EUGENE T. MCCARTHY, JR., MAJ, USMCR

★★★ Memorial Monday ★★★

Major Eugene McCarthy, Jr. '77, USMCR was lost on February 2, 1991 when the AH-1 Cobra helicopter he was piloting crashed in Saudi Arabia during the first Gulf War.

From the November 1991 edition of "Shipmate:"

Born 10 May 1955 and a lifelong native of New York he was appointed to the Naval Academy from that State. After majoring in American Political Systems he graduated with the Class of 1977. While at the Academy he was a member of the lightweight crew team.

Upon graduation he was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the Marine Corps and reported to Quantico. After graduation from The Basic School he reported to flight training and was designated a Naval Aviator. His first tour of duty was with HMA-369 at Camp Pendleton, Calif.

During the next eleven years he served with a number of commands including ANGLICO and VX-5, and made several deployments to WestPac. During his tour with ANGLICO he completed parachute training and Ranger School. In July of 1988 he joined the Drug Enforcement Administration and graduated first in his DEA class from the FBI Academy.

While serving as a special agent with the DEA he participated in Operation Snowcap, a special drag enforcement operation in Peru. With the growing crisis in the Persian Gulf, he volunteered to return to active duty.

Following a brief training period he reported to his AH-1 unit in Saudi Arabia at the start of the year.

Survivors include his parents, a brother Dennis, and a sister, Mrs. Anne O'Neil.

To Honor! ⚓

https://usnamemorialhall.org/index.php/EUGENE_T._MCCARTHY,_JR.,_MAJ,_USMCR