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, NC. From 1961 to 1963, Bill served as Executive Officerand then Commanding Officer of Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 152 (VMGR-152) at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan. Under his command, the squadron won the Commandant's Aviation Efficiency Trophy for Fiscal Year 1962. Bill returned to DC for his final Marine Corps assignment, where he helped reconcile the Navy's research and development objectives with its budget submissions. He was promoted to Colonel in 1965 and retired from theMarine Corps in December 1966. In addition to his Legion of Merit and two Distinguished Flying Crosses, Bill was awarded twelve Air Medals for meritorious achievement in aerial flight in both WWII and Korea. His other decorations included the Presidential Unit Citation, the Korean Presidential Unit Citation, the Navy Unit Commendation, the China Service Medal, the American Campaign Medal, the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, the WWII Victory Medal, and numerous other service medals and ribbons. Upon his retirement from the Marines in 1966, Bill went to work for the Navy as a civilian, specializing in budgeting and financial management. He was promoted to the Senior Executive Service in 1983, and was Director of the Navy's Research and Development Programming and Budgeting Division. Bill received the Presidential Meritorious Executive Grade Award in 1988. He also received the Navy Distinguished Civilian Service Award, the highest honor award the Department of the Navy can bestow on a civilian, plus multiple other awards. After 47 years of Federal service, Bill retired in 1989. At his retirement ceremony, then-Secretary of the Navy Henry L. Garrett III said of Bill, "His contributions to the Navy have been enormous and his energetic manner, legendary productivity, and high sense of loyalty and integrity have singled him out from his peers. His superior qualities of management and organization have become a standard for the entire Navy staff. With a fine wit and understanding tact, he has demonstrated leadership in its highest form." In 1966, Bill married Solange Jacqueline de Saint Hubert Binda with her two children, Mark Christian and Carinne Solange. Bill and Solange lived in Falls Church where she had her thriving ballet school, the Ballet Academy of Northern Virginia and "Col Mac" was admired for his gentle kindness and wonderful sense of humor. A lifelong do-it-yourselfer, Bill acted as sound man extraordinaire for innumerable ballet recitals. The couple spent time off at their cabin in the Shenandoah Valley and at the house they built near Aldie, VA. Bill was a deeply spiritual man and loved the outdoors, saying walking in the woods was like being in a cathedral of nature made by God. An avid reader and conversationalist, he often preferred to listen to others. Bill was a selfless individual of enormous wisdom and patience, and his quiet dignity was a virtue to his last breath. He was loved and admired by everyone who came to know him. Bill is preceded in death by his parents and his siblings as well as his first wife Gwendolyn and his stepson Mark. He is survived by Solange, his wife of 54 joyful years; his four children, Bill (Eleanor), Marcy (Rodger), Chuck (Marie), and Doug (Melanie); his stepdaughter Carinne (Ron); thirteen grandchildren; and twenty-three great grandchildren, all of whom miss him greatly. A burial with full military honors will be held at Arlington National Cemetery on October 4, 2021. In lieu of flowers, the family asks for contributions to The Wounded Warrior Project or the San Lucas Toliman Mission in Guatemala, which Bill supported financially for years.Bill is preceded in death by his parents and his siblings as well as his first wife Gwendolyn and his stepson Mark. He is survived by Solange, his wife of 54 joyful years; his four children, Bill (Eleanor), Marcy (Rodger), Chuck (Marie), and Doug (Melanie); his stepdaughter Carinne (Ron); thirteen grandchildren; and twenty-three great grandchildren, all of whom miss him greatly. A burial with full military honors will be held at Arlington National Cemetery on October 4, 2021. In lieu of flowers, the family asks for contributions to The Wounded Warrior Project or the San Lucas Toliman Mission in Guatemala, which Bill supported financially for years.